Professionalism – The mark of a true leader.

‘’A professional is someone who can do his best work even when he doesn't feel like it.”  – Alistair Cooke

The word ‘professional’ is thrown around quite a bit these days, perhaps too much. We hear the phrase ‘Be professional or Behave like a professional’ from our Boss & others in the industry where we work, every now and then. But what exactly does it mean to be a professional? What’s professionalism actually means?

It’s harsh but a fact that many of us, particularly in our coal industry don’t know the correct meaning of being professional or behaving like a professional. It’s mainly because of the fact that the coal industry till very recently has been run by whips & whims of the person who were managing the affairs of the companies. The aforesaid method of running the organization remained successful due to the fact that most of the workers of the coal industry were not so literate till very recently. But situation has completely changed now. The people have now become educated and aware of the everything. They constantly watch us what we are doing and ask questions when they see the difference in what we say and what we do in our professional life. It’s good also and I think they all have the very right to keep watch on our activities as it’s the organization which bears the brunt if it is not run in the way it should be run.

So, it’s high time that we come out from our inertia and behave like a good professional in the industry so that the worker and the common mass have trust and respect for us. CMD, SECL also very often says from the different platform that trust deficit alone costs global loss of around $ 2.3 trillion every year, which is just around the total GDP of our country.

So, we have to be professional in words, character & action in the modern world, if we want our organization to prosper and grow.

Now, the question arises what are the things or attributes that makes a person professional? Different people may have different perception about this but I think there are ten common attributes that define a true professional.

1.   Expert in their domain: True professionals very well know about their trade and are expert in their domain of working. They keep their knowledge updated and perform to the best of their abilities.

2. Do More than expected: True professionals meet or exceed expectations whenever possible. They aren't bound by a time clock but are result oriented. They strive to complete deliverables before their due dates and under budget.

3. Put customer satisfaction first: Understanding and satisfying the customer's needs are the cornerstones of a successful business and professionals know it very well. They identify the customer's needs & do what is necessary to meet those needs.   

4. They walk the talk:  Professionals deliver on promises made. They walk the talk i.e. they put their words into action—showing that they mean what they say by actively doing it by themselves. 

5. Communicate effectively: Whether verbal or written, professionals communicate clearly, concisely, thoroughly, and accurately. They also resist the urge to blame the customer when communication goes awry, as they understand that Effective communication is ultimately their responsibility — not of their customer's.

Further, communicating effectively also includes responding effectively. This is the part where I think we, especially our Zen Next lag a bit. We work in a public sector and hence we are here for the service of the people. We are supposed to properly respond to every phone calls, mails, WhatsApp, etc., even if it comes beyond the office hours. Not picking up the call or not calling back, if in case the one is busy at the time of calling, is such a thing which is not professional at all. But it’s a harsh fact that many a executives, especially the Zen Next do it very often.

6. Adhere High Values & Principles: Professionals always adhere to high values and principles. They have high ethical and moral standards and are honest & fair in all of your dealings with others. They obey the law and not make any kind of prejudices due to caste/religion/gender, etc.

7. Praise their peers & subordinates: True professionals respect and acknowledge the talents of their peers and subordinates. There is nothing more unprofessional and self-serving than self-praising and telling others that how wonderful you are. Professionals are humble and generous in their praise for others. I think, this is the area, where we still lag very much. We speak a lot about mentee-mentorship and succession planning in the organization but are often tightfisted in admiring or congratulating the colleagues, peers or subordinates, working with us, even when they do something appreciable in the organization or in their personal life. I really feel surprised how one can be so apathetic and can't feel joy in the achievement of his/her friends, peers or subordinates. I’m unable to understand why we do so but guess that we perhaps think that appreciating our colleagues/peers/subordinates may belittle our own achievements or dominance in the organization. But it’s completely a wrong notion. If we keep the habit of appreciating others & ‘I Care for you attitude’ the same is bound to come back to us, as this is the very modus of operandi of running of this universe i.e. if you are in the habit of doing good to others, good things will return to you sooner or later.

8. Share Knowledge & Expertise: Professionals never hesitate to share knowledge with their peers, colleagues and subordinates. They understand that the knowledge is an ocean of facts and not a stream of data. It is possible to share what they know and still keep themselves one step ahead of the competition. They believe in team work and hence fully understand the importance of sharing knowledge & expertise with their team members so that the larger goals of the organization can be achieved.

9. They always say thank you: Professionals thank others in a meaningful way that benefits the recipient immensely. They always try to find a way to thank others for the help, support or cooperation they receive from the people.

10. They keep a Smile on their face & right attitude in their heart: Sharing the misery or the hardship is not the mark of a good professional. They act as shock absorbers and keep smile on their face and right positive attitude even at the hardest time. They are pleasant even during trying times. 

At last but not the list, a true professional behaves with everyone in a very nice way even if they have some grudges against someone for one reason or another or undergoing through stress and tough phase. They show great maturity in dealing with all the stakeholders of the organization and always keep cool while interacting.   

The list is not exhaustive and there may be so many other attributes for a good professional. Further, writing the above ‘GYAAN’ doesn't mean that the writer i.e. ‘I’ is truly professional. I too have lots of deficiencies, which I have to eliminate & improve for becoming a good professional. But to bring change, the first and foremost requirement is that we acknowledge, accept and identify our shortcomings and then meticulously work on them so that we can be able to improve ourselves and behave like a professionals in our organization in the time ahead. It's very much essential for the image building of organization too.

From the aforesaid mentioned attributes required for a good professionals, we can gauge ourselves where we stand and how much improvement has to be done to become a good professionals.

Thanking you

Sincerely yours

sanjeev