I was thrilled and honored to be presented with the Change Management Consultant of the Year Award this month, during the first-ever Association of Change Management Professionals (ACMP) Midwest Chapter Conference. In the words of John Barker, Chapter President (pictured with me):
This award honors the change management practitioner who has contributed to the success of the organizations he/she serves and has improved upon the standard practices in change management and shown innovation.
The award is given to an individual that is recognized as having impact as a thoughtful leader who has proven outstanding services and accomplishments in the field of change management. And an individual who has demonstrated successful innovative contributions that drive performance in this industry.
Three aspects of the award are especially meaningful to me. First, I was nominated by a client. The client recognized me for both the work we have done together helping his organization execute mission-critical change and build change leadership capacity, as well as for the work I have done to create the CQ System for Developing Change Intelligence.
Second, the award was bestowed by fellow change management peers who launched the ACMP-Midwest Chapter with me. I served on the Chapter Board for two years and transitioned out this summer. Each Board member has made contributions to our field and serves their organizations and clients with excellence – as well as the change management community as a whole. It is very moving to be acknowledged by such talented and committed colleagues.
Third, the award represents a great deal beyond my individual recognition. If you don’t know about the ACMP – you should! Its mission is to advance the discipline of change management. I learned of the ACMP only three years ago, after over 20+ years in the business and participating in many professional associations, and immediately felt like “I found my tribe”!
The organization is only four years old, and already has a global presence with members, chapters, and events around the world. In its short existence, the ACMP has accomplished the following important and ambitious goals:
- Created a Standard and Code of Ethics to guide the change management profession;
- (Almost) finalized the Certified Change Management Professional (CCMP) designation; (And you still have time to share your input to this important credential for our field! Click here to take the brief survey.)
- Built the Qualified Education Provider (QEP) program to ensure high quality change management training (Change Catalysts was one of the first QEPs, which means that participants in our programs receive credits toward their CCMP).