What is Professionalism?

          Professionalism is talked about in the workplace quite often, we have all met those people who seem to embody the meaning of it, and conversely those unfortunate souls who wouldn't know what professionalism is if it were staring them in the face; but what exactly is professionalism? We know it when we see it, but it can be difficult to put a finger on it.

If I were to describe what a professional is, I would say it is those individuals who perform their jobs to the best of their ability, someone who uses their expertise and knowledge of their field, who is dependable and responsible, and is able to work with others. While this is what I believe a professional to be Monster.com has created a list of 10 ways to be professional at work, I believe that most of us would generally come up with similar answers when asked what we thought professional meant but 3 attributes of a professional that I believe are overlooked that are recommended by Monster are self-upgrading, being positive, and supporting others. When we think of self-upgrading most of us would probably say, “well of course!” but yet many people begin their careers with high hopes and slowly lose their ambition and drive, to be truly professional there needs to be a drive to move not only your company but yourself forward. That passion for forward motion can be contagious and encourage others to do the same thing. The workplace can be very stressful at times and aviation is no exception, losing your temper, or working with a poor attitude affects everyone in the office, likewise keeping a good attitude when things are stressful will not only make you someone everyone likes to work with and set you apart from your peers who become frustrated easily, its important to remember that the bosses want to be around someone with a good attitude as well. Lastly supporting others can be vital to being professional, a lone wolf can come across as arrogant, by working with others it shows them that you value their input and respect their expertise as well.

Professionalism isn't something that we are born with but rather are taught, it can be learned and must be practiced. Three areas that I have taken notice of are my knowledge/ expertise, self-regulation and integrity. Mindtools.com describes specialized knowledge as the first step to becoming professional, I have made it a point to apply myself to the best of my ability in school, not settling for passing grades but aiming for the best grade achievable. Self-regulation is extremely important in the workplace, especially for those looking to impress superiors and move up. For myself, I presently work with several individuals who insist on pushing everyone’s buttons, while I am determined to stand up to these individuals, for myself and for others, I believe it is important to handle each situation in a way that wouldn't hurt my progression in the company, or burn any bridges with the individuals I am having confrontations with. Integrity is another value that I believe to very important, I believe that everyone should have their own self governing rules to live by, principles if you will, living by those self made rules regardless of the difficulty can be the difference between being a classic example of professionalism, and just being another ordinary joe.

In terms of professionalism, even the smallest of things can distinguish someone as a professional, an article on ainonline describes a pilot who decided to go through the preflight checklist by memory, when he was called out on the action his response was “We're all professionals here, we know what we're doing.” (Epstein, 2012) Not only was this little action unprofessional, but his mindset of what is professional shows him to be lacking in that area. I like this example though because it not only shows an attitude that is contrary to the idea of professionalism, but the pilot who called him on not actually using the checklist displayed the courage and responsibility of a true professional.

All in all, while it is difficult to define what professionalism is, when you take a closer look at the topic it becomes a little clearer, respect, honestly, hard work, integrity, and the application of expertise are all things that can be used to describe a professional but the best way to be it, is to practice it.

Epstein, C. (2012, september).umwalt keeps pressure on pilot professionalism. Retrieved from http://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/aviation-international-news/2012-09-01/sumwalt-keeps-pressure-pilot-professionalism

Monster Career Coach. (n.d.). 10 ways to be professional at work. Retrieved from http://career-advice.monster.ca/in-the-workplace/starting-a-new-job/10-ways-to-be-professional-at-work-canada/article.aspx

Mind Tools. (n.d.). Professionalism developing this vital characteristic . Retrieved from http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/professionalism.htm