TO BE OR NOT TO BE: Professional Memberships

Times are truly tough. Financial markets are volatile. Everything is getting more expensive. You have less and less to spend.
Every cent counts. Every dollar/euro/pound or rand has to bring value. Or it has to go!

This time of year one starts getting notifications for annual renewal of memberships. It gets earlier and earlier and professional bodies are struggling to keep members within the financial and business challenges worldwide.

So what do you do?

My personal decision came a while ago.
I always had two professional bodies for membership.

The first one is to be accredited as a Professional Coach with the International Coaching Federation.
I am a Professional Certified Coach (PCC) and when I have the time will submit my application for Master Professional Certified Coach (MCC) which is the highest regarded coaching designation globally.
To continue this process I need to commit to membership.

If there is no financial investment it would be a no brainer.
But money is involved thus the investment needs to reap a certain return.
What would make the designation necessary?
In a world where qualifications and designations are no longer a prerequisite – what makes it important in my case?
The International Coaching Federation’s (ICF) prerequisites to apply and qualify as a certified coach are getting stricter and stricter.
The organization is selecting and ensuring they are associated with the ‘cream of the crop’.
The designation opens doors to international training and speaking opportunities as the ICF have built this brand as something very special.
Returning to earlier statement about return on investment (ROI), it’s very clear this membership will bring value to my professional credibility and thus renewal is an easy and happy annual investment that builds on my designation as a professional coach.

The other designation which I decided to end was a membership I worked very hard to achieve and had belonged to for more than a decade.
It took me and a lot of you years to be ready, pass countless exams, study for years to meet the requirements to apply for the Chartered Accountant {CA(SA)} designation.
For many of you it might be other designations in engineering or medicine or your own field of specialization.
Here it is unfortunately a harder decision.
Odd, as I have belonged to this professional body for most of my adult life.
If I compare it to my PCC (coaching) designation, the big difference in my decision making process seems the be the ‘reasons to belong’  factor.
The importance of the CA(SA) designation is being diluted by lesser designations for unknown reasons.

In direct comparison to the coaching designation where the ICF is making it harder to become a certified coach, thus strengthen the designation’s brand.
The saying of ‘LESS IS MORE’ comes to mind.
If I apply the same thinking to decision making as with my coaching designation I’m searching (and I’m really trying) to find reasons to belong to this professional body.
What does this designation really mean?
Specifically to me even? (status? career prospects? business opportunities?)
What does this designation add to my professional persona?
What is the return on investment for this membership?
For me, STILL I can’t find a reason.
I want to.
But the facts or reasons are eluding.

Of course you can not apply every designation or membership with the same views or reasons.
For many of you, membership is not negotiable in terms of working requirements.
That said, nothing stops you, from asking the same questions.

If you invest in a membership – what are you getting for it?
Having grafted years ago to be in the position to belong to such a body is your right.
Your payment is another right.
Then the professional body has to keep their side of the relationship.
For your professional memberships – how true is that?

Thinking about continuing in your professional memberships or designations, Shakespeare says it best: ’to be, or not to be’? and an important decision that working with a coach could bring answers to.
I made the decision, saved considerable amount of money that I can invest in other areas and did not loose face in the business world.
What about you?