\u201cWow! That\u2019s good. Wow! You did that.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\nI call them irrefutable credentials. You want to have irrefutable credentials. Now, that doesn\u2019t mean you\u2019re going to be an easy person to work with. It doesn\u2019t mean you\u2019re going to be a great leader.<\/p>\n
Carol: Yeah. It just means you have a lot of titles behind your name.<\/p>\n
Katie: You\u2019re more likely to get the look, right?<\/p>\n
Carol: True, true. Yeah.<\/p>\n
Katie: I think that women can have irrefutable credentials to help them get the look. And we don\u2019t mean the ogling look \u2013 we mean the serious look as somebody that\u2019s up and coming in the organization or someone that takes their professional development seriously. And there were somebody else would be that\u2019s maybe a male counterpart.<\/p>\n
Carol: And you know what? I\u2019m going to be a bit of a contrary in here and say that sometimes women think they don\u2019t know enough. And they go back to school to get that credential and they still don\u2019t know anymore. And I\u2019m going to use one of my daughters as an example.<\/p>\n
She got a BA Degree in Communications and got a job right out of college \u2013 working for a Communications Company. But she didn\u2019t feel like she knew enough. So she went back and got her master\u2019s degree in Communications and she still didn\u2019t feel like she knew enough \u2013 even though she was working in the industry and probably one of the more talented people they had.<\/p>\n
So that\u2019s a degree of insecurity that I think is\u2026 All the credentials in the world won\u2019t get you that degree of security. You\u2019ve got to know that you don\u2019t know some things and that\u2019s okay.<\/p>\n
Katie: So here\u2019s where I came about it.<\/p>\n
Because as an engineer, I didn\u2019t have a master\u2019s \u2013 I had a bachelor\u2019s. So I didn\u2019t have anything advanced. I did not get my PE \u2013 which is in Professional Engineering. I didn\u2019t really need it for the job that I had, but many times that\u2019s sort of the technical role and you do need a PE.<\/p>\n
And I always kind of wondered. I had this little lazy bone in me. I was like, \u201cNo, I really don\u2019t want to do it. Maybe I should go back and get my master\u2019s.\u201d<\/em> I went back for one class and I was like, \u201cNo, I don\u2019t really like it.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\nSo what hackled me more \u2013 was if I\u2019m going to get something that means something, I want it to mean something. I want it to be maybe something that sets me apart.<\/p>\n
For example, years after that when I was in consulting, I got a certification as a coach through the International Coach Federation.<\/p>\n
And that served me right off the bat. I had two potential clients \u2013 that the first thing they asked was, \u201cAre you certified?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\nSo that helped me and then I actually really did learn something about it, because I found out that the way I was coaching before \u2013 really needed some changes and I wouldn\u2019t have otherwise noticed.<\/p>\n
But what are some of the other credentialing\u2019s or certifications that you can take or that you can add to a resume that looks like, \u201cOh! Isn\u2019t that interesting?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\nCarol: Right.<\/p>\n
Katie: \u201cHow about authoring a book?\u201d <\/em>Isn\u2019t that cool?<\/p>\nCarol: Oh, huge.<\/p>\n
Katie: Now, it\u2019s becoming more and more common, because it\u2019s easier to do \u2013 printing on demand.<\/p>\n
Carol: Right. But not very many people. I mean, still to this day \u2013 not very many people sit down and write a book.<\/p>\n
Katie: Right.<\/p>\n
Carol: So yeah. That\u2019s a huge credential.<\/p>\n
Katie: And I remember a colleague of mine who is a PHD. And as soon as she heard I had a book \u2013 she was like, \u201cOh, I\u2019ve been teaching in the industry for 35 years and I don\u2019t have a book.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\nCarol: Right. Probably written numerous articles and papers, but never published.<\/p>\n
