What comes to mind when you hear the word “professionalism”? It’s what separates you from the pack and catches the eye of management. We’ve been asking all of our interviewees to define the word and whether we’re asking a scientist or a tech entrepreneur, the answers were all unanimous. Check out what they had to say!
Transcript
[ Music ] >> I think professionalism means treating other people with the respect that we believe we deserve ourselves. >> I think, I think respecting everyone around you and yourself, as well, is paramount. >> I think that respect ultimately is is what defines professionalism. Not being flaky, being conscientious and considerate, having the ability to listen. >> Professionalism is being yourself but it's also ensuring that others understand that you care about their agenda. And that means the way you look, from the way that you talk, from the way that you carry yourself. Professionalism is putting a stamp on your brand. >> Professionalism is not wasting other people's time. And you feel it when you're interacting with somebody and, you know, you meet them, you shake their hand, you sit down, you talk about a problem, you figure out what the next step is, you assign ownership to who's going to do what, and then you set the next date of your meeting. And there's a component of that which is not only to [inaudible] and responsibility but that's professionalism because you're respecting the people's time. >> When I think of the word professionalism, I think of the idea of self-awareness. I think of someone who knows when it's appropriate to be silly at work and when it's appropriate to be serious and and someone who's also very respectful other people's positions in the workspace. >> Not burning any bridges. The world goes round and round and you want to make sure that you're not burning any bridges so that when the world goes round and you get to work with that person again, you have a good working relationship and you can either help them or actually they can help you. >> Tact, promptness, responsiveness, someone who is empathetic to the needs of people that they are working for or working with. >> I think professionalism means the context of ethics in terms of doing a good job, in terms of being very mindful of your co-workers, delivering what you say you're going to deliver. >> It really comes down to being a nice person. Treat others the way you want to be treated in your professional work environment. And that builds credibility. You can know everything you can in a field but if you're a jerk, it's not going to do you a lot of good. [ Music ]
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