The word that is very often used in the world of management is ‘Professionalism’ or ‘professional’.
When we question ourselves, “Am I professional?”, although most of us answer ourselves with a reflexive “yes”, we should truly know what is ‘True Professionalism”.
As given by David H. Maister in his book “True professionalism”, True professionalism means the pursuit of excellence, not just competence. Very few professionals become known by their clients as “great” purely as a result of technical abilities. The opposite of the word professional is not unprofessional, but rather technician.
Technicians may be highly skilled, but they aren’t professionals until they reliably and consistently demonstrate certain key characteristics like:
- Taking pride in their work and show personal commitment to quality
- Reach out for responsibility
- Always look for ways to make things easier for those they serve
- Are team players and can be trusted with confidence
Professionalism is predominantly an attitude, not a set of competencies. A real professional is a technician who cares. This may reminds us the old slogan “People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care”.
Professional is not a label you give yourself—it’s a description you hope others will apply to you. You do the best you can as a matter of self-respect. Having self-respect is the key to earning respect and trust from others. If you want to be trusted and respected you have to earn it. These behaviors lead to job fulfillment.
Professionals must live by the slogan “You are allowed to fail, you’re not allowed to not try.”
Being a professional is neither about money nor about professional fulfillment. Both of these are consequences of an unqualified dedication to excellence in serving clients and their needs.