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Future or future in the past?

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Laurențiu Stan

The theme of this edition of „Valoarea, oriunde este ea” magazine sends me to the beginning of the grammar classes during which I was struggling to understand the many forms of verb tenses – past, present and future.

However, I am coming back quickly to the present and I accept the challenge of thinking about the future, the future of the profession of authorised valuator.

I still have in mind the comparison with the verb tenses and, trying to remember this part of grammar, I begin to read about tenses. The names of the past tenses seem to me to be really funny: past continuous,past perfect simple,present perfect and, the most beautiful of them, past perfect. I cannot help but draw parallels with my past actions. The first one seems more appropriate, because I could certainly have done things better. I don't think anyone can strongly declare that the past was perfect or more perfect. There's room for improvement anytime.

The present tense is firm, simple, without variations. It's like it's telling you: be careful what you do because you'll never meet me again and you might regretit.

Arriving at the future tense, I get a nuance of it: the future perfect or "in the past". What do you mean? Either it's the future or it's the past? Can this joining of words mean that the future is linked to the past, as Anatole France said: "The past cannot perish, for the future will be born of it"? But by reading the definition of this form of future tense, things are starting to make sense: the future perfect shows a future action completed before another future action. For example, "we will have become true professionals when the profession will enjoy the respect and trust of others".

I like the idea of future action before another future action. This means that before reaching an important objective it is necessary to complete some preliminary steps, ensuring all the conditions for the successful achievement of that objective, "preparing the ground". I never believed in immediate success or overnight enrichment without work. Small and safe steps often lead to the achievement of the end goal. "The future is the sum of the steps you take, including the little ones, ignored or mocked," Henri Coanda said.

The first condition for achieving an objective is even its clear determination. Drawing a parallel to sea navigation, it is rare for a navigator to take the boat out of port without a predetermined destination. No one wants to drift. Equally important is the prior establishment of the route, and it comprises several landmarks. Thus, any objective should be divided into smaller, intermediate objectives, which lay the foundation of the main objective.

An objective must be based on its purpose and added value, and the deadline should not come first. The time horizon should be set according to the objective assumed and one should not start from a predetermined deadline in which we must achieve certain objectives. I do not believe in 'five-year periods' or very long-term strategies, for the simple reason that the future is unpredictable and it is quite possible that exceptional situations will arise that will nullify the opportunity of a previously set goal or create opportunities for other objectives. Moreover, the objectives are carried out by people, and people and their mentality are constantly changing. A very long-term strategy is like a train with a lot of carriages, running on a railway without a switch. When a beneficial opportunity arises on the right or left of the railway, the train cannot swerve because it risks derailing. On the other hand, if the strategy were built as a fleet of cars with a high degree of flexibility, adapting to new routes would be much easier and less risky.

As I was saying, the first condition for achieving a goal is its setting. Within a company it is quite easy to think about goals, in the short, medium or long term. But in the case of a profession, setting a major goal can be a somewhat a more complex exercise.

From my point of view, the fundamental objective of the profession of authorized valuator, the destination we should reach in a relatively short time horizon, is a sum of three heavy words : Recognition, Respect, Trust!

In my opinion, many of the intermediate steps have already been taken and the direction is good, with ANEVAR fulfilling its role of organising and coordinating the work of authorised valuers, as well as representing the interests of the profession at national and international level. The profession, however, consists not only of those who run the work of the Association, but of all authorized valuators, professionals in the evaluation of assets. Therefore, we must assume each of us the responsibility for successfully taking this path, and our benchmarks should be precisely the fundamental ethical principles.

I am convinced that every authorised valuator has read and appropriated the Code of Ethics of the profession and knows the ethical principles by which he should guide his work. However, I will highlight some elements of the principles of ethics and how they could lead to reaching the fundamental objective.

