Are You a Professional Professional?
Have you ever referred to a particular person as being very professional or behaving like a true professional? The fact that we make such observations is evidence that it’s possible for people to hold positions that are described as professional yet behave in ways that are decidedly not professional. Certain players in the recent soccer World Cup were deemed to have behaved unprofessionally (at least in the eyes of the referees, if not their countrymen) and were penalized accordingly.
Unlike in the World Cup, in the workplace, biting one’s opponents isn’t the first thing that comes to mind when we think of unprofessional behavior. But any behavior that threatens positive relations and productive work efforts could be described as unprofessional. These behaviors might include, for example, bullying, using abusive language, speaking to subordinates in a condescending tone, heaping blame on others for one’s own mistakes, and sabotaging team efforts (or even just trying to).
Unprofessional behavior would also include lying, breaking promises, slacking off, repeatedly making mistakes, and writing like a fifth-grader. Also: talking loudly or nonstop, hurling insults at others, and leaving uneaten food on your desk until cockroaches come a-calling.
The absence of professional behavior is usually a lot more obvious than its presence. Still, being viewed as professional takes more than merely omitting behaviors such as those listed above. If you’re a professional professional, you willingly share your knowledge, communicate consistently and appropriately, show appreciation for those you work with, and work to the best of your abilities while striving to keep your skills up to date.
You also dress appropriately for your workplace, keep your temper under control, ask smart questions, and don’t hesitate to say you don’t know when you don’t. You avoid conflict to the extent feasible, but if it arises, you seek to resolve it quickly and amicably. You meet your commitments, and if you find you can’t, you let someone know in a timely manner. You’re helpful, focused, and cool under pressure. You treat others with respect. You behave honestly and ethically. You’re responsive. You apologize when you’re wrong.
Is exhibiting all of these characteristics a tall order? Perhaps. For some people, behaving professionally is easy; these behaviors are who they are and how they are. Other people may have to work at them until such behaviors become habitual.
The next time you find yourself thinking of someone—whether at work or elsewhere—as a professional, think about what you’ve observed that led to that perception. Then think about whether you are similarly professional.
