In today’s fast-paced and ever-evolving world, professionalism is a critical component of quality goods and service delivery. No matter the work one does, professionalism is a common denominator.
It is not just about holding a job title but about how individuals carry out their responsibilities with skill, integrity, and commitment. Professionalism plays a major role in shaping the experiences of clients and fostering a productive work environment. True professionals demonstrate courtesy, accountability, and dedication to their craft.
“Professionalism is the pursuit of excellence, and it begins with a respect for your craft.”
– Author Unknown. It allows a person to conform to the technical and/or ethical standards of his / her profession. It is the competence or skill expected of a professional. A professional is generally businesslike in his/her workplace.
The key to quality and efficiency is professionalism. On many occasions, members of some professions have given society a reason to complain about the quality of goods and services that they offer to their customers.
Others have also provided society with grounds to praise them for the quality of goods and services they offer. Providers of goods and services should appreciate that they are obliged to offer excellent services for the payment they receive.
Failure to uphold professionalism can have dire consequences, including reputational damage and inefficiency within an institution. Common unprofessional behaviors include: lateness, disrespectful attitudes and insubordination, lack of mastery over the profession, and mismanagement of organisational records.
Additionally, serious offenses such as fraudulent activities, habitual absenteeism, and misconduct can lead to disciplinary actions, including termination of employment and possible prosecution in some cases.
Professionalism encapsulates the attitudes demonstrated in everything one does. It involves being dependable, setting high standards, showing that you care about every aspect of your job, being industrious and organized.
Your profession is the work you do, but professionalism is about how you do your work. Professionalism should not just be a practice, but a lifestyle or a culture. A professional, ethical, and supportive work environment that aligns with an organization’s vision, mission, and values is key for its success.
Professionalism enhances the organization’s reputation, fosters trust, and supports its mission. To achieve this, it is important to also note that the work environment also binds us with organisational policies, which guide what and how things should be done.
When leadership at the work places adhere to high standards, they create a respectful, ethical, and supportive atmosphere that aligns with an institution’s mission and values. In different institutions, professionalism is more than a requirement—it is a culture that influences the effectiveness of services and the overall customer experience. Thus, the workplace environment is molded by the professionalism of its members.
The core attributes of professionalism include:
•Competency: Mastery of the subject matter and continuous professional development.
•Attitude: A positive and responsible approach to executing tas
•Behavior and Conduct: Observing ethical boundaries, maintaining decorum, and avoiding conflicts of interest.
•Excellence: Consistently striving for high-quality service.
•Work Ethics: Being dependable, accountable, and committed to continuous improvement.
“Excellence is an art won by training and habituation. We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit.”– Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics.
There are values and principles which underpin the broader perspective of professionalism in an organization. These values, not exhaustive are categorized as: character, ethical behaviour, intelligent leadership, and good relationship. Character is expressed through integrity, honesty, righteousness, kindness, humility, trustworthiness, sincerity, patience, courage and temperance.
According to David Maister, “Professional is not a label you give yourself—it’s a description you hope others will apply to you.” An unknown author also suggests tha,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,t “Ethics is the core of professionalism and integrity is its hallmark.” – Author Unknown.
Ethical Behaviour is expressed through justice, fairness, truth, charity, generosity, forgiveness, equity, gratitude, and accountability.
Intelligent leadership is expressed through wisdom, understanding, discipline, prudence, knowledge, discretion, counsel, instruction, listening, and resourcefulness.
Good relationship: is expressed through peace, humility, respect, dependability, service, commitment, courage, temperance, listening, and cooperation / collaboration, among others.
Other attributes of professionalism, such as time management, is expressed through punctuality at work, meetings, and commitments; as well as effective and efficient use of time. A true professional should be able to prioritise tasks based on urgency and importance; document and maintain accurate records for accountability, especially when it involves finances, scores, resources, and sensitive information.
Today’s professional must equally leverage on technology and effective communication tools in executing tasks, whilst managing stress, maintaining personal well-being, committing to continuous improvement, and personal professional development.
The foregoing suggests that to exhibit professionalism, individuals should demonstrate: knowledge / competence, appropriate attitude, conduct / behaviour; excellence; accountability; dependability; integrity; responsibility; diligence; professional image; and professionalism principles and values such as character, ethical behaviour, intelligent leadership, and good relationship.
Failure to uphold professionalism can have dire consequences on the organisation. Unprofessional practices can be cured by exhibiting high levels of professionalism in our roles and responsibilities in our work.
Creating a professional work environment requires commitment from all stakeholders. Organisations must instill a culture of professionalism by emphasizing ethical behaviour, strong leadership, teamwork, and continuous improvement.
Staff should also leverage on technology and effective communication tools in delivering quality goods and services. As a nation, we need to embrace a culture of professionalism to respond to the challenges that we face.
This will ensure that individuals and institutions with the responsibility for different roles are performing beyond expectation. Indeed, excellence should be our hallmark.
