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Whether we blog professionally, as a hobby or  for our personal thoughts, we should always keep in mind the word PROFESSIONALISM

Professionalism is something that each and every one of us claim to have.  It is something that we all like to see and would like to see a lot more of it as we go about our day to day businesses.

But what is it?

A quote from David Maister states that professionalism is “believing passionately in what you do, Never compromising your standards and values, Caring about your clients, your people and your own career”. I think that statement gives a reasonably accurate indication of what professionalism is whilst at the same time being rather vague and to open.

Another quote is:

“Professionalism is knowing how to do it, when to do it, and doing it.”
- Frank Tyger

These are fantastic quotes, but what does that really mean?
After doing some digging. I came across this list of qualities from the good folks at ADNet Australia that I would like to share:

# Producing quality work: Professionals aren’t satisfied with simply completing the task–they desire to deliver the highest quality possible.

# Maximising knowledge: Professionals stay abreast of the constant changes in their field.

# Being innovative: Professionals are creative and use this ability to solve problems in new ways.

# Showing constant improvement: Professionals are always trying to improve upon their solution.

# Seeking additional or greater responsibility: Professionals seek greater control over what they do, and accepting greater responsibility is a means to this end.

# Teaching: Professionals delight in sharing their knowledge.

# Ignoring distractions or losses: Professionals understand and accept setbacks as a normal part of the process and don’t allow failure to impact their goals.

# Understanding the importance of communication, appearance, and mannerisms: Professionals realise that the way they look, act, speak, and write impacts the way others perceive them.

# Possessing a good attitude: Professionals understand that a positive attitude can have a considerable impact on their success.

# Keeping up with ethics, regulatory, and legal issues: Professionals are cognizant of the ethical, legal, regulatory, and industry issues involved in the work they do.

Here are some questions that you should ask yourself. I for one would love to hear your view points

1) How would you define professionalism?
2) Is it a skill that can be learnt?
3) Can you have professionalism without dedication?
4) Does appearance and for all of us who work on  the net -  good writing skills/social skills actually make a difference to professionalism?
5) Can professionalism be faked? if so for how long?

To get the ball rolling here is to me a mark of professionalism
- Being diplomatic at all times even when there are people causing friction within and outside the business

Best Regards,