Being Professional When You REALLY Just Want to Scream!

There are times when being a professional is a difficult thing to do.

In my opinion, being a professional means displaying a set of skills and qualities appropriate for a job.

Merriam-Webster online dictionary has a definition that is a bit more defined than my own...

pro·fes·sion·al·ism

noun \prə-ˈfesh-nə-ˌli-zəm, -ˈfe-shə-nə-ˌli-\
: the skill, good judgment, and polite behavior that is expected from a person who is trained to do a job well
1:  the conduct, aims, or qualities that characterize or mark a profession or a professional person(see 1professional)
2:  the following of a profession (as athletics) for gain or livelihood 
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/professionalism 
 
Of these definitions, I like the first two presented, especially the first one. I love the idea of polite behavior being a part of being a professional. Often, that part of professional interactions is missing.

I am the first to admit that I struggle with professionalism in several of the places where I am these days. I guess I have high standards and expectations when it comes to professional behavior. I try to be an example of professionalism, but I struggle.

Here is what I want in a professional interaction.
  • Mutual respect
  • Acknowledgement of differing points of view, presented in a way that demonstrates that mutual respect
  • Problem-solving taking into consideration all of the points of view
  • Notification of parties that need to know what is going on
  • Communication of wants, needs, and plans to all professionals
  • Policies and procedures applied to all equally - no "special cases" for "friends"
  • Active listening
  • Conflict resolution techniques
  • Feedback!!!
These things are not easy to do. I struggle with being a good supervisor and demonstrating professional behavior on a regular basis. It isn't always easy to keep those traits going strong and being a good team mate, but it is important.

There are times when I have to bite my tongue from screaming out loud when people make decisions that stomp all over everyone else or when one opinion is drowned out. There are times when I give up trying to offer my opinion about something and when I just sit back to watch things crash and burn. I get a bit of satisfaction when thinking, "I informed you thusly." (Thank you, Sheldon from the Big Bang Theory for that alternative to the tired "I told you so.") There are just times when you cannot continue to argue your point and someone has to be the compromiser. I tend to do that quite a bit. It gets tiring, but someone has to do it, so...
 
When members of a community are not heard, they stop talking.

I'm done now.

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