Katie: Published in a different way. Yeah. I would say\u2026 here\u2019s a great way of going about this. Start with a bucket list.<\/p>\n
Carol: I love the idea.<\/p>\n
Katie: A bucket list of maybe the standard credentials.<\/p>\n
What do some of your colleagues have that you envious of some credential that they have?<\/p>\n
But be careful. Are you envious of it, because it has served them well and it gives them a level of authority or expertise or blah, blah, blah?<\/p>\n
So ask yourself that first. Or can you find something that\u2019s different that makes you unique and sets you apart?<\/p>\n
Carol: Interesting.<\/p>\n
Katie: Like, \u201cAre you certified in hypnosis?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\nCarol: That would be so fun.<\/p>\n
Katie: I know. Wouldn\u2019t people say, \u201cOh! That\u2019s really interesting.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\nCarol: I\u2019m going to put that on my bucket list.<\/p>\n
Katie: Think of people that are unusual in your workplace and what is it that makes them unusual and dynamic.<\/p>\n
Carol: Right. I like it. I like the idea that you\u2019re not just going back for another three initials behind your name.<\/p>\n
Katie: Right.<\/p>\n
Carol: But you\u2019re going back to get those pieces of information that really make a difference to you.<\/p>\n
Katie: I\u2019ve always wanted to be certified in Pediatric First Aid. Because when my kids were in soccer and stuff \u2013 somebody hurt them. So I wanted to be the one that had the little kit in my trunk that came in to help.<\/p>\n
Carol: Oh, how cute!<\/p>\n
Katie: I just wanted to help.<\/p>\n
Carol: You just want to be the center of the attention.<\/p>\n
Katie: Really, I want to help. I want to keep a kid from being in pain.<\/p>\n
Carol: Sure. Oh!<\/p>\n
Katie: So there\u2019s something now. Is that the sort of thing that could be helpful in a workplace?<\/p>\n
Yeah. Because now you\u2019re seen as a resourceful person, you\u2019re seen as helpful or you\u2019re seen as dynamic, you\u2019re seen as somebody that\u2019s growing constantly.<\/p>\n
So if I\u2019m a manager in a department and I look around and I see Katie over there and, \u201cBoy! I know Katie does this and this and this.\u201d<\/em> I\u2019m going to see me as a more potential grower in maybe a new position or lead a new project because I\u2019m always stretching myself.<\/p>\nCarol: Right.<\/p>\n
Katie: It doesn\u2019t necessarily mean that it\u2019s because I was getting my master\u2019s degree in engineering. In fact, it really sets me apart that it was something else.<\/p>\n
Carol: Interesting. Well, you know me. I\u2019ve always kind of wanted to become a spiritual leader.<\/p>\n
And there\u2019s a few of those. They\u2019re like coaching programs, but they\u2019re first spiritual leadership.<\/p>\n
And someday, I shall do that. That\u2019s on my bucket list.<\/p>\n
Katie: Okay, a spiritual leader. Okay. That\u2019s cool. I get that.<\/p>\n
Carol: Yeah.<\/p>\n
Katie: If a woman is struggling with where she\u2019s going. Like we first talked about \u2013 the self-confidence issue anyway.<\/p>\n
What does she need to look out for? (Like your daughter.)How does she keep herself from going down the wrong path for the wrong reason? Or maybe going down that path of the master\u2019s degree, but now embracing it and really using it in a way that markets her and makes her feel better about herself.<\/p>\n
Carol: I don\u2019t know, honestly. You know, same daughter, wonderful, fascinating, fabulous women is now kind of in that same realm.<\/p>\n
She\u2019s in the communications realm. And communications is one of those soft kills.<\/p>\n
So she is using it. And she probably knows more because of her master\u2019s. But I don\u2019t know that she had to go back and get that master\u2019s in order to be doing exactly what she\u2019s doing right now.<\/p>\n
But it\u2019s nice. She has it behind her. She\u2019s got the credential. She feels good about it. That\u2019s fabulous.<\/p>\n
