Emma King Consultancy

Chartered Manager is 'the ultimate accolade in management', according to the CMI. It recognises an individual's status as a professional manager, the positive impact managers make in their careers, and their commitment to the CMI's Code of Practice and career-long CPD. 

I am delighted to have achieved this status shortly before leaving my post as Director of the Holocaust Exhibition and Learning Centre at the University of Huddersfield. I'm very grateful to the University's People and Organisational Development team, who supported me in achieving their CMI-accredited Level 7 qualification in Leadership & Management, which was the gateway to the Chartered Manager award. 

Working in museums, it's easy to become an 'accidental' manager. The focus on specialist knowledge and skills in many organisations can overshadow the importance of management and leadership which are not always recognised as professions in their own right. People can be promoted into management positions as a result of knowledge and expertise in their specialist area, rather than proven management ability, with the assumption that they'll acquire management skills 'on the job'. This is unfair to individuals and bad for the organisations they work in. 

I was fortunate to have the opportunity at Huddersfield University to complete a Master's level qualification that involved not only theoretical knowledge but a high degree of self-reflection about my experience of managing people and resources and leading change. The Chartered Manager application was a highly reflective process in which I completed an application, which was signed off by a senior colleague, and then had an hour-long phone interview to explore my experiences and reflections in greater depth. It's prompted me to think far more constructive than I had done previously about my values and priorities and the way I want to treat people, and be treated, in the workplace - with integrity, fairness and respect. Following this I've been doing some more thinking about the values and standards I bring to my consultancy work. I plan to share this in future on my blog.