What is Professionalism?

To be able to conclude that you’ve made a successful career for yourself, you need to have three basic qualities: patience, skills, and professionalism.

While patience and skills can be acquired traits, professionalism comes from within. It is about being professional even when you don’t have to be.

The exact meaning of professionalism is a highly subjective one. In this article, we look at a few traits that describe what being truly professional means. Take a look:

#1. It Is Personal

Okay, so you’re a true professional when you see your work as part of your personal life. It doesn’t mean that you don’t maintain a work-life balance. All it means is that you love what you do, and each day when you enter the office, you’re more enthusiastic than the previous. It is the ability to look at the office as ‘your’ office.

(Image Courtesy: Herbal Life)

#2. Give More

So, you have to officially work for 48 hours a week. But, have you missed a deadline and are unwilling to work more than your office hours? If that is the case, then you’re not being professional. Your company trusts you, and that was the first reason why they hired you. You have to make sure that you match the company’s expectations, even if that means spending a few more hours in the office than your stipulated work time.

(Image Courtesy: Sarakaf)

#3. Great Communicator

Communication is perhaps the most effective way in which you can help in changing the fortunes of your firm. If you can communicate well and deliver your point across without much hassle, you are a true professional.

(Image Courtesy: Colin D Ellis)

#4. Team Player

When you step afoot for the first time in your office building, you become a part of a team. Your team’s success is directly proportional to the success of your firm. As a professional, you often have to make certain sacrifices for the sake of the well-being of your team. And, what is the need of a person who can’t take one for the team anyway?

(Image Courtesy: International)

#5. Give Back

Over the years, you have amassed all the tricks and trades of your profession. So now, it’s about time that you pass the mantle to someone. Become a great mentor to a young person and tell him/her how important it is to be a true professional in order to be successful in life.

(Image Courtesy: Bunker Life)

To sum it all up, professionalism isn’t about the heights that you scale in your career, but the number of lives and fortunes that you change as an individual and as a team player. If you found this article informative, let us know in the comments below.

(Featured Image Courtesy: Insider Insight)