What is a Professional? What is Being Professional? Are all Professionals Real Professionals? What Makes One a True Professional? 8 Key factors that D

Many people in the corporate world have a different notion of a being a professional when compared to other domains in life. When they talk about “professionalism”, they reduce the whole concept to nothing more than as certain way of behaving and dressing. When they say be professional, they actual meaning being ethical in general and adhering to the ethics of a specific profession in general. The problem is that in many disciplines the corporate world such as marketing, sales, management and others, there are no well-defined professional standards to follow.?Except for some discipline associations that attempt to have some kind of “professional ethics and standards” the interpretation of standards and ethics is left to the individual. For example, professional standards and ethics of one marketing association or institute are not binding to non-members.?Disciplines such as marketing, management, sales and leadership are difficult to prescribe standards and ethics in the same way as in other disciplines such as medicine, law, accounting and finance. The nearest measure to professional standards and ethics is “moral judgment” which in itself helps but cannot be counted on.

The anchoring of professionalism using things such as dressing is questionable. For example, in many parts of the corporate world, your dressing is used as a measure of your professionalism. If you wear suits, especially expensive suits, then you are considered more professional than someone who is dressed in smart casual. Bear in mind by talking about dressing, I am not saying people do not have to have a smart or at least clean image; no. The problem is associating a specific type of dressing with professionalism. Image is an important component but it must not be mistaken to be the most critical defining factor for professionalism.

Professionals and Professionalism in Other Disciplines and Life Domains

Who is a Professional?

In other disciplines such as sport and arts, a professional is defined by dressing. In those domains, a professional is someone who earns a learning from a certain occupation or ability or talent or from doing something.??

·??????A football professional is someone who earns a living from playing football

·??????A professional golfer is someone who plays golf for a living

·??????A professional musician is someone who earns a living making and providing music

·??????A professional athlete is one who earns a living from athletics

How Does One Become a Professional?

In other disciplines, one becomes a professional through the following ways;

·??????Either by being talented or exceptional in a discipline or undertaking, being noticed and being groomed to play in the professional leagues.

·??????Being trained in the field and then certified to practice. The training may include some education but the emphasis is on training. Bear in mind the difference between knowledge and skills. Education leads to knowledge while training leads to skills. This is a very important difference that many leaders and the teams in many companies, organisations, businesses, economies, institutions and societies miss and with serious negative impacts on their performance and results. I do not know what it must take for these people and institutions to understand this important difference. ?

In many positions in the corporate world and economies, many people called professionals are called so on the basis of their academic qualifications. With many of these academic qualifications; people graduate on the basis of the successful and satisfactory of an academic study course or program with no practical training in the subject. This is not wrong at all because after all universities are there to provide education which leads to enlightenment.?The value of knowledge is intrinsic. At the same time, it is a huge mistake to operate as if general or subject matter knowledge is the only most important ingredient into real world success. In fact, general subject matter knowledge by itself does not help much in real world performance and results unless it is consciously and deliberately used to guide or improve thinking and action. Much of the knowledge delivered in universities and colleges is more designed for the academic than the practitioner. Again I see nothing wrong with it because universities must be places of enquiry and open learning rather than places for producing people to for the world of work.

An Academic is not necessarily a Professional in his or her Area of Study

Many academics do become true professionals. The main reason they do become real professionals is not necessarily their academic qualifications but strengths in other non-academic attributes such as natural practical potential and skills in the field that enables them to become good in real world practice in their area of academic study.

There are also professional academics by the way; those who earn their living from academia. These professionals are professionals because of the skills they combine with their subject matter knowledge; for example research skills, writing skills, teaching skills and others.

Let me give some examples. Having a degree in marketing does not necessarily make you a marketing professional. Having no marketing degree does not prevent you from being a marketing professional; many people practice marketing but without having a formal academic marketing education.

The Defining Factors of a True or Real Professional

Subject matter knowledge or learning-based qualifications do not make one a true or real professional. Dress and image by themselves do not make one a professional. Instead, I suggest the following to be the core and irreplaceable imperatives that define a professional;

1.??????You are a professional on account basis of your proficiency in something and not just by academically qualifying in the subject or discipline.

2.??????You are a professional by playing to certain standards accepted as professional or in a designated profession or league.

3.??????Your real world skills or performance is what defines you as a professional

4.??????You also constantly train and practice to up your game to rise to the top. Real and true professionals work to maintain or improve their real world performance standards. They do not stop training and improve because they have become professionals.

5.??????In sensitive disciplines such as medicine and aviation and law, professionals are often forced by some law or code of conduct or constitution to periodically take assessments or refresher courses to ensure the playing standards of the professional remain acceptable by the professional body. These often offer certificates of proof of proficiency. ??

6.??????Being a professional is defined by skill.

7.??????Typically professionals have either personal or institutional coaches, trainers and managers. Some also have advisors and instructors. In short, they have some some kind of professional support system of people to help reach their peak performance levels in their profession and stay on top of their game in the same. This is are in corporate “professionals”

8.??????Professionals take full responsibility for their performance and results. They have a total commitment to their profession and do everything they can to be their best possible in their profession if not the best in their category. They have a winning mindset.

Attitude and Proficiency

A true professional does not define herself just by holding certificates especially certificates of completion. Being a professional, in the final analysis is a combination of attitude and proficiency. A professional takes full personal responsibility for her advancement in the profession through continuous training, development and education. A true professional does not bask in the glory of past achievements; neither does he accept a past performance as her best possible performance. A true professionals aims to bring his A-game all the time regardless of the rewards she gets for the performance.

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?Simon Bere 2022