Sunday, November 22, 2009

CPLP: Getting Help vs Having Someone Do It For You


It's unfortunate.

There's a myth running around regarding seeking help - any help - with either phase of the Certified Professional in Learning & Performance (CPLP) credentialing process -

The myth is: Seeking assistance/help is considered "cheating."

This seems to be especially true of Phase II: CPLP Work Product Submission.

Let's be clear - the myth is unfounded.

It's simply not true.

We all need guidance / assistance from time to time in our lives. Why should getting / receiving support during a professional certification process be any different than the coaching / support we receive at school, at home, at work, while playing sports, etc?

The difference is - and there's a BIG difference - receiving help versus having someone else do it for you.

There are many of us in the CPLP community who guide / coach /mentor people through the CPLP certification process; people who have done so for many years.

This topic is as old as the certification itself.

For equally as long - since the very beginning - we've (the collective CPLP community who helps shephard other CPLP candidates along) have worked (and continue to work) with the ASTD Certification Institute (ASTD CI) to clearly define the boundaries of assistance.

(Not convinced? Write to the ASTD Certification Institute and ask: certification@astd.org)

The following examples illustrate how we seek help in other areas of our lives - areas where we don't think twice about asking for help - and each has practical application to the CPLP:


  • SAT or ACT prep courses / mentoring programs to help kids improve their performance on the college exams.

  • Peer review of your paper before you submit it for class - or a whitepaper for work.

  • Asking someone to proofread your work / communication / paper to look for spelling or grammatical errors.

  • Name a sport - any sport - how does a coach help you improve your performance?
Crossing the line: The line is crossed when someone else starts writing responses for you, or shares experiences from the CPLP Raters Workshop that is confidential to the scoring process.

Here's the bottom line: My company - Owl's Ledge - gets paid for its CPLP support services, just as Kaplan gets paid for SAT prep and Sylvan gets paid for mentoring kids for school.

There are other options / opportunities for help - including dedicated folks in the CPLP community who volunteer their time to help CPLP candidates succeed.

How to connect with them? Check with your local ASTD chapter.

The point is - if you need help, get help.

This is especially true for CPLP candidates who have been unsuccessful in the process. Yes, it's true - for some, certification may be premature. But for others - it could simply be that you're so far into the weeds that you can't clearly see what's tripping you up.

And an extra pair of eyes - from a coach or a peer - would be the difference between continuing to struggle and achieving CPLP certification.

~ Trish Uhl, PMP, CPLP
CEO, Owl's Ledge LLC
http://www.cplpcoach.com/

Twitter: @trishuhl @cplpcoach

Owl's Ledge - building the 21st Century Workforce, one Certified Professional in Learning & Performance (CPLP®) candidate at a time.

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