2 Ways to Be More Professional at Work
When we think “professional”, we think of a person wearing a suit.
That’s incorrect though.
You can wear a suit and be unprofessional, and you can wear cargo pants and a dirty T-shirt while being a professional.
Being a pro comes down to your psyche.
Are you capable of doing the 2 following things:
- Doing your job without giving unneeded context.
- Making sure your emotional state is unknown to the public.
What do these 2 bullets mean?
Why shouldn’t you let others know how you’re feeling?
These are a few questions I’ll be discussing in today’s post.
Listen carefully….
It doesn’t matter which field you’re in.
Humans love to work with professionals.
Stop Giving Unneeded Context
The first bullet is to avoid giving unneeded context to others.
Unless they ask for more information, don’t give it.
Just do your job and go about your day.
Recently, I saw this TikTok of a waitress who was shaming the table she just served.
She showed a video of how messy the guests left the table.
She captioned the video:
‘It’s sad that people think it’s okay to leave their table like this for the waitress.’
She thought she was going to get sympathy.
Instead, people began attacking her.
- Isn’t it your job to remove the plates from the table?
- Why didn’t you remove the plates before giving them the check?
- Do they get a discount for doing your job for you?
The waitress wasn’t expecting this type of backlash.
Normally on Tik Tok, the audience loves a good sob story from service workers.
The waitress made a follow-up video giving more context as to why she did such a sloppy job:
- I’m the only English speaker at the restaurant.
- It was really busy that day.
- I wasn’t feeling well!!
All I heard was, “blah blah blah.”
Lady, no one asked you for more context.
Your job is to be a waitress. A part of your job is to remove the plates. Remove them. Don’t give unneeded context.
Avoid Letting your Emotional State be Known
It doesn’t matter if your dog dies before you are about to clock in…
Once you clock in, do your job.
Don’t carry yourself in a mopey way hoping someone asks, ‘Is something wrong?’
I recommend you take the day off