Friday, July 17, 2009

Career tips for professionalism

When you step out into the world with your skills, it’s important to keep a professional attitude going. What is professionalism? This term means that you have to strike that all elusive balance when things are going over the board. Keeping a distance from your peers and colleagues is a healthy sign. Keep the attitude as positive as possible, even when the going gets really tough is absolutely essential. At work we are unnecessarily surrounded by problems that we have nothing to do with. All these generally add to our distractions and instead of conserving our energy for the task at hand, we get trapped in gossip, petty politics and just a waste of time tactics. It is important to keep social contacts but you don’t necessarily have to enter the households of every person you meet.

Focus is very important. You have to deal with distracters and detractors firmly. Time management is an important tool, and so are deadlines. Everything we do is governed by time, so having an attitude that goes beyond timeliness is certainly non-productive. You can strive to excel, but remember all your actions and thoughts have to produce results in the given time frame. Gaining popularity is good, but as you scale the ladder, do not compromise your standards of ethics and productivity for a few moments of cheap fun and publicity. Some people are too harsh and others too soft, you have to fine-tune that balance between acceptable and unacceptable behavior.

You yourself are important. If you suffer from low self esteem, people are going to walk all over you. In the long run, don’t keep slaving for others and forget yourself in the bargain. When you are at the giving end of the spectrum, make it felt that you also receive some benefits. Nobody is working for charity in a corporation. If you feel sensitive to an issue mull over how you are going to voice over your concerns to your seniors. Do not allow your seniors or your juniors to get away with wrong doing. Sometimes you have to educate others that what they are up to is no good. For this you need good communication skills, you have to stand up for what you believe in and for yourself. Bring to light all issues being swept under the carpet, but do it diplomatically and with some subtlety and skill. There are some problems you can solve just by facing them squarely instead of covering them up or sweeping them under the carpet.

If you are in a position of power, you can make your subordinates feel really lowly, but give them a positive signal or two so that some hope floats. Lastly, you can be a positive influence of change, even if it means deflating an ego or two. But it’s important that you don’t kill the spirit of the defaulting person at the same time.
Source : http://blogs.mybandra.com/2009/03/05/career-tips-for-professionalism

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