No matter where you work, maintaining a good attitude and adhering to your personal values, as well as the company’s code of conduct, will greatly benefit your career. No one has ever heard of someone being demoted or disciplined for professionalism and good work ethics.
However, we have heard of issues bordering on a lack of professionalism and poor work ethics in the workplace.
Professionalism is a determined effort by an individual to give more than his/her very best each and every day. It is the differentiating line between success and failure, and organizations seek to keep those staff who are professional in their conduct and competence.
It is all about ethical success and influence; it is having a reputation for excellence and being thought of as someone who is consistent in any circumstance.
Professionalism also has to do with the way a person conducts himself or herself in the workplace. An individual who shows consideration and respect for others keeps his or her word demonstrates loyalty, and exceeds expectations is demonstrating professionalism.
Here are a few tips to help you demonstrate professionalism and appropriate work ethics in the workplace:
- Strive for Excellence Always: This is the first rule to achieving greatness in whatever endeavor you undertake. This quality makes you and your work stand-out.
- Become Trustworthy: Trustworthiness is about fulfilling an assigned task without excuses and not letting down expectations. It is exhibiting dependability and reliability when called upon to deliver on a task or deliverable. When you are trustworthy, you earn the trust of your bosses and colleagues; and when you are trustworthy you become credible.
- Be Courteous and Respectful: Courteousness is being friendly, polite and well-mannered with a gracious consideration towards others. It makes social interactions in the workplace run smoothly, avoid conflicts and earn respect. Continued courteous interaction is required to maintain or increase the original respect gained.
- Be Honest, Open and Transparent: Honesty is a facet of moral character that connotes positive and virtuous attributes such as truthfulness, straightforwardness of conduct, loyalty, fairness, sincerity, openness in communication and generally operating in a way for others to see what actions are being performed. This is a virtue highly prized by employers and colleagues, for it builds trust and increases your personal value to all.
- Become Competent at What You Do and Improve Continually: Competence is the ability of an individual to get a job properly. It is a combination of knowledge, skills, and behaviors required to succeed on the job. Competence grows through experience and to the extent one is willing to learn and adapt. Continuous self-improvement is a pre-requisite to deepening and sharpening one’s competence.
- Always act with Integrity: This is ensuring there is harmony between what you say and what you do at all times.
We do not become professionals because of some sudden leap that we make into the stratosphere, we become professionals because of our lifetime dedication and commitment to higher standards and ideals, honorable values, and continuous self-improvement.
Professionalism and ethical behaviors are highly valued by every organization today, and employees who exhibit these traits and qualities are hardly out of work. Apply these tips and watch your career experience a boost! Cheers!!
