Professionalism is a quality found in every career, job and task a person can do.
The word “professional” can mean many things. For our purposes, a professional is someone skilled in what he or she is doing. My objective with this blog is to define and further principles that make someone an exceptional professional—that make someone outstanding at what he or she is doing.
There are unique skills for specific professions, but I’ll primarily focus on those principles and skills which are universal.
As of now, these are the 6 principles I believe define professionalism across all possible jobs and tasks.
Respect
Everyone you encounter deserves respect. Respect is recognition and acceptance of another’s importance, abilities, limitations, and life situation. A professional starts every encounter with respect, even potentially negative ones.
Quality
A professional’s output is high quality, consistently. A professional develops the skills, takes the time, and works with those around him or her to create the best work possible. When the result is not of the quality promised or needed, a professional takes the steps necessary to achieve the desired quality, and to ensure that the appropriate level of quality is delivered moving forward.
Growth
A professional is always striving to get better; at career-specific skills, at growing relationships, and at acquiring more career capital. A professional’s journey is never done. A professional applies Awareness to understand where he or she is, where he or she needs to go, and what processes or practices will get him or her there.
Reliability
A professional’s work is delivered on time and has consistent or improving Quality. Others can trust a professional to do what he or she says. If a professional can’t deliver, he or she shows Respect and builds Reliability by notifying all effected as soon as possible, taking responsibility, and doing what’s possible to mitigate any problems that may occur as a result.
Kindness
A professional is kind to others. A professional is skilled at separating personal feelings from matters of work. However, a professional’s default attitude is accommodating, with a focus on building a long-term relationship with contacts.
Awareness
A professional is mindful of the environment in which his or her work occurs. A professional is aware of trends and news affecting his or her industry. A professional is aware of the political, emotional, and cultural surroundings in which he or she works.