INTEGRITY. The principle of integrity says that authorized valuators must be honest and fair in all professional and business relations. I would include here, in addition to customer relations and report users, the behaviour towards guild colleagues and partners in other professions. If we're not fair and honest to colleagues, I find it hard to believe that we will be different with our customers. Sometimes honesty can be troublesome, and direct expression of opinions can be disturbing, but it is more accurate to say your opinion directly than to silently endorse behavior with which you disagree. The words of Master Brâncuși – "Opinions are free, not mandatory". A sincere person is perceived as trustworthy,and a profession with sincere people will be a trusted profession.

OBJECTIVITY, INDEPENDENCE, IMPARTIALITY. Of course we all think of ourselves as independent and impartial, and we strongly declare that. However, there may be certain situations that can influence our professional reasoning without immediately realizing it. Whether it's a valuation report for a former high school classmate we haven't seen in 20 years or for a company we worked for a while ago, even if it seems there's no influence on our judgment, subjectivity can be quite significant. Independence is an essential factor in shaping public perception of our profession and we must be able to prove at all times that professional reasoning is not compromised due to a possible conflict of interest.

PROFESSIONAL COMPETENCE. Here I would highlight a few phrases from the Code of Ethics:

  • "maintaining professional knowledge and skills at the necessary level so that the employer or clients benefit from competent professional services" – Before we reach the maintenance of knowledge, we must not ignore the initial vocational training (training courses). This is where the future skills of an authorised valuater are laid. This is one of the intermediate steps that should not be neglected in any way, because without a well-made foundation, a building will not last long. Equally important is the maintenance of a high level of professional training, a kind of maintenance, if we draw parallels with the building again. In this respect, the efforts will be combined: on the one hand, the Association will provide a diversified continuous training programme adapted to current needs, on the other hand the valuators will go through the training programme and, moreover, they will propose current themes for new vocational training materials. And why not continue in this endeavor and add to the building a beautiful roof or a precious architectural detail – the distinction of ANEVAR Accredited Member – MAA, a high level of professional training.
  • "Professional competence involves the exercise of judgment",of reason,in the use of professional knowledge and skills. Having theoretical knowledge is not sufficient to carry out the evaluation process. The professional reasoning of the valuator is necessary to choose the most appropriate methods for estimating the value. Otherwise, it would be enough for a regular computer to do all the work of the valuator. And then we won't have a profession anymore, but a data center.
  • "The authorised valuator will provide those valuation services for which he has competences and qualifications" and "Authorised valuators will not present distorted qualifications and professional experience"- I perceive a difference in nuance between having a competence and being qualified for a particular activity. DEX defines the competence as that ability of a person to rule on a thing, on the basis of a deep knowledge of the problem in question,whereas qualification can only mean the attribution of a quality, for example as an authorised valuator or, more in more detail, as an authorised valuator in the valuation of immovable property. In my view, simply holding the EPI specialisation is not equivalent to having the skills to assess any type of real estate, from the apartment to the hotel or other complex property. I'm sure no one is good at everything and that we should all be aware of that. In addition, instead of insisting on the field in which we could excel, we waste time trying to be good at everything, which usually results in failure. Recognition of boundaries is not a form of self-disregard, but a form of sincerity. The fact that we do not engage in a mission that exceeds our competence will not negatively affect us, on the contrary, can generate trust and respect on the part of the client. Furthermore, the provision of impeccable valuation services for certain types of goods will certainly cause customers to return.

Highlighting certain words in previous sentences is not random. I firmly believe that honesty, sincerity and fairness, both towards others and towards oneself, generates society's trust and respect for ourselves, as individuals, and for the profession we represent. I am convinced that by perseverance, by maintaining a high level of training and professionalism, and by exercising impartial professional reasoning, we will enjoy the recognition of this profession as the only one whose representatives can professionally estimate the value of a good.

The past is important and must be studied from the perspective of the mistakes made, so as not to repeat them in the present, as well as the good things that should inspire the future. Actions and thinking today are essential for planning future actions. The future, however, takes precedence. Let us all think about the place we want to occupy in society and act accordingly now.

Article written by Laurențiu Stan, published in the journal Valoarea, oriunde este ea No. 20 (09.2018) – http://site2.anevar.ro/sites/default/files/revista-asociatiei/valoarea-oriunde-este-ea-nr20.pdf

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