Unflattering Trait ≠ Unprofessional

People are sometimes described as unprofessional by their colleagues or associates when they have a trait or characteristic that stands out—-typically in an unflattering way.  Consider:

***the woman with the shrill laugh who seemingly thinks everything is funny (her colleagues initially found this trait to be cute, but over time became repelled by it)   

***the man who is naturally inquisitive and incessantly asks questions. (his peers quickly found this to be aggravating)  

***the supervisor (someone who happened to have a hearing disability) that speaks especially loudly—even when having one-on-one conversations in close quarters. ( even understanding his condition, the staff never quite got used to this and too often felt like they were being yelled at—inappropriately so)

If asked, how would you describe these individuals?  Or what if you were an executive recruiter and one of these people becomes a serious candidate for a position you’re attempting to fill.  As a professional, how do describe (objectively so) the individual to your hiring manager client?  After all, what you say holds sway with the hiring manager.  Say something inappropriate (or misleading) and you could torpedo the candidate. 

Sometimes we’re inclined to describe these types of individuals as unprofessional.  And that inclination is often fueled from our own emotional reaction to them (the importance of mind-set six, once again, raises its head).  From my point of view, when someone has a trait or characteristic that stands out in an unflattering way, it doesn’t make them unprofessional.  ‘Un’ means without or the opposite of.  In effect, in describing someone as unprofessional it suggests that the person has virtually no professionalism.  It would be a rare circumstance in which that would be true.   

Plus, when you suggest someone is unprofessional it suggests that you can’t trust them—whether it be their competence, their judgment, or their character (for more on this see Chapter Four in The Power of Professionalism).  Having a defining personal trait (however annoying) typically doesn’t have much to do with their professionalism and, by default, their trustworthiness.  Simply said, transposing someone’s personality with their character does that person a disservice—and does not reflect well on us as a professional.         

When describing someone who has a trait or characteristic that is unflattering, consider describing  them as a bit unpolished, needing greater refinement, or something analogous which is appropriate to the situation.

Take first impressions.  It’s true that when someone ‘shows up’ disheveled (think: unkept appearance) it invariably creates the wrong impression.  Many will be put off by it. Certainly people don’t initially associate ‘professional’ with that person.  Yet, it’s important to resist the urge to refer to them as unprofessional—for many of the reasons previously stated.    

The point here is not to generalize.  As professionals, it’s important for all of us to be objective. Recall  the woman with the shrill laugh.  Annoying? Sure. Unprofessional? No.

Connecticut Huskies Know ‘It’s All About The Team’

As Richard Kovacevich, former Chairman of Wells Fargo, has stated, “You learn very quickly playing sports that it’s all about the team.  It’s the best five players that win the basketball game, not the five best players.”

On Monday the best team, the University of Connecticut, won the national championship.  Their opponent, the University of Kentucky, had ‘the five best players’.  Actually, they may have had more than five—they’re loaded with half-a-gazillion McDonald’s All-Americans.  Their starting five were all uber-talented freshman.

Yes, Connecticut’s point guard Shabazz Napier may well have been the nation’s best player.  Yet Connecticut’s talent quotient was dramatically lower than Kentucky’s. In many ways Kentucky is an NBA farm club. ‘One-and-done’ describes what their current freshman are expected to do—namely turn pro. Whether they will or not remains to be seen.

On Monday the best team won, not the most talented team.  Connecticut didn’t miss a free throw going 10 for 10 (Kentucky was 13 of 24).  Connecticut, who was at a sizeable height disadvantage, out rebounded Kentucky by one. On paper Connecticut should have never been able to out rebound Kentucky—it just doesn’t equate given Kentucky’s superior height advantage and previous dominating performance on the boards all year.

If talent were the ultimate differentiator, Kentucky should have won. They didn’t.  That’s because talent, as important as it is, is overrated.  At the end of the day, it’s the team that matters most.

Congratulations to the Connecticut Huskies.

Keeping Focus When Things Go Sideways—-Mind-Set Three In Action

Mind-set #3 basically says ‘things get better when I do’.  My extended team holds this mind-set in spades. It allows us to really focus on the work—even when things go side-ways.  Allow me to illustrate.

Many of you know that we’ve been developing artwork in conjunction with the mind-sets that, once framed, clients can hang in their conference room, offices and the like. Without getting into the weeds, the customized images are developed in Vermont, printed in California, and framed in the mid-west.   (Yes, we know there are more efficient production methods than the one we’re currently using.  We do it this way to ensure quality control.)

Ron, my printing guy, calls me on Monday evening indicating that our latest print run looked odd—the artwork had a prominent red tinge throughout it. I went to see for myself and, sure enough, something was clearly wrong.

After about thirty minutes of diagnosing the problem, we eliminated every possible mechanical source associated with the printing mechanism.  From that, I concluded the problem was likely the files we were given.  I told Ron I’d contact the Vermont ‘file’ guys the next morning.  Ron, who was already perturbed by the situation, reluctantly agreed.

As I was departing, Ron says, ‘wait a minute’.  He continued, ‘you know maybe changing the paper option would make a difference’.  Ron went into the software, tinkered with some settings (none of which I understood)…and, viola, ultimately produced some stellar prints.  Problem solved.

