Professionalism: Focus Solely on What it Means to You, if it Means Anything at All
I’ve been asked recently if virtual assistants who own/operate their own small businesses shouldn’t be more professional, or display greater professionalism.
When I dove a little deeper, the biz pal who asked had been working with a couple of ladies were offering VA services as a side hustle, and who, each in her own time, left him high and dry in a variety of ways. He’d met them through Craigslist.
So, thought number one: Finding smart, truly good help requires looking where truly good help hangs out. That’s most often not going to be Craigslist. ;)
But back to the question: I think a virtual assistant needs to be who she claims to be, do what she says she’ll do, and show up as she promises to. That’s just what’s right for me. I assume the women my pal worked with have a different view, given how they behaved.
A conversation with other biz pals showed me that “professionalism” is a different thing to each of them, too.
With such varied ideas of what professionalism is, it’s important for each of us to figure out what it means to us, and then, whether it’s something that really still matters. And to that point, when it comes to your business, the only thinking on the subject that means anything is yours. That’s simple enough, but the complexity falls in carving out the time to figure out what that actually is to you (chances are, you’ve never tried to write it down or even tried to say it out loud in a way that makes sense to you or anyone else, as was the case with my biz pals), and then laying out what you come up with as part of your company’s culture so that it’s infused in everything you do, and present in every person who works with you.
So, let’s explore that, starting with some common ground: the generally understood definition of the word.
Professionalism (n): the conduct, aims, or qualities that characterize or mark a profession or a professional person.
Clear as mud, right? Hence my original point that it’s whatever you say it is.
But it does give you a couple of categories to explore when creating the definition your company will use: conduct, aims, and qualities.
When you think of a professional, or someone who exudes professionalism, consider her:
Conduct
- How does she act?
- How does she present herself? This is important whether you’re seeing her in person or you’re getting a sense of her virtually.
- How does she compose herself?
Aims
- Does she have goals? Is she moving toward something?
- Is it ok to not have goals or be moving toward something?
- Is this work something she’s doing as a side hustle till her BBD (bigger better deal) comes along, or is this the work that lights her up inside and that she sees herself doing for many years?
Qualities
- What qualities does someone exuding professionalism have?
- Is there a traditionalism that you think goes hand-in-hand with professionalism? Can someone who is non-traditional about her work or life also have professionalism?
Use those as starter questions and see where they lead you.
I know that when I look for a virtual assistant, “professionalism” isn’t a word that comes to mind for me as I think about what’s important. I looked back at a list I made, and “professionalism” didn’t end up there. But words like appropriate, tenacious, discerning, curious, attentive to detail, naturally gracious, compassionate, non-judgy, committed, resourceful…those made the list. As did what I call “cultured authenticity.”
I want to work with someone who knows who she is, and lives her life without apology. At the same time, someone who fits with me and my company needs to have been “brought up” well. She will be well spoken, written, and read. She’ll have a bit of travel in her background and will have seen a thing or two. It wouldn’t hurt my feelings if she’s experienced the arts, live, a time or three. Polite. High EQ. Relationally mature. Easily conversant, because who wants to work closely with someone you can’t talk with?
To me, what I’m talking about is fit. Professionalism can be a mask well worn for a long time, but fit can never, ever be faked.
Which leads me to another point: Professionalism only matters if it matters to you.
For me, something that nebulous leaves me disinterested in using it as any sort of metric or consideration. Instead, I’m all for relegating “professionalism” to another place and time. I’m all for talking, instead, about the attributes and qualities that I want, and looking for fit in the ways another and I view work, relationships, and the world. If my view of professionalism is mine, alone, it becomes infinitely harder to hold someone else to that imaginary bar. But fit? I know it in an instant. And it absolutely has to be present between me and any other person I work with.
Originally posted on workwithava.com
