A short tale of accreditation

I usually avoid shorthands. But the simple term ‘accredited coach’ is a helpful shorthand for my coaching practice, because it - literally - tells something of a story of credibility.

I recently celebrated receiving my upgraded accreditation with Association for Coaching (AC) as an Accredited Executive Coach. In an unregulated field such as executive coaching, it felt like an important way to offer an external perspective on what I say I do. And with that I can say:

> It's shorthand for my substantial experience of creating a confidential space in which senior leaders can 'think out loud' about the strategic issues they are working with.
> It's shorthand that my coaching practice meets rigorous standards that are recognized both nationally and internationally as assessed by an independent coaching body.
> It's shorthand that I am committed to ongoing coach supervision to ensure that my practice is ethical and robust.
> It's shorthand that I adhere to the AC Global Code of Ethics.
> It's shorthand that I take seriously my continuous professional development, with over 250 hours of learning to develop and deepen my craft.

As an aside, I took most delight in the feedback that my application for accreditation was a delight to read, which makes the wrestling with restrictive word counts (almost!) worth it.