So I\u2019m definitely not saying anything against that. I\u2019m just saying, \u201cDon\u2019t do it because you feel insecure. Do it because it is the next right step for you.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\nKatie: Yes, exactly. Well, and we\u2019re kind of downplaying the fact that she might actually learn something that\u2019s useful in the master\u2019s.<\/p>\n
Carol: Oh, there\u2019s that too.<\/p>\n
Katie: But I\u2019ve look back at engineering degree. I\u2019m using very little of\u2026 And even in my engineering, I use very little of that.<\/p>\n
So, so many degrees are about the discipline and the theory and the general application and blah, blah, blah. But when you actually get the real job \u2013 it has nothing to do with what you went to school for.<\/p>\n
Carol: True.<\/p>\n
Katie: So I often look at the advanced degrees and I think, \u201cIs it just the credential or did you really get something from it?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\nCarol: Great information from it.<\/p>\n
Katie: So there\u2019s a part of that that you definitely need to wait.<\/p>\n
Carol: Well, I consider myself a lifelong learner. I mean, if there is a learning opportunity out there \u2013 I\u2019m going to be there.<\/p>\n
I love workshops. I love learning. I don\u2019t really like going back to school and having to be in a class. And you know, there\u2019s a\u2026<\/p>\n
Katie: I don\u2019t sit still well.<\/p>\n
Carol: Yeah. It\u2019s not right for me at this point in my life. But I really do love those one day, two day workshops \u2013 that I can really get in some deep learning and be with a group of people.<\/p>\n
I think that\u2019s fabulous and fascinating. And I\u2019m going to start working on my bucket list a little bit more.<\/p>\n
One of the things my father did \u2013 he used to teach at the Elderhostel. He put together Elderhostel\u2019s at Lake Powell and would bring in Native Americans that did weaving and all sorts of things. Like geologists, like photographers.<\/p>\n
That just sounds like fun. And I don\u2019t know if I\u2019m going to put them together or if I\u2019m just going to go to Elderhostel\u2019s everywhere when I turn\u2026 I think you can be 60, 55 to start going.<\/p>\n
Katie: And start staying there?<\/p>\n
Carol: Yeah, very fun.<\/p>\n
Katie: There are some in Europe.<\/p>\n
Carol: Oh, yeah. There are.<\/p>\n
Katie: Okay. I\u2019m digging that. What are the variety of certification\/credential\/maybe just a class that says you\u2019ve completed? What are the variety of different media?<\/p>\n
So let\u2019s say that I\u2019m creating my bucket list \u2013 which we recommend for all of our Skirt Strategists<\/em> followers. And it\u2019s probably an ongoing dynamic changing bucket list.<\/p>\nWhat are some of the variety of channels or things, ways to look at getting those credentials that you would want to look at, that you would want to consider?<\/p>\n
For example, where I\u2019m going with that is \u2013 open up the Continuing ED catalogue. You\u2019ll get tons of ideas from that.<\/p>\n
Carol: Oh, yeah. Underwater basket weaving is not all they offer.<\/p>\n
Katie: I\u2019m thinking the sommelier class.<\/p>\n
Carol: Oh, yeah.<\/p>\n
Katie: And actually, I don\u2019t think there is a sommelier class.<\/p>\n
Carol: I could teach that.<\/p>\n
Katie: But my sister and her husband and my husband all want to\u2026 I shouldn\u2019t give it away because somebody is going to steal my idea. So never mind on that. But wouldn\u2019t it be cool \u2013 if there was like a sommelier ish type class?<\/p>\n
Anyway, look at sources like the continuing ED catalogue and see what\u2019s there that will give you a full range.<\/p>\n
Carol: Right. There\u2019s something called \u2013 The Great Courses Catalogue.<\/em><\/p>\nKatie: Are those audio?<\/p>\n
Carol: Yes, most of them are audio.<\/p>\n
Katie: Because they look heavy. They look neat. I\u2019ve never heard of anyone that took one of those. Have you?<\/p>\n
Carol: I haven\u2019t.\u00a0 I\u2019d get the catalogue and I go through it and I\u2019m like, \u201cWow! That would be interesting. I think.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\nKatie: Or they just described it really well. It\u2019s very good marketing.<\/p>\n
Carol: Yeah.<\/p>\n
