So, professionalism.
After I posted that little snarl the other day, I started thinking a lot more about it. Because, you know, I started noticing that a lot of the most professional people I know don't actually put their contact info in their .sigs. And I started feeling guilty because I'm not, by most people's estimation, the most professional person, myself. I show up late to meetings, sometimes. My emails sometimes have typos in them. I don't always read emails from others as closely as I need to. And sometimes I even have to be reminded of procedural-type things in order to get them done.
And so, let me clarify. It is perfectly possible to be a very professional person and not do the little stuff, though the little stuff certainly has a high pain/gain index in terms of conveying your essential attitude toward the work to others. It is perfectly possible to do the little stuff and not be professional, to own the perfect suit and have the perfect .sig and always return calls on time and still not get the job done. Of course, there's always some of each in every worker; you can't get anything done without some of the small stuff, and vice versa. But I know which side I like the balance to tip on.
Because essentially, professionalism is about getting the job done. As well as you can. By the deadline. All the other stuff is just window-dressing. If doing the work, and doing it well, is important to you, it will show. You'll put in the extra effort. Do the double-check, stay the extra day on the weekend to meet the crunchy deadline, be polite and helpful to the person you don't like or the client you can't stand. Forgo the occasional fun thing with friends because you know that your co-workers need you. Stay up all night.
Not all jobs require all these things, and certainly not on a regular basis; I'm hoping mine requires less of this sort of thing and SOON, or I might crack. But when it's really important, true professionals can make the extra push, and it's that attitude that really defines it for me. That primal scream the other day wasn't to say, if you don't put your contact information in your .sig, you are unprofessional. It was a cry of rage at people who (a) don't get the job done and (b) don't do the little stuff either. Because while I stand in utter awe of people who manage both (if there's a secret trick to it, please do let me know!), managing neither is really sort of pathetic.
Do I sound like a workaholic? Because I'm not, really. I'm just the daughter of one, and I've internalized the work ethic. I'm far too lazy to actually be one. Trust me.
And so, let me clarify. It is perfectly possible to be a very professional person and not do the little stuff, though the little stuff certainly has a high pain/gain index in terms of conveying your essential attitude toward the work to others. It is perfectly possible to do the little stuff and not be professional, to own the perfect suit and have the perfect .sig and always return calls on time and still not get the job done. Of course, there's always some of each in every worker; you can't get anything done without some of the small stuff, and vice versa. But I know which side I like the balance to tip on.
Because essentially, professionalism is about getting the job done. As well as you can. By the deadline. All the other stuff is just window-dressing. If doing the work, and doing it well, is important to you, it will show. You'll put in the extra effort. Do the double-check, stay the extra day on the weekend to meet the crunchy deadline, be polite and helpful to the person you don't like or the client you can't stand. Forgo the occasional fun thing with friends because you know that your co-workers need you. Stay up all night.
Not all jobs require all these things, and certainly not on a regular basis; I'm hoping mine requires less of this sort of thing and SOON, or I might crack. But when it's really important, true professionals can make the extra push, and it's that attitude that really defines it for me. That primal scream the other day wasn't to say, if you don't put your contact information in your .sig, you are unprofessional. It was a cry of rage at people who (a) don't get the job done and (b) don't do the little stuff either. Because while I stand in utter awe of people who manage both (if there's a secret trick to it, please do let me know!), managing neither is really sort of pathetic.
Do I sound like a workaholic? Because I'm not, really. I'm just the daughter of one, and I've internalized the work ethic. I'm far too lazy to actually be one. Trust me.
posted by The Stute Fish at 17:28
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