Professionalism: Posture or Perfection?
What is professionalism?
Is it about flawless performance? Total submission to the client?
My answer is clear: no.
What does professionalism really mean?
Professionalism refers to the set of behaviors, attitudes, and skills that demonstrate a serious, ethical, and competent approach to work. It’s both a mindset and a commitment—to quality, accountability, and respect for the standards of the profession.
- Reliability: Fulfilling commitments and meeting deadlines.
- Competence: Mastering your field, staying up to date, and striving to improve.
- Ethics: Acting with integrity, maintaining confidentiality, and avoiding abuse of power.
- Presence & communication: Taking care with one’s image, posture, and words.
- Respect: Toward clients, colleagues, and service providers—regardless of their status.
- Emotional stability: Staying calm, courteous, and fair, even under pressure.
Certainly not—provided we go back to a solid foundation.
Mistakes : professionalism's best friends
They are part of any living, demanding process. It’s not the mistake itself that causes problems, but the inability to take responsibility for it—or to correct it.
An imperfection, a lapse, or a clumsy gesture can happen. We are human, not machines. Multitasking, so often held up as a standard, is a biological illusion—an expectation disconnected from how we truly function. And the one who believes they already know everything shuts the door to learning—and therefore to progress.
Communication remains the key
A justified complaint is valuable feedback. It calls for a clear, respectful, and professional response. In most cases, such communication is met with… kindness.
An unjustified attack, on the other hand, speaks volumes about the mindset of the person expressing it. And even that calls for kindness—on the part of the person on the receiving end.
Ancient wisdom as our compass
The Four Toltec Agreements – Don Miguel Ruiz
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- Be impeccable with your word: Speak with integrity, keep your promises, and avoid unfair or destructive criticism. Words carry weight—on others, and on ourselves.
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- Don’t take anything personally: What others express says more about them—their expectations, frustrations—than about you. Emotional distance allows for clarity and balance.
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- Don’t make assumptions: Ask questions, clarify, and rephrase. Misguided assumptions are a major source of unnecessary conflict.
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- Always do your best: Your “best” will vary depending on your energy, the day, and your circumstances. But if you act with sincerity and effort, guilt has no place.
And ... As Marcus Aurelius wisely put it:
It is not events that disturb us, but our judgment about them.
In other words, in the face of a difficult situation, what matters most is not what happens—but what we do with it.
You may, however, question your professionalism if…
- … you consciously choose to ignore the lessons life offers you
- … you refuse to correct your mistakes, or
- … you neglect how you communicate.
Because communication remains the key to all success… and all failure.
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