Once it was a freshly starched white shirt and a tie.....

   As I sat down to write this week, there were so many ideas that it was difficult to  focus on just one. I could spend hours writing about the traffic as we returned home from Virginia, the crazy drivers on the roads and  the condition of the highways after the challenging winter.
   I could have spent some time looking at how different sections of the country view their local politics, and views they have of Maine, Even folks from away were very curious about  our Governor and 'this thing' with Stephen King.
   The terrible airplane tragedy and its images are difficult   to erase from my mind and I was in no place to  write about the event because it was just too difficult to comprehend at this time and still is.
   At a dinner with some friends last weekend, we got into a discussion about the shift away from the concept of professionals and professionalism. Lowry and I had worked for the same company several years before and we were discussing how things had changes. No dress down Fridays back then.
   Growing up in the 50's and 60's, the goal for many was to become a professional. The perception was that if you were a professional, you held a particular type of job. Maybe you were a doctor or a lawyer, a banker or even... a teacher. But even today, teachers are often not seen as professionals, only members of a 'union' fighting for better pay.

   It was easy to spot a professional walking down the street. The working wardrobe for a professional generally consisted of freshly starched white shirts and ties for men, skirts and high heeled shoes for women.

   In those days, a professional was one who inspired confidence and trust. People willingly put their lives in the hands of a professional because they were trusted for their judgment and had one's best interest in mind. Being identified by others as a professional, regardless of the job, was seen as an asset.

   Times have changed and over the years we have come to expand the term 'professional' beyond just being a type of job, otherwise the only true professionals would probably still be the scantily clad women dressed in tight fitting clothes walking along the streets of every major city in the world, and some small towns too.  Today the new term is professionalism. Professionalism is not a job,  but the way one does business, no matter what they wear on a Friday. It is the way one behaves.

   A 21st century professional, regardless of the job he or she holds, is suppose to be trustworthy, competent, and respectful. They are expected to act with integrity, are considerate of others and empathetic. A professional is courteous, dependable, cooperative and a team player and committed to getting the job done.

   Most of us want to interact with others who demand a high standard of professionalism. But unfortunately as society has changed, as  values appear to have changed, as role models have changed, the level of professionalism has changed too.

   For example. Answering machines, email and other electronic devices often makes it very difficult to speak to a real person, but make it very easy for someone on the other end of the line to ignore a call or fail to respond.

   Professionalism is all about  relationships, communication styles, respecting the rights of others and maybe most important, doing a job to the best of one's ability.

   Each employee brings ''who they are' to the workplace every day. Some days are good while other days may be filled with personal or life issues.We all experience that. and....leaving the personal and the emotional 'stuff' at the door each day can be a challenge, but should at least be attempted.
   So.... you are in the middle of purchasing an item at your favorite store. Up to this point, the sales person has been helpful, when all of a sudden, he bursts into tears and races off. You ask yourself....was it something I said?  I mean, all I asked was if the shirt comes in 'pink' instead of blue.

   Professionalism requires a balance between work life and personal beliefs It requires that you look at your own behavior to determine its effect upon your 'professional' behavior. It demands that you do a self examination of your own values.

   For example, could someone really be effective in a job that requires working with people when they don't really like people or feel the need to control people, maybe like a bully? Can you imagine the teacher in the classroom who dislikes children or the sales person who does not believe in the product she sells or the politician who is out to serve only his or her self interest? Just take a look at the recent events in Virginia with the Governor and his wife, now heading off to prison.

   I  understand that life is  about balance. Professionalism is about balance. Balance is about managing  behavior. Professionalism is about  doing what's right.

   Today, a professional does not always wear a starched white shirt and tie. A  professional looks at who he or she serves first, has a clear understanding of what each values, listens carefully to how they communicate, and has a genuine respect for others. A professional is not about 'self'.

   And finally, being a professional demands that you take full personal responsibility for your actions; the good, the bad and sometimes, the ugly. If you did it, if you said it.....own up to it. Come on! You can't blame the other person  all the time when you put your  foot in your mouth!