The Professional by Subroto Bagchi

Excerpts from the book

Part 1 Integrity

In most work environments, people who produce anything of economic value' usually need Supervision person who needs  supervision is not professional. He is an amateur may be even an apprentice.

Power, enormous material wealth created for personal enjoyment and sometimes the ability to create a huge material legacy for

one's progeny do not add up to qualify someone as a professional.

Every profession has some explicit and some implicit code of conduct and understanding it is the boundary that separates a professionally qualified person, or skilled individual, from professional

The number one requirement then to gain entry into the club professionals is to understand INTEGRITY and PRACTISE it. Without that a professionally qualified individual is danger to society.

Is Integrity just feel good concept? Doe it even make business sense? Can we do well by doing good?

Integrity means:

1. Follow the rules
2. Where rules don't exist, we use fair judgement
3. When in doubt, we go don't ahead and do what suits us; we seek counsel
4. Finally, faced with a dilemma, we ask ourselves: can my act stand public scrutiny without causing embarrassment to me and my family?

The concept of fair judgment is subjective, but essentially it is the voice of conscience. The basic question you need to ask yourself is: how would I feel if someone did to me what I'm about to do to someone else? 

Part 2 Self-awareness: where competence ends and professionalism takes over

Knowing who you are:

some people are naturally more self-aware than others. But all of us have the capacity to become progressively self-aware through life’s experiences. Most people can consciously cultivate it as quality if they want to. To be a great professional, it is critical to develop the qualities of self-awareness.  Without it, we fail to balance ourselves through the ups and downs of life, have problems in accepting reality, and often do not know what is good for us. As a result, we may end up making the wrong professional choices that have a spiraling downward impact.

The self aware understand what their true strengths are; they know exactly how much of their success is because of their inherent strengths  and how much is situational. Many of us are extremely fortunate to have been mentored by right people, fortunate to be in positions of great influence sometimes through sheer luck, or have been the children of fortuitous circumstance where we were surrounded with very competent people who did not compete for credit.

Being Authentic:

There is no point in being inauthentic and insincere. A true professional has no need for unnecessary embellishments of experience, mentioning ‘connections’, or being put-on or plain fake. Being authentic might sometimes get us a ‘no’ , but they is better than the ignominy of being unmasked, because we live in a small world where everything is connected, and the hollowness of our sincerity will eventually be revealed.

Being Comfortable:

A professional does not need to hog the limelight or monopolize airtime.

Seeking Help:

Seeking help from someone - a peer, a mentor, your supervisor, even a junior - is not a sign of the weak. We surrounded by knowledgeable people in our organizations ans certainly outside. But we feel self-conscious to actively seek their help.

Comparisons:

Ever professionally qualified person makes comparisons with colleagues, peers, seniors, even juniors some time or the other. It arises because of a competitive spirit that is built into us, often through a ruthless social system and an educational system that teaches us to falsely interpret the meaning of success in material world

It is futile to make such comparisons. They  cause unnecessary pain, based as they are primarily on superficial knowledge and are certainly devoid of an understanding of the other person's journey to reach that position.

Having a reasonable view of the future:

Building a view of the future, and knowing where you are headed, requires acknowledgement of the ground reality, a statement of intent in the overall direction, and sometimes a clear destination or purpose.

Looking beyond money

Being Deeply self-observant:

The professional is able to go with the flow, be natural and normal, but has the capacity to record events and faithfully reconstruct them to the smallest detail. Such people do not suffer from illusions.

Reining in reactions:

In extremely high pressure situations, often the best emotion to express is control. And a true professional has a calibrated thermostat which prompts the degree of reaction and control required in any given situation.

Welcoming feedback:

Most feedback, by its very nature, feels uncomfortable. This is because feedback is packaged as, or is perceived to be, personal criticism.

A good professional craves real feedback. The ability to freely seek feedback, more importantly take feedback and act on it, is something that can only be learnt over time. And it requires constant effort to master. But without developing this ability you can not become a true professional.