Katie: Online, in person, at the library, something off the shelf\u2026<\/p>\n
Carol: I do audio books. I mean, that\u2019s where I get a lot of my learning. Just listening to those as I\u2019m driving. I read a lot.<\/p>\n
You know, you\u2019re not getting a credential from that. But if somebody asked you what are the last three books you read, you can tell them.<\/p>\n
Katie: Yeah. In fact, I had that conversation with some friends over around the dinner table recently. \u201cWhat\u2019s everyone reading right now?\u201d <\/em>And so I heard.<\/p>\nCarol: Right.<\/p>\n
Katie: And some of them \u2013 half of them were\u2026 somebody said, \u201cOh my, gosh! You\u2019ve got to get this book.\u201d<\/em> And so I\u2019ve jutted it down real quick and then, I\u2019ve got a nice little list.<\/p>\nBut those aren\u2019t necessarily credentials or certifications. They do make you richer. They enrichen you especially if it\u2019s historical fiction or business books.<\/p>\n
Carol: We have our certification program at the university here. And anybody can take the certification program. And they do a great job at outlining and having different teachers.<\/p>\n
Katie: You\u2019re talking about like the certificate courses at the management school?<\/p>\n
Carol: Yeah. So I did their certification program for non-profit and I have a certificate in non-profit management.<\/p>\n
Katie: And you get networking that way?<\/p>\n
Carol: Yes.<\/p>\n
Katie: I just did one in project management. I love that. It was very eye opening.<\/p>\n
Carol: So the other place you can get certifications \u2013 is through your trade organization.<\/p>\n
Katie: Good idea. Become more involved in that.<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s go back to just kind of a wrap up thought perhaps. I think what\u2019s a deeper point here is the credibility.<\/p>\n
I mean, one of the reasons we say, \u201cGet the certifications when you can.\u201d<\/em> Because we want something that looks, \u201cOn paper is inarguable.\u201d<\/em> Right?<\/p>\nCarol: Right.<\/p>\n
Katie: \u201cShe\u2019s certified. She does it. We know she\u2019s qualified. She\u2019s legally convolve.\u201d<\/em> Whatever that is.<\/p>\nBut what\u2019s behind that \u2013 and are you using that to help enforce yourself and your competency and your self-confidence?<\/p>\n
That\u2019s a big question. If I had a ton of certifications, but I was only 25 \u2013 I think the experience is going to speak stronger than the certifications.<\/p>\n
Carol: At that point. Well, the fact that you went on and got the certifications\u2026<\/p>\n
Katie: Got me started.<\/p>\n
Carol: Right.<\/p>\n
Katie: Yeah, makes me understand what\u2019s out there \u2013 just a little bit more.<\/p>\n
So maybe we leave our listeners with an action item on this \u2013 which is creating that bucket list.<\/p>\n
I haven\u2019t looked at mine in a long time. But I\u2019m not sure what\u2019s\u2026 You know, I\u2019m constantly chipping away at something. I\u2019m not sure what\u2019s on my bucket list right now.<\/p>\n
Carol: I need you to hold me accountable to putting one together and then to doing more. Because I don\u2019t think I\u2019ve been in a classroom or a workshop or a certification for a while.<\/p>\n
Katie: Aha.<\/p>\n
Carol: I think the last certification I got \u2013 was my alcohol server certification.<\/p>\n
Katie: Back in 19?<\/p>\n
Carol: No. It\u2019s been fairly recently.<\/p>\n
Katie: I have a value space leadership course coming up.<\/p>\n
Carol: Oh, that\u2019s right.<\/p>\n
Katie: You should be in that.<\/p>\n
Well, the enrichedness of the extracurricular activities \u2013 I love.<\/p>\n
I would love to be a cheese expert. I don\u2019t really want to be a cheese expert.<\/p>\n
Carol: No, I got it. Just to have some expertise behind it. It\u2019s fun.<\/p>\n
Katie: Yeah. And then it goes with the wine.<\/p>\n
Carol: True.<\/p>\n
Katie: And doesn\u2019t that make you just a little bit more well-rounded?<\/p>\n
But we talk about in other places in the book \u2013 is having a social life, having a spiritual life.<\/p>\n
Whatever that is for you \u2013 maybe that\u2019s your four minutes of meditative silence being a Skirt Strategies<\/em> subscriber.<\/p>\nCarol: Maybe that\u2019s as spiritual as you want to get?<\/p>\n