Ron is a perfectionist.  His focus the entire time was on things that he might have done improperly that contributed to the problem.  Never once did he do the easy thing—namely point an accusing finger to the Vermont guys who produced the files.  In other words, he believed that he must look inward first to see what his contribution to the problem might be.  Ron epitomizes mind-set three.

Turns out, Ron had done nothing wrong.  Rather, a quirk in the programming software proved to be the culprit.  Yet, Ron’s approach saved all of us a lot of time and unnecessary aggravation.  Boy, isn’t it great  working with people like that?

A Better Me

Many of you are aware that the West Coast Ultrasound Institute has immersed their students in ‘professional values’ and the mind-sets associated with those values. See my post from Jan 28, 2013.

As part of the student’s learning they were asked to write a 1,800 word essay about professionalism and its impact—current and future. I’m told over 200 papers were produced. I have read over 50 of them, they were fascinating. Several students mentioned how the mind-sets had not only impacted their work-life, but their personal life as well.

Many students at West Coast are transitioning from their current vocation to another (e.g. medical imaging) —they work at their ‘day job’ and attend school at night and on the weekends. Jennifer Fruin is one such student. She’s currently a hair stylist. In her words, Jennifer was hired to, ‘wash, cut, style, repeat’. I was impressed with her paper and thought you would be too.

Jennifer has gone through some remarkable changes, the type that one would reasonably be called transformational. Here are a few snippets from Jennifer’s paper:

Catalyst For Self-Improvement: “…I sure didn’t feel the fulfillment. I felt as though I was just clocking in and cutting hair [as my] complacent role dragged on. I let it seep into my personal life and I did not notice a problem until I read The Power of Professionalism. Cover to cover, the book spoke to me. I made myself a cheat sheet, to show me what I learned in each chapter and how I would apply it to my own life.”

About Mind-Set #7: “This mind-set did away with my secret stash of anxiety, distrust and negativity. It gave me the comfort I so desperately sought out, and helped me lend my trust to other employees and helped me place trust in my family.”

Transformation: “Today my world is different. I’m listening to my clients like they require me to. I am spending quality time with my kids. I’ve released the anger I was holding on to …”

The Book: “The Power of Professionalism to me was more than a book teaching me how to act ‘professional’. This book showed me how to be a better me. It showed me how to succeed in any given area…..Bill Wiersma really broke the mold when he wrote this book.”

It was really gratifying to learn of Jennifer’s growth and how she became a ‘better me’. Gratefully, Jennifer has student colleagues who experienced similar outcomes.

To read Jennifer’s full paper, click here.

Enjoy.

Football’s Skill Players—Lessons For Today’s Professionals

A colleague friend of mine was updating me on her prize-recruit son who is destined to be playing football next year at a Pac 12 school.  He plays on the offensive line.  He goes something like 6’ 5”, 280 pounds and bench presses half-a-gazillion pounds.

She was explaining to me how the recruiting process worked and how her son (ultimately) would be spending more time with his O-Line coach than that same coach would spend with his own family.  It was fascinating.  Each group (linebackers, running backs, lineman, etc), she explained, had the own specialty coaches.   “You know, the skill players have their coaches and each of the other groups have theirs.”   In football parlance skill players are running backs, quarterbacks, wide receivers, etc.

I smiled mischievously.  “What?” she asked.  “What’s wrong?”

I couldn’t help myself, so I asked her “does that mean that your son and his fellow linemen are unskilled?”

She hesitated, then smiled knowingly.  We both agreed that each and every player on the team was exceptionally skilled—each in their own way.  And we further agreed that today’s distinctions between so-called skill players and the rest of the football team was unfortunate.

The same thing happens in the workplace.  There’s the professionals and then everybody else.  For those of you who have read The Power of Professionalism, you know we’re trying hard to change these unfortunate distinctions.

Always remember, you’re the one that determines whether you’re a professional or not –no one can ever take that away from you.

Next year I’m looking forward to seeing this young man play at the next level.  Any football fan who appreciates athletes with amazing skill-sets will too.

Your Organization—Is Your Experience There Helping You Become A Better Person?

As part of a recent consulting engagement, I had the privilege to interview a number of employees from one of the world’s best managed companies.  The company—both what they did and how they did it—was really impressive.  They pushed their people—but not in a manipulative or punitive way.  Employees had near-complete autonomy.  The level of responsibility within the employee ranks was off-the-charts.

The intent of the interviews was to find out what the ‘employee experience’ was like.  Virtually every employee said they ‘couldn’t go back’ to the types of jobs they once held before coming to their current employer.  Despite the high expectations, morale was especially high.  The way the company managed was not only admirable; it was a model to emulate.

For context, the company wasn’t solving world hunger.  In fact, the company’s agriculturally-based products were arguably commodity-like.  Nonetheless, employees found their work especially meaningful.  Almost to a person (and regardless of where they served in the organization) each employee’s level of engagement was high—really high.