Not suffering false attractions:

Flirting with false attractions makes us lose affection for what is on hand. If you do not have a serious need for the offered job or assignment, do the professional thing and resist the temptress.

Doing something for yourself:

A professional does not let go of the basic ability to work because it is like losing your fingers.

Doing what are often thought of as menial tasks has a calming effect on us. Doing the small things in life yourself is very important.

Being proactive:

'Proaction' is an amazingly wonderful attitude and  a behavior that gets us memorable relationships in both life and business.

A pro-active person is self-confident.

This self-confidence is not about who you are; it is about where the conversation could lead.

A proactive individual is genuinely interested in the well-being and welfare of the other person.

Proactive professionals are not worried about creating work for themselves as an unwanted consequences of reaching out.

Proactive behavior is about small dealings in everyday life. It is about being the first.

You could be the first to be king! That is the power of proactive thought and action. Sometimes, being pro-active can and will land you in trouble. But what's king who is afraid of trouble?

Proactive people think on behalf of others. Sometimes it is about thinking ahead of others. This attitude of thinking ahead of others. This attitude of thinking ahead of others is then followed up by thoughtful preparation.

Proactive behavior expands itself to our personal lives as well. Someone who is proactive at the workplace is more likely to be proactive with his health , and in his relationships with friends and family.

Taking charge:

Developing the power within, to have the confidence to take charge in the most difficult and dangerous of situations, is the hallmark of a true professional.

 

Curtesy and humility:

You have to show generosity and courtesy to people when you are in position of power.

Generosity, grace and curtesy become valuable only when shown to others at the height of your professional career.

Professionals must know that humility is critical to enduring success. When we are humble, we can listen to others. When we do, we remind ourselves of our weaknesses when others are discussing our strengths.

The Big picture:

As we look at data, we must look at the big picture. Only the big picture, the context in which we live and work, makes the facts relevant, And it is only when we understand and actively look at the bug picture, will we develop into grounded professionals.

Part 3 Professional Qualities

Of time, body and soul:

It is probably more effective to watch and learn from people who actually seem to manage their time well, and who feel productive and satisfied.

The key is to ensure that you pay attention to what you eat, how much you sleep, the exercise your body gets and ways you unwind.

I will never forget a conversation with the famous cardiac surgeon Dr. Devi Shetty who told me that Indians have the higher risk of heart attack because we overeat.

Begin to pace your self, slowdown. It is a great time to use techniques like yoga and meditation to sharpen the ability to do more by doing less. In other words, you need to know how to burn less energy to deliver the same level of productive work.

Doing more by doing less:

A way to disengage is to learn something new - a sport, a foreign language, or a musical instrument. Pick up something that engages you and revives the spirit of curiosity and learning in you.

The to-do list:

It is important to prioritize one's life. Ask what is really important to you. Also ask yourself why that thing is so important and are you willing to commit yourself completely to it.

Saying No:

You will be surprised how your forthrightness will eventually evoke admiration

Quit whining

A long view of time:

I believe that one must take a long view of time in building any professional relationship. It goes well beyond the work one produces at one's job.

Mavens, connectors and evangelists

White space:

Mindless use of time that neither helps get work done nor rests the mind is a waste; use your white space for getting things done in a planned, proactive manner. Find your own angels of white space.

Creating reuse:

Reuse of work artefacts is a great way to expand time. Vast amounts of knowledge just sit in the content management system of organization; yet professional spend enormous amounts of time reinventing the wheel.

What is your touch-time?:

Senior professionals who are productive and get things done on a sustained basis do four things particularly well. They get briefed, they seek help, they use commute time effectively and they periodically take a mental shutdown.

Professional who take compulsory breaks at regular intervals are able to get more work done, in less time, because of the power of a relaxed mind and body.

When paths diverge:

A true professional would make sure he has thought through the consequences, would see the big picture, would know how to make the change, and finally not burn bridges while parting ways.

Build value before seeking recognition. And do not make comparisons.

To build your future at the cost of the previous organization, destabilizing it, leaving it hollow as you move on is not professional conduct.