Katie: Maybe that\u2019s a spiritual, maybe it\u2019s a walk with your dog that cleanses your head, maybe it\u2019s attending church once a week or more. But what is it for you?<\/p>\n
So there\u2019s that spiritual side, there\u2019s that community side, there\u2019s that artsy personal enrichment side, there\u2019s where your friends are, there\u2019s where your families and there\u2019s where your work is.<\/p>\n
Women are not individualistic in one or more area. We\u2019re really very holistic. So when we talk about getting certifications \u2013 pick any of those realms.<\/p>\n
Carol: Sure.<\/p>\n
Katie: Sophie \u2013 my youngest daughter, she is a freshman in college right now. But when she was a junior or senior in high school, she did tell me that she just got some sort of (what\u2019s it called when you can perform religious ceremonies?)<\/p>\n
Carol: Oh, minister?<\/p>\n
Katie: Well, I\u2019m a minister now.<\/p>\n
Carol: She\u2019d get online and become a minister.<\/p>\n
Katie: Yes. But she said, \u201cMom, but it wasn\u2019t an online\u2026\u201d<\/em><\/p>\nAnd I started getting a little worried about who maybe she was hanging around with.<\/p>\n
But she said that she could perform\u2026 and she was indoctrinated or whatever.<\/p>\n
Carol: Weddings and\u2026?<\/p>\n
Katie: That she could marry people.<\/p>\n
Carol: She could officiate.<\/p>\n
Katie: Yeah, yeah.<\/p>\n
Carol: Interesting.<\/p>\n
Katie: Exactly.<\/p>\n
Carol: She can do that?<\/p>\n
Katie: Yes.<\/p>\n
Carol: I love it. She\u2019s a doll. She\u2019s so fun.<\/p>\n
Katie: She joined the rugby team at school last weekend, by the way.<\/p>\n
Carol: Oh my, gosh!<\/p>\n
Katie: Which now I\u2019m worried, because she\u2019s never done hardly any sports since she was about eight.<\/p>\n
Carol: Oh.<\/p>\n
Katie: But she\u2019s just one of those. She\u2019s a perfect example of somebody that just goes out and does something kind of corky and off the wall.<\/p>\n
Carol: I like that. Everybody \u2013 put that on your bucket list. Become official.<\/p>\n
Katie: Ordained was\u2026<\/p>\n
Carol: An ordained minister.<\/p>\n
Katie: She became an ordained minister.<\/p>\n
Carol: Interesting.<\/p>\n
Katie: And I thought maybe it was something she\u2019d applied for \u2013 online. But she said it was more in person than that.<\/p>\n
So this is how good of a mom I am. I just kind of left in the battle and like, \u201cOh, I don\u2019t think I want to know.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\nCarol: How funny!<\/p>\n
Katie: But stretching yourself in all those different ways \u2013 it\u2019s just a way to soak up life more.<\/p>\n
Carol: Sure. Absolutely! Alright, so figure out what you\u2019re going to do \u2013 go do it.<\/p>\n
Katie: Let\u2019s get that bucket list going.<\/p>\n
Carol: Get your bucket list and get your certifications.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n[MUSIC PLAYS]<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
That\u2019s it for this episode of the Skirt Strategies<\/em> podcast. Thank you for joining us and please be sure to leave a question or comment at skirtstrategies.com<\/em>.<\/em><\/a> Remember that success comes when you lead, using your natural female strengths.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The topic of this episode deals with Tip #2 from Skirt Strategies: 249 Success Tips for Women in Leadership: Grow your credibility. Get certifications when you can. You are always better off having irrefutable credentials, especially of you are a woman in leadership. And especially of you are in a male-based workplace. This won\u2019t get […]<\/p>\n
http:\/\/traffic.libsyn.com\/paththreellc\/019SkirtStrategiesPodcast.mp3<\/a><\/audio><\/div>Podcast: Download<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[24],"tags":[73,37,78],"class_list":["post-2826","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-podcast","tag-credibility","tag-leadership-for-women-2","tag-professionalism-for-women"],"yoast_head":"\nGrow Your Credibility with Certifications<\/title>\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n