What is professionalism, anyways?

It was during one of my ADR (Alternative Dispute Resolution) classes, that the professor asked a question, “Would you work with people you like or people you don’t like?” Without any hesitation, we all screamed, “People we like.” He goes on, “Do you have a choice to take the decision who you will work with?” This was a tricky one. We were all thinking for a while.

The simple answer is “No”. We do not have the choice to decide whom we will work with. In fact, we often find ourselves surrounded by personalities that we do not like to associate with in our personal life. However, we have to work with them during our work-life.

Fast forward 7 years, I see a lot of buzz on social media where we are challenging the norm of what we traditionally think about as “Professionalism”. We have become highly aware of the fact that our clothing, hairstyle, and office cubicles do not define who we are as professionals.

So, what is professionalism, anyways?

As per my learning, professionalism is to create a “working relationship” with people at your job/business that you do not like.

In my opinion, you are being a true professional if you do these even to those you dislike:

• Respect their personal boundaries.
• Do not change your behavior towards them based on 16 grounds of discrimination.
• Accept and practice 11 pillars of Human rights.
• Do not hinder their progress or growth opportunities.
• Do not exploit them considering them as a commodity.

This is a very broad view. And the list could go on.

No matter how diplomatic, bureaucratic, and politically correct you are, if you do not understand what it means to be a professional, it will take a toll on the people you work with.

Feel free to share your ideas around it and please add a few more points to the list.