Professionals always take the goodwill of everyone when they leave.

Part 4 Managing volume

The power of vision:

Vision is what vision does. It is not enough to have a dream. You have to act on that vision. Vision without action is far less noteworthy than action without vision.

Professionals who have a profound vision are able not only to uplift their own lives but also of those around. As a professional, bring the power of vision to your work, and act upon it. Do not be fazed by the  size of your adversary; the size of your adversary determine the size of your success.

Affective Regard:

A value-centric view can be built only by people who are capable of emotions.

We integrate the values at three additional levels - at the level of recruitment, performance appraisal and at the level of the annual 360-degree feedback.

Practising professional values is about who you are and what you want to be known as - a professional or merely professionally qualified. And, in the end, even the most corrupt society hails the ones that choose to be different

 

Commitment to commitment:

Without commitment we can not achieve even small success, not to speak about large ones. Without commitment, we can not give our best to our organizations. And without commitment, we can not turn our vision into reality.

 

Be Prepared:

Great professionals are always prepared  -  for conversations, meetings, presentations. Prepared individuals project a good image of the company and of themselves -  that is the first step towards making a client feel important.

Ask Pertinent questions:

Managers tend to look at everything in a cause - effect manner and jump to conclusions based on the apparent cause, and not the root cause, behind an event or a phenomenon.

A true professional will always question and find the root cause.

True professionals must also ask intuitive questions.

Intent Listening:

Some people can see things others can not. Much the same way, some people can here things others can not. Great professionals are invariably good listeners.

The capacity to listen intently can be build with conscious practice.

Human being first and foremost

The rewards of transparency

The responsibility of dissent:

When professionals get together, they assume that the purpose of every meeting is to get consensus. But consensus is not always beneficial and can sometimes lead to disasters. These can be avoided if each professional in a group exercises his responsibility of dissent and the purpose of the group's decision making process is shifted from the urge to agree to doing the right thing.

As a professional reaches the next higher plane, it is this ability that separates the best from rest.

Part 5 Managing Complexity

Three disasters, three great professionals

Logic or emotion?

The brain is our thought factory and thought is the mother of all voluntary action. Our 100 billion brain cells interact with each other to generate the thoughts, ideas, decisions that shape our activities as well as make us who we are.

The brain is divided into the left hemisphere and the right hemisphere. The left side controls the right side of the body and the right side controls  the left. The left side is driven by logic, responsible for all analytical thinking; the right side thinks in terms of feelings, relationships and the big picture in any given situation.

We are actually witnessing a more balanced emergence in which emotions and feelings - attributes that determines creativity - are becoming more valued than just logical thinking and analysis

Developing the right brain helps look at the big picture, the context so to speak. When you see the big picture, you realize the interconnectedness of various facets of the problem.

Multiple Intelligences:

The brain's biggest gift to us is intelligence - it is our tool to learn, to understand, explore, and create.

Literary intelligence is about the capability to read and write as much as imagination.

The capacity to build leadership proximity is determined by how well you express yourself through language. Developing excellent language skills is then extremely important.

Great sportspersons have what is called kinesthetic intelligence.

You must have come across many people who are better able to converse, have the ability to make friends quickly, read other people's emotions, solve problems collaboratively. These people have a higher degree of interpersonal intelligence.

In the future, the ideas of leadership, followership and situational collaboration will be extremely important.

Those who are more self-aware have a realistic understanding of who they are, what their true needs are, they are emotionally stable and can deal with ups and downs in life and work far better. These people have a higher degree of what Gardner calls intrapersonal intelligence.

As we all become more environmentally aware and sensitive to the planet, naturalistic intelligence, that is, the ability to relate to the natural world, will be much more in demand across professions.

Spiritual or existential intelligence: We are all hardwired to appreciate the presence of a higher power, some people can connect more easily with the spiritual world and as a result they can better deflect anxiety, can better deal with loss, and can better balance decisions with yardsticks of morality and self-governance. Such a professionals, who know and can do the right thing, will increasingly become relevant in the world of business.

