Professional and Professionalism !!

A Professional is a person in a profession...simple definition !! But what is professional approach and professional behavior ?? Is it devoid of any personal touch ?? Should it be devoid of any personal touch ??  Is it all brains and no hearts ?? Domain of thinking without feeling ?? The answer is not that simple !!

Lets understand what a professional approach is and thereby examine what makes a good professional.

The defining trait of a Professional is that he/she gets the job done to the satisfaction of the stakeholders. If there is a gap here, no point in discussing further. If one is a professional, that implies that one is being paid for his/her services. So if the job itself is not complete, one will not last long in the profession. Period. The primary trait to become a good professional is very high degree of competence and a “can-do” attitude !!

The second most important trait is aggression towards the task at hand. This needs to be understood properly. Lets examine these two words:  "aggressive" and "abrasive". Aggression should be directed towards the task at hand and not the people involved. If one is aggressive towards people/team member, one will be perceived as abrasive. An abrasive person is one who hurts, annoys, irritates and criticizes people, without any apparent regret. Under no condition, a professional is abrasive. A professional, on the contrary, is extremely patient with people and is aggressive towards the task i.e. gets the task done in the minimal possible time irrespective of timelines and schedules. This duality needs to be practiced and mastered. Unprofessional attitude is exactly the opposite !! High result orientation with equally high people orientation IS required.

A professional is a person with a cool mind and a warm heart. A cool mind is required so as not to panic in tricky situations. A warm heart is essential to keep the team together and motivated. Cool head ensure confidence and composure. A  warm heart ensures loyalty, commitment and energy.  With a clear head and a helping attitude, a professional adds value to the clients who feel comfortable and assured that they are in the right hands !!

A Professional attitude combines the capability to see the macro picture with the ability to engineer the micros. In order to get a holistic picture one needs to have both macro as well as micro orientation- again something difficult but is necessary !!

A professional is a person with ‘never say die” attitude – an out and out optimistic and a positive attitude !! Even when the odds are stacked against the outcome, a professional never gives up hope and keeps trying to turn the situation in his/her favor. If the effort is genuine, the person competent, and the team is together - more often than not he/she succeeds !! Even if they don’t succeed, they have done enough to prepare themselves and  the team to anticipate and divert such situations in future.

A professional is a person with very high Integrity to the self. A professional is secured in his ability & self-worth and hence exercises high generosity in spirit - all around. Generosity in behavior creates confidence.  A professional is also very kind and compassionate towards people and situations. Compassion in thinking creates profoundness. Kindness in knowledge creates wisdom. With high Integrity, Generosity  and wisdom towards people and outcome, very few things remain out of reach!!

Is your understanding of being professional different ??

Does professionalism reflect in your organizational culture ??

A professional aspires to climb the ladder of success through hard work, merit, and competence. Laziness, cynicism and putting others down is unprofessional behavior. A professional trust himself/herself and believe in others. Be a good professional…be a good human being !!

#Strategyk