Peace of Mind Organizing

Words of wisdom from a veteran organizer

19 February 2009

Yesterday, Rubbermaid’s blog featured a Q&A with Audrey Lavine, CPO®, of Life Support Systems, who is the president of the Board of Certification for Professional Organizers.

Audrey’s been in business for 21 years, quite a long time in our industry. In the interview, she gives a great explanation of the value of the Certified Professional Organizer® credential (which I’m proud to have earned).

My favorite part of the interview is her beautiful explanation of why just loving to organize isn’t enough to make someone a great PO. It’s all about the people and communication skills. Here’s an excerpt of what she says:

Imagine that you speak one language and your client speaks another. In order to effect change in their situation, you need to find a way to communicate in their language and hopefully to eventually teach them some of yours. Aside from knowledge of industry best practices, it takes patience, understanding, and communication skills beyond language until a common vocabulary is found and what you know can be transferred to the client.

Audrey has worked tirelessly to help make the CPO® credential a reality. I hope you enjoy the interview as much as I did.

Tagged with: audrey lavine, board of certified professional organizers, certification, rubbermaid

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