One of the most misused and misunderstood terms in use every day is the word professional. In one context, using a talent in exchange for money is considered to be professional, such as a professional athlete. Otherwise that talent is performed without pay and is said to be amateur, such as an amateur athlete… although the lack of pay could also be an indication of a lack of talent. Conducting oneself as a professional means perfecting the craft until it is recognized and acknowledged as professional. Garrison Keillor began his professional writing career for the New Yorker magazine and once told an audience that he was writing for the New Yorker for years before they knew that he was writing for them. In his case I’m sure there was never any lack of professionalism in his writing before he turned pro.
In many cases, traditional displays of professionalism are being discarded as a new class of individuals declares independence from old school thinking. For example, there may be disagreement on whether or not piercings and tattoos are professional appearance. Facial hair, length of haircut and manner of dress are other areas that have come under challenge in today’s world. With so much at stake with our personal brand, how can we insure that we are professional without sacrificing personal characteristics that are important to us? The first rule to understand is that there are usually no hard and fast rules to follow. Standard operating procedures for professionalism are non-standard.
- Professional Appearance – For any situation or location, the accepted norm is to be neatly dressed and groomed appropriately. Outward attractiveness counts. It has been estimated that in business relationships, including interviews, as much as 50% or more of the impression that an individual makes is based on how they are dressed. This is unfortunate. While it could be argued that it is an indication of the mind and values of an individual, it says nothing of their intelligence, work ethic or passion for the job. In some circles I have talked to managers who blatantly state that they would never hire anyone who wears a tie to an interview.
- Professional Behavior – Again the norms will be set by the environment. As long as the professional is aware of this fact, it will be possible to gauge actions relative to others. This should never mean a total lack of humor unless it is a funeral and even then being overly somber can be a bad idea. Being aware of surroundings is a talent that does not come naturally and the knowledge of when it is appropriate to push the boundaries shows professional insight and displays a creative flair. Any action that is demeaning to others in any context is always inappropriate. Bullying is always wrong.
- Professional Communication – Thoughtful, concise and correct transmission of ideas both verbally and in writing are the mark of a professional. Language must be deliberately chosen to convey the best ideas without being overly wordy or too much in the vernacular. Other than a good healthy “damn†to punctuate ideas, the use of common profanity is never acceptable. Laziness in spelling and syntax is often excused in casual social media usage, but formal business communication needs to be written as if a grade in English class depends on it. Actually, the intangible grade on professionalism may depend on it.
- Professional Outlook – Different from observed behavior, an intangible characteristic of being a professional is to convey through mannerisms that there is an underlying self assuredness and passion driving behavior. Taking communications to the next level by active listening and showing the flexibility to accept differing points of view can be handled without compromising key personal values. Becoming a professional sponge possessing the eagerness to adopt new ideas encourages creativity in others and promotes their professionalism. Professionalism breeds professionalism.
Being characterized as professional is more than being “nice,†but not being able to “fit in†definitely shows unprofessionalism. It is probably easier to define unprofessional characteristics than it is to think of rules that would make it easy to form a professionalism check list. Some may say that they can’t tell you what professionalism is but would definitely know it when they see it. If someone is undependable, disrespectful, never on time, and unethical they are projecting that unprofessional image. Self analysis needs only to ask this question: “Am I part of the problem or the solution?â€
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