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Being as professional

Written by: Tash Hughes

Article Overview: Living up to the expectations of being a professional when in business.

Being as professional

It doesn't matter if you work for your yourself or a boss, there are expectations that you will be professional in the course of your business.

But what is professional behaviour?

Most people would probably find it easier to tell you what being unprofessional is, giving examples of unprofessional people they have dealt with in the past. However, it is much easier and more positive to know what to do than not to do.

Thus, some major aspects of professional behaviour are listed below:

Respect for Others

Showing others respect is the basis of all professional behaviour. It includes:

Being courteous and having good manners
Being punctual
Keeping confidential details confidential
Being fair in all dealings
Keeping personal opinions of people private
Doing what needs to be done, not leaving it for others to do
Acceptance of constructive criticism
Being fair and gentle when giving feedback
Dealing with sensitive issues privately
Make allowances for other’s mistakes
Listen to others
Apologise for any errors or misunderstandings
Speak clearly and in language others can easily understand
Responsibility and Integrity

This is where you must take care of yourself and present yourself in order to gain others’ trust and respect.

All professionals need to take responsibility for themselves and their work. They need to consider consequences and the impact on others.

Honesty is crucial – avoid even the smallest of lies at all costs
If you commit to something, then follow through with it
If you are delayed, let the other person know as soon as possible
Always be respectful about competing businesses/people – point out your benefits rather than their faults
Be prepared before meetings and when presenting reports and the like
Ensure you have made yourself clear to avoid any miscommunication
Avoid conflicts of interest
Be impartial – keep personal bias and intolerances out of the business world
Be reliable and dependable
Take appropriate actions, rather than trying to hurt someone or their business when you feel wronged
Ensure you present yourself pleasantly with good hygiene and appropriate dress codes.
Pay for services and products promptly, whatever the cost to yourself
Demonstrate self-control and avoid public arguments and disagreements
Commitment to Quality

A professional always aims to give the best they can. Whether it is putting together a product that will last and be safe to use or providing a service of value, you need to do give the customer more than they expect.

Never give out work you are not proud to have your name on and always do your best work, and the results will reflect these attitudes.

Commitment beyond yourself

A professional can see beyond him or herself and is willing to share.

Some ways to give to others in a professional capacity are as follows:

Take on an apprentice or student
Participate in professional organizations you belong to
Volunteer services to a worthy community or charity group
Encourage conservation within your work place
Join networking groups and help the members
Have referral systems in place with competitors for busy periods and complementary services
Essentially, being professional is about seeing beyond the immediate needs. By thinking about the long term perceptions of you and your business, rather than a quick dollar or score, you are likely to behave professionally.

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Article Tags: acti, boss, business world, confidential details, conflicts of interest, consequences, constructive criticism, faults, giving feedback, good manners, honesty, integrity, miscommunication, misunderstandings, personal bias, professional behaviour, respect for others, sensitive issues



Related Forum Posts
Setting a Budget For Professional Development - Hi Louis - I think a big challenge is that many entrepreneurs don't set a budget for professional development. It's usually something companies will look at as they hire people and use as a staff retention & development tool but it's not usually the case that you'll find an entrepreneur sets a professional development budget for themselves.
Training Budgets - Louis, When I first started out there wasn't any money for training. Everything went into making the product and trying to close a sale. Now that I have staff I'm starting to look at professional development as an investment in them. It helps keep them motivated and hopefully they bring back some skills that can help my company. Do you have any suggestions on what a good target % would be to spend on training / professional development? Jennifer.
Ideal professional services provider - Hi James, What I like in a professional service provider is that they go beyond their area of expertise to try to help your business grow. They try to introduce you to other clients or people in their network who might help you. If they come across an article that might be of interest to you, they send it. They give you suggestions for your business based on the other companies they have seen and worked with. My lawyer, financial advisor, and accountant are all great at helping me grow my business beyond providing their professional services (still working on my banker!). This is why I use them and I send many of my friends and associates to them.
Training and Self Development - It's interesting to me that the latest StatsCan study shows that the majority of ongoing professional development training is paid for by large corporations. Yet, at the same time it is small business and entrepreneurs who need to invest in this exact training in order to remain competitive. So why is it that we are not taking ongoing professional development training? Is it time? Money? No perceived need? I'd appreciate it if you could take a second to answer the attached poll.
Re: I want to do business online! - [quote="lukassmith":11aths35]Hi all, Do you people have any idea about cheap and professional web Design Company? Actually I have a sport stuff business and want to spread my business online. Can anyone help me out ??[/quote:11aths35] If you'e just starting out in your business, try a "cookie cutter" website where you just input your info into a site that's already been created. It's cheaper that way. Then, if the site takes off, you can afford to go with a professional designer to make something unique.


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