As we continue to reflect on our 10th year of the Professional Paraplanner Awards, Peter Best – Chartered Paraplanner has shared some of his own reflections from entering awards. He says the experience itself encourages confidence and a clearer understanding of the value paraplanners bring.
Awards can look from the outside as though they are only about recognition. However, having entered for more than one Paraplanner of the Year award, I have found that the real value is not just in the result. It is in the experience of entering.
There are several awards that recognise paraplanning, including those run by CII/PFS, CISI and Professional Paraplanner. Each has its own emphasis, but they all ask a similar question: what does good paraplanning look like?
As paraplanners, we are often better at evidencing the work than evidencing ourselves. We can explain a recommendation, document a client’s objectives, research a technical issue, challenge an assumption, build a cashflow model or draft a suitability report.
But when asked to explain our own contribution, development and value, many of us hesitate.
That was one of the first things I learned from entering. I found myself writing about things I would usually just get on with quietly, and that was probably the most uncomfortable part.
The technical work matters, but an award entry also forces you to step back and ask what sits behind that work. How do you think? How do you approach problems? How do you improve client outcomes?
The CII/PFS entry process, in my experience, encourages personal reflection. It makes you think about your route into paraplanning, qualifications, development and wider contribution.
That can feel uncomfortable if you do not enjoy self-promotion, but there is value in recognising that your career has been built through learning, effort, judgement and experience.
The CISI process has felt different because of the case study element. That brings the focus back to technical ability, structure and judgement. It is not enough to know the rules.
You have to apply them to a client situation, identify what matters, make reasonable assumptions, explain your thinking and communicate it clearly.
That feels close to the reality of paraplanning. Rarely do we have perfect information. We work with what we have, identify gaps, document our approach and support a suitable outcome.
The Professional Paraplanner Awards, feel closely connected to the paraplanning community itself. That matters because Professional Paraplanner is one of the few spaces focused specifically on paraplanners, rather than treating paraplanning as a supporting role within advice.
For me, that gives its awards a slightly different feel. They help raise the profile of paraplanning as a profession and show that it is not simply administration, report writing or a stepping stone to advice. It is a discipline in its own right.
Entering for different awards has made me think more deeply about what paraplanning is. It is technical knowledge, but not only technical knowledge.
It is research, but not research in isolation. It is report writing, but not just producing a document. It is the ability to take complex information, understand the client’s circumstances, test the advice, identify risks, and help ensure the recommendation is robust, clear and suitable.
It has also reminded me that good paraplanning often involves judgement rather than certainty. The best work is not always about finding a clever solution.
Sometimes it is about recognising the simple, sensible answer. Sometimes it is about identifying why something should not be done. Sometimes it is about asking one more question because something does not quite feel right.
That is why I think more paraplanners should consider entering. Not because everyone needs to win an award, and not because professional worth should be measured by a trophy.
Many excellent paraplanners will never enter an award, and being shortlisted does not make someone better than their peers.
But entering can still be valuable. It makes you gather evidence of your work, articulate your strengths, reflect on your development and think about your future direction. It may also reveal gaps, which is not a bad thing.
For anyone thinking of entering, my advice would be simple: do not leave the reflection until the application form is open. Keep a note of the work you are proud of, the problems you helped solve, the feedback you received and the moments where you added value.
When writing an entry, focus less on listing tasks and more on explaining outcomes. What changed because of your involvement? What was better, clearer, safer or more robust?
Most importantly, do not assume that awards are only for other people. It is easy to look at previous winners and decide that you are not at that level. But entering is not just about proving you are the finished article. It is also about recognising that development is ongoing.
For me, entering for Paraplanner of the Year awards has been challenging and worthwhile. It has made me think harder about my role, my standards and the contribution paraplanning makes to financial planning.
And perhaps that is the real benefit. The awards may be about recognising excellence, but the experience itself encourages reflection, confidence and a clearer understanding of the value we bring.
Main image: gold, background, benjamin-wong-WoViiJWKLik-unsplash
