PROFESSIONALISM IN DAILY LIFE

"In business, 'professionalism' is not a tactic but a moral value." 

— Amit Kalantri

 How do you define professionalism?

The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines professionalism as "the conduct, aims, or qualities that characterize or mark a profession or a professional person" and it defines a profession as "a calling required specialized knowledge and often long and intensive academic preparation".

Anon. 2021. Professionalism and the 5 principles. (June 2021). Retrieved February 11, 2022, from https://memp.pratt.duke.edu/5-principles

How do you achieve professionalism in your daily life?

According to career.vt.edu. there are 12 ways you can develop and practice professionalism:

           1. Be  Productive

           -  Use your time productively at work. Focus on your job responsibilities and avoid getting pulled into social media,                 web browsing, and phone activity while on the clock.

- Being productive only shows that you respect your workplace and show professionalism not only to your boss but to the whole workplace.

2. Develop a professional image

    -   Project a professional presence and dress appropriately for your industry and organization. A good rule of thumb is to dress in the position you aspire to have.

    -     Projecting a good image is as projecting the image of the company. You are one with the company/organization as you are an employee of it. 

3. Take initiative

    -       Ask for more projects to be given to you or think of assignments that will meet your organization's goals. You don't want to be under-utilized.

    -       As you want to aspire higher position in the company/organization, taking the initiative to do projects will pique the interest of your superior and might choose you as one of the candidates for promotion.

4. Maintain effective work habits

    -       Prioritize, plan, and manage your assignments and projects. Follow up and follow through with your supervisor and team members.

    -       Prioritizing your assigned task will put you at an advantage as when you finish your task the earlier the better. Gives you the advantage of taking another task. Maintaining this habit will give you an advantage over the other employees from your company/organization.

5. Manage your time effectively

   -     Establish priorities, set goals, and create action plans to meet deadlines.

   -    Doing so helps you to maintain a clear focus on reaching the most important goals first and taking the steps to ensure that you do. setting priorities also helps you to avoid becoming overwhelmed if you have multiple goals you are trying to reach.

6. Demonstrate integrity

  -        Be accountable for your work and actions while behaving ethically at all times.

  -      Having accountability means that you accept the consequences of your actions, whether they be good or bad.

7.  Provide excellence

  -    Produce work and results that reflect a sense of pride and professionalism, often exceeding expectations.

  -   Doing work that shows pride and professionalism is an advantage to every member of the company. that is why hard work is so important because it can lead you to the good life you desire.

8. Be a problem-solver

    -   When you run into problems and obstacles take the time to brainstorm a few solutions and alternatives before you meet your supervisor.

   -   Taking time to yourself is a great advantage for brainstorming to help you come up with radical solutions to problems. It can also encourage people to commit to solutions, as they provide input and play a role in developing them.

9. Be resilient

    -     Develop coping skills to manage setbacks and challenges with a positive and constructive attitude.

   -     Being resilient gives you an advantage when facing setbacks and challenges as it would render you with the right attitude to face your problems.

10. Communicate effectively

     -      Practice professional online, in-person, and interpersonal communication skills.

    -       Practicing professional interpersonal communication skills gives you an upper hand when talking to your superiors and/or clients.

11.  Develop self-awareness

   -   Learn to manage your emotions and gain awareness of your emotional triggers so you can manage your reactions positively and productively. Accept and reflect on feedback to assist as you learn and grow.

   -     Accepting negative emotions. In ourselves and others, are all a part of being human allows us to build better compassion for how they might present themselves and why.

12. Build relationships

  -  Network with colleagues, customers, and clients to build professional cordial relationships, work on teams and collaborate effectively.

    -       Collaboration improves the way your team works together and problem-solving.

    -       Good working relationships will make your job enjoyable.

Professionalism

Professionalism involves high-end achieving standards in work and your behavior towards other people. Being professional means giving respect to other people. Professionalism fosters respect for culture. Understanding boundaries more clearly and solving issues in an efficient and respectful approach.

Simply put, professionalism is the way you conduct yourself at work to represent yourself and your organization. It includes the standards for behavior that might be mandated by the organization's handbook, like adhering to the company dress code, as well as valuable attitude towards the professional workplace.

Professionalism also encompasses the way an employee interacts with other people including, their coworkers, superiors, and clients. One reason why professionalism is important is that it is a way to display one's attitude towards one's job and company. A single employee can impact the whole being of the company that's why professionalism is important just like the core values of an organization.

Reference:

Anon. 2015. Professionalism. (August 2015). Retrieved February 8, 2022, from https://career.vt.edu/develop/professionalism.html

Anon. Professionalism & meaning. Retrieved February 8, 2022, from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/professionalism