Three levels of knowledge:

At the lowest level, we relate to knowledge in a technical context. At this level, knowledge is all about specifications handed down to a professional who needs to create something.

At the next higher level is the experiential layer of knowledge. This level is not about technical specifications and the functionality of the product or service we make or offer.

Beyond these two levels is the existential layer of knowledge where it is not about getting into the shoes of the customer but about 'creeping into the minds' of customers.

The five minds of the future:

Our brain is the repository of nine intelligence. The mind, which is probably the abstract layer of the brain, works with these nine intelligences.

The five minds of the future are: the mind of discipline, the mind of synthesis, the mind of creativity, the respectful mind and the ethical mind.

Leaders in every profession must learn to deal with others with respect.

Critical questioning:

As you sharpen the power of critical questioning, you begin to ask the right questions.

He would invariably ask himself set of five specific questions about the leaders of the various business.

Is he real?

Does he see around the corners?

Who's around him?

Does he get back on the horse?

Is he pro-business?

Welch brought out five important leadership imperatives of the user president: Authenticity, capacity to see the big picture, ability to attract and surround oneself with competent people, capability to recover from mistakes and the ability to see business as a driver for nation building.

Critical questioning is the starting point of every quality journey. And that includes the journey for personal quality as well.

Dealing with personal pain:

How you manage yourself and deal with personal tragedy determines how you will grow as a professional.

Somewhere we must draw the line so that the deeply personal does not override duty.

It makes no sense to let a personal tragedy submerge the platform that provides us with the power of continuance. Allowing personal issues to drown professional obligations is like burning the shelter from which one has a chance to grow again after the storm has passed.

Part 6 New world imperatives

Inclusion and gender:

Going forward, professionals have to be more aware of gender issues while dealing with colleagues, customers and suppliers.

You must not coerce anyone to have an alliance. Second, you can not be vindictive if the person rejects your advances. Finally, those who are in positions of power, authority, rank or hierarchy must not prey on a subordinate at the workplace.

Any 'unwelcome' gesture is a potential cause for harassment if it persists. Thus whether it emanates from a man to a woman or otherwise, a 'no' must always be taken as a'no'.

Gender sensitivity, however, can not just be an organizational priority; it is also for every individual to take the initiative to observe, learn, cultivate and demonstrate.

Whenever adult human beings work, there is bound to be mutual attraction but every professional must know where consensus stops and harassment begins.

Cross-cultural sensitivity:

Governance

 

Intellectual property

 

Sustainability

Professional will have to know how their work could potentially destroy the earth and, conversely, how they can help sustain it.

Professionals in the new world will need to know the meaning of 'do well by doing good'. Because tomorrow's customers will seek out those who are proactive in their  practices to make the planet a better place to live in.

 Part 7:  The professional's profession

A yen for professionalism:

Top 10 attributes of a professional:

1. Integrity
2. Commitment and ownership
3. Action orientation and goal seeking
4. Continuous learning
5. Professional knowledge/skills
6. Communication
7. Planning, organizing and punctuality
8. Quality of work
9. A positive attitude, approachability, responsiveness
10. Being an inspiring reference to others; thought leadership

Tomorrow's professional must have a beacon-like presence in a world that will ask for more memorability. Because being ordinary will no longer be considered professional.

The unprofessional:

Top 10 markers of unprofessional conduct:

1. Missing deadline
2. Non-escalation of issues on time
3. Non-disclosure
4. Not respecting privacy of information:   As India becomes part of the global mainstream, one of the things all professionals will have to understand is the importance of privacy. Indians are not used to privacy.
5. Not respecting 'need to know'
6. Plagiarism
7. Passing on the blame
8. Overstating qualification and experience
9. Mindless job hopping
10. Unsuitable appearance: your attire must inspire credibility and whether one is a man or women, dressing in a way that distracts is not a great idea, be it flashy ornaments or s dress with deep necklines.

Return of the dead:

Ultimately, being a professions is a matter of personal choice and the values we opt to live by.