At the close of our session one of the more seasoned (yet reserved) employees quietly approached me on his way out of the conference room.  He looked me straight in the eye, and said, “you know, I’m a better person for having worked here”.  This gentleman had privately put a bow on the gift (think: feedback) that had been revealed through our ‘public’ employee meeting.  With that, he went back to work.  I was struck, not only by what he said, but by how he said it.

I thought to myself, ‘isn’t that the ultimate for employees…to feel that their work experience has made (or is making) them a better person?’  What a powerful indicator in assessing (among other things) organizational health.  And if the company needed further validation that it was on the right track this gentleman gave it to them in spades.

Fast forward to last week…I received an email from a client; a tell-it-like-it-is, seasoned company president who has been integrating professional values into his organization for some time. (BTW: he was unaware of the experience I just shared.)  After sharing some company updates and some personal niceties, he closed his note with, “…since reading your book and trying to live what it says has made me a much better person as well as an [much better] employer. Thank you.”

This president knows all-too-well that living up to professional ideals isn’t always a bed of roses. Yet he does what needs doing.  Because of it he grows and becomes a better person as a result.

Personally, this is especially rewarding.  Organizationally, it helps validate our approach.  We’re on the right track. Onward!

Honoring An Amazing Men’s Room Attendant

I love hearing of stories about people in non-tradition jobs or situations that really put an  exclamation point on what it means to be a professional.  Lorenzo Robinson, a men’s room attendant at the posh 21 restaurant in Manhattan, is one such person.

To most, his work wasn’t glamorous.  In fact, some might consider his work demeaning. Not Lorenzo.  He glorified his work. Those he served loved him.

Lorenzo’s story reinforces that it isn’t what we do but how we do it that determines whether we are a professional or not. There should be no doubt, Lorenzo was a professional.

Lorenzo Robinson passed away prematurely in late October.  Even though we never met, I’m honored to share his inspiring story.  Here’s a nice article from the New York Times about him.

   

Helps on the ‘How-To’s In Developing Mind-Set Three

There was a ton of research that went into The Power of Professionalism.  Yet sometimes you miss or overlook a reference that you later wish you would have been able to incorporate into your book.  Carol Dweck’s Mindset is one such reference.

The premise of her book is that mindset has an enormous influence on achievement and success.  Mindset, she believes, trumps talent when it comes to achievement and success.  I couldn’t agree more and have made that very point in The Power of Professionalism.

Dweck believes that there are two primary mindsets—either growth oriented or fixed.   Those with a growth oriented mind-set, she explains, actually expand their intelligence and, of course, their capacity to take on ever-increasing challenges.  Those with a fixed mindset tend to believe that their intelligence is pre-determined –which thwarts them on any number of levels.

Praising children’s intelligence and ability, she argues, doesn’t foster self esteem and can be completely counter-productive in terms of buoying children up over the long term.  She writes that ‘praising effort has a far greater impact’.

To me, Dweck’s book Mindset compliments The Power of Professionalism (and vice versa).

What’s common between the teaching within the two books?

***the emphasis on mindset (especially over talent) as a driver of trust and success.

***the emphasis of one’s view of themselves as a driving determinant in their life.  (Note: In TPOP this is greatly emphasized, although less so in Dweck’s Mindset.)  

*** the commonality (especially) between mind-set three (e.g. professionals know things get better when they get better) and Dweck’s growth mindset.

Are there differences?

***Maybe.  I’m not sure if Dweck believes there are only two core mindsets or there are more than that.  Of course, in TPOP we identify seven.

***In TPOP we identified mindsets (plural) that produced trust. In Dweck’s book her growth-oriented mindset (singular) was focused almost exclusively on ‘success’.  That’s an important distinction…and thus a difference.

***In TPOP we strongly emphasize being something.  Doing something was more the emphasis in Dweck’s Mindset book.

What’s unique about Dweck’s book when contrasted with The Power of Professionalism?   

***the researched based arguments she gives to the ability to grow intelligence.

***the advice she gives to those wishing to instill a growth mindset (or for that matter mindset three) within others.  Especially important–praise effort, not innate ability.

Beefs worth mentioning:

***Just one.  For those that have a ‘success or achievement orientation’, Dweck’s book will be especially pertinent. A great many examples in the book were from people who certainly appear to have had that orientation. Yet there are many who don’t value ‘success’ as the be-all-end-all. For them I’m not convinced that all of what Dweck advances in this book holds true. For instance, Dweck advances the premise that those holding a fixed mind-set begrudge the success of others (page 245 in the paperback version). That’s not my experience at all.

For many ‘personal growth’ is simply not one of their top values. Many of these same people also hold what Dweck refers to as a fixed mind-set. I’ve met many such people in my lifetime. Yet the vast majority don’t begrudge the success of others.

I bring this up as an illustration that, to me, Dweck tends to generalize a bit in this book—the begrudging the success of others being one example.

Bottom line:

Despite some (manageable) differences, the two books complement one another nicely.  Given different circumstances, I would have referenced Dweck’s Mindset book in my first edition. Chapter seven alone (how parents can instill a growth mindset in their kids) is worth the price of the book.  For those achievement-oriented fans of TPOP that want complimentary ideas on how to develop a deeper, stronger mind-set three, this book will help you do that.