Want to be more professional? Do these 3 things

I was at an event about a year ago and got introduced to one of the speakers backstage. Prior to meeting him, my colleague who introduced us had described the speaker as a “consummate professional”. I remember thinking to myself “Is there a greater compliment a professional can receive than to be described as a professional?” But why should this be a compliment? After all, shouldn’t professionals be, well, professional? Of course, they should. Yet I am certain you can think of many “professionals” who do not behave professionally at all. This is why true professionals – people who go beyond titles and acronyms to conduct and substance – are rare and highly valued.

In this article, I will share three things you can do to make you more professional so that you can enjoy the privileges that come with it. These tips work regardless of your educational background or career. Let us begin.

But who is a professional?

Let’s discuss definitions a little. The word “professional”, like many words, has more than one meaning. The more commonly used meaning is this one -(of a person) engaged in a specified activity as one's main paid occupation rather than as a pastime.In other words, you are a professional “something” when you do that something to earn a living. So, we have professional athletes, chefs, speakers, and recently (ahem) celebrities.The other more interesting definition is this -having or showing the skill appropriate to a professional person; competent or skilful.Don’t you just love a definition that describes the word it is supposed to be defining in terms of that exact word? Using “professional” to define “professional”. How helpful is that?In any case, this second definition comes a bit closer to what I will be talking about in this article. However, I would add to competence and skill, the words manner and conduct. So, let us redefine it thusly – having or showing the skill and competence as well as conduct and manner appropriate to a professional person.

Being professional is having or showing the skill and competence as well as conduct and manner appropriate to a professional person.

Yes, I committed the same "sin" I attacked in the second definition of using the word "professional" in my definition. But my expertise is in presentation and productivity - not lexicology. I am sure you will forgive me.Now that we have defined it, let us get into what you can do to be more professional

1. To be professional, grow your competence

You do not qualify to be called a professional if you are not good at what you do. Competence means that you have the skill and ability to perform the functions and duties of your profession whether it be scoring free throws or designing suspension bridges. The better you get at your profession, the more valuable you will become and the more respect you will command in the people who look to you for leadership.

How to increase competence - in two words

In two words – continuing education. Read good books related to your field, read relevant blogs and articles, take courses, get coaches and mentors, attend seminars and workshops and practice practice practice. Learning can be great fun especially when you stay reminded of your goals and purpose for learning.

2. To be professional, grow your confidence

Confidence speaks. So does a lack of it. Increasing your self-confidence is one of the best things you can do to improve how well you communicate your credibility in an unconscious manner. And credibility is a big part of being professional.A professional is someone who is not only competent but is also confident in their competence. Confidence is not arrogance. It is a calm certainty in your abilities that is not dependent on the approval of others. This is why it does not need to be defended at every real or imaginary attempt to undermine it.When you exude confidence in yourself, you inspire confidence in others. And that goes a long way in your being perceived as a professional. This might not be news to you, however, while most of us understand the benefits of self-confidence, we often struggle with feelings of inadequacy. Here are two keys steps to help grow your self-confidence.

How to increase confidence - in two steps

Step 1

Read and apply 1 above. Competence boosts confidence.

Competence boosts confidence.

Step 2

With continuing education as an ongoing process, cultivate the habit of positive self-talk. Or as I like to say, mend your monologue.

Mend your monologue

Self-talk is something that happens often beneath the level of consciousness – until you start paying attention. Then you can notice the tone with which you communicate with yourself. For most people, self-talk is negative or critical. When something goes wrong or when they make a mistake, they are more likely to say to themselves – “I am so unlucky” or “I am so stupid” than to say, more accurately, “I made a mistake” or “bummer”. Notice the difference in language in both instances.

In the first instance, the self-talker internalizes the event using “I am…” thereby defining themselves in terms of the event. This is an internal and subjective interpretation.  The danger in this kind of negative self-talk is that, when it is kept up, the speaker begins to believe what is being said and this alters the person’s view of themselves and ultimately undermines their confidence. The fact is smart people do stupid things sometimes and things go wrong with even the most meticulous among us. This is why the second statement in our example is so much better.

In the second instance of self-talk in the example, the language is external and objective. This allows you some healthy distance from the negative event so that it does not affect your view of yourself - what psychologists call your personal narrative.

What story are you telling yourself?

In his thought-provoking book, Redirect: The Surprising New Psychology of Change, Timothy Wilson, details the impact of our personal narratives on our performance in any endeavour. Our personal narratives – our view of ourselves – are influenced heavily by our self-talk. Negative self-talk – negative narrative – low self-confidence.Begin to pay attention to how you are communicating with yourself. The best thing you can do for your self-confidence is to change how you talk to yourself. Be kind to yourself. After all, you have to live with you all the time. Might as well be nice.Now let us move on to the third and final tip for how you can be more professional.

3. To be professional, be considerate

Professionals are considerate of others. If I there is one philosophy you can imbibe that will instantly make you more liked and respected it would be the ancient philosophy of the Golden Rule – do unto others as you would have them do unto you.

How to be more considerate – three key questions

To be more considerate, and consequently more professional in your dealings, always ask yourself three questions when interacting with others –What are their goals?What challenges could they be facing to achieving those goals? AndHow can I make it even a little easier for them?These questions should always be asked situationally so that the answers are concrete and actionable. I have an article that goes into more depth for these three questions – feel free to read it here.Meanwhile, know that practising this kind of empathy in thought will lead to empathy in action. And when you start doing the “little things” that help others in a courteous, polite and non-demanding way, you will find people using some truly amazing adjectives in describing you. One of which might even be “professional”.

Your success is certain

These are the three ways you can be more professional. The first two are centred on some fun and revealing inner-work. The third is about being centred on others. Together, I believe they encapsulate the essence of being a true professional. And if you habituate them, your success in your profession, and in life, will be a question of when, not if.

As a bonus point #4, you can also read this post on the impact of your image on yourself and others.

Until the next post, be your best and do your best.