Professionalism is Awesome

Those of you who know me are laughing already, because you know how much I dislike the word “awesome”. It is so ubiquitous that it’s lost all meaning. I dare you to count how many times you hear that word in one day.

Professionalism is headed in the same direction as awesome. We hear it thrown around constantly in board rooms, partner retreats, proposal pitches, and employee evaluations. Interestingly, we often hear it used in its negative connotation, as in “Roger’s behavior at the office party was soooo unprofessional.” Why?

Most business people haven’t put enough thought into what professionalism really means. Recently, I have. Yesterday I conducted a workshop on professionalism for a group of CPAs, most of them in their 20’s and 30’s. Much of what we discussed was new territory for them. Here’s what they discovered, among other things:

• Professionals know the boss isn’t their mom or dad, and their company isn’t their family. They realize that their special deal at work affects every other team member and the business as a whole. Whether they are asking for extended leave to go trekking in Tibet or they need to take off every Thursday at 3:00 to coach their kid’s basketball team, professionals know their absence leaves a hole in the workplace. They know somebody has to pick up their slack. They know how important it is to help the boss say yes to their proposal by creating a scenario under which it will work.
• Professionals take the initiative. They take the initiative in developing business, getting their work done, meeting deadlines, assuming new responsibilities, managing their careers, and resolving conflict.
• Professionals have a long view. They realize that bumps in the professional road are not the same as very high walls. They can take a deep breath and keep going in the face of obstacles, rather than giving up or pitching a fit. They also know that whatever little irritating incident arose at work today is exactly that: a little irritating incident. They know what’s worth dwelling on (very little) and what they can let roll by them (most office drama).

There were plenty of surprised and thoughtful expressions in the room as we began uncovering the real meaning of professionalism. I’m pretty sure some had never once considered many of descriptions we developed in our time together. Let’s hope I helped them begin to see a broader view of professionalism than their previous, undoubtedly more awesome perspective.