As of this writing, it has been two weeks since Malaysian Airlines Flight 370 went missing.\u00a0 In each day since then, there have been many \u201cexperts\u201d emerging on the news with different theories about what happened.\u00a0 Pilot suicide, terrorism, a rapidly spreading fire that knocked the pilots out before they could call for help, and an explosion of batteries are just a few of the myriad explanations for what might have happened.<\/p>\n
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And despite the fact that each \u201cexpert\u201d so adamantly justifies his or her theory and makes it sound so logical, the aircraft has not been found.\u00a0 In fact, the search area has shifted a whopping 4,000 miles from where it started!<\/p>\n
No matter how this tragedy turns out, this means that a lot of these \u201cexperts\u201d will end up being wrong.<\/p>\n
Oddly enough, I see a parallel between the \u201cexpertise\u201d sought when a procurement professional seeks advice on what certification to obtain.<\/p>\n
So, what\u2019s the parallel between the missing Malaysian airplane and procurement certifications?<\/p>\n
Well, it\u2019s pretty common to see procurement professionals post online a request for advice about which certification to obtain.\u00a0 And the responses vary so wildly!<\/p>\n
One person may say that APICS\u2019 is the only procurement certification recognized by the employers that he or she is familiar with.\u00a0 The next person may adamantly argue that point and say that APICS is not a procurement institution but more of a supply chain\/production institution and that ISM is more aligned to the procurement side of the supply chain.\u00a0 Still another person may say that the NLPA\u2019s certification (the SPSM) is much more results-oriented than ISM\u2019s and, therefore, the best choice.\u00a0 Someone else may cite ISM being in business the longest as an advantage while others may retort that quality matters more than time-in-business.<\/p>\n
I\u2019ve seen all of these arguments and more.<\/p>\n
The person that asked the question becomes easily confused.\u00a0 So confused that they may never decide on a certification to pursue.<\/p>\n
In other words, they hear so much \u201cexpertise\u201d that they may give up on \u201cfinding the plane.\u201d<\/p>\n
What\u2019s my advice?<\/p>\n
Well, as the founder of the NLPA, I don\u2019t really need to state my recommendation for a specific certification, do I?\u00a0 What I will say is that, if you are considering more than one certification, take a little time to research each.\u00a0 Compare some of the materials that each offer.\u00a0 Whose material appeals more to your style of learning?\u00a0 Who seems to have the type of service that meets your expectations?\u00a0\u00a0 Whose material is updated frequently enough for your satisfaction?\u00a0 Whose is not?<\/p>\n
In other words, what are your own, personal observations?<\/p>\n
Relying on others for advice on the topic of procurement certifications can open up a can of worms for you.\u00a0 You\u2019re an adult.\u00a0 Come to your own conclusions.\u00a0 Make your own decisions.<\/p>\n
You wouldn\u2019t ask a stranger to select your organization\u2019s most important supplier for you, would you?\u00a0 So, don\u2019t delegate your certification choice to others.<\/p>\n
On one final note, I will also say that procurement certifications are not mutually exclusive.\u00a0 There\u2019s no reason why you can\u2019t have certifications from the NLPA, APICS, and ISM.\u00a0 From the strong and diverse opinions on \u201cwhich one is best,\u201d it\u2019s easy to see how you might go to a job interview bragging about your certification from ISM only to find out that the hiring manager prefers the SPSM Certification.<\/p>\n
If you cover all your bases, you won\u2019t have that problem.\u00a0 That\u2019s why dozens of countries are not just searching one part of the world for that Malaysian plane.\u00a0 They are spreading themselves out,\u00a0 refusing to listen to one single expert, in order to maximize their chances of success.<\/p>\n
Not a bad strategy for your procurement certification ambitions.<\/p>\n
\n<\/i>Post-Script:\u00a0 While many are captivated by the disappearance of Flight 370, it is important to not forget the potential tragedy of this occurrence.\u00a0 Families are wondering whether their loved ones are alive.\u00a0 All of us at the NLPA are hoping that the plane is located and that all on-board are found safe.\u00a0 <\/i>Our heart goes out to their families. <\/i>As an educator, I always try to help my students see parallels between \u201chot topics\u201d and what is going on in their own world.\u00a0 By noticing similarities between seemingly dissimilar situations, one can often achieve a higher level of learning that would be otherwise difficult or impossible.\u00a0 That is what I tried to do with this post.\u00a0 I realize the risk of citing a potentially tragic situation and I sincerely hope that no one interprets this post to be playing down the seriousness of the worst case scenario.\u00a0 That is not my intention at all.\u00a0 Those that know me personally know my respect and love for my fellow human beings.\u00a0 My heart does ache for the families of those on board and I hope that this story has a happy ending. <\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
As of this writing, it has been two weeks since […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":3997,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3293","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-procurement"],"yoast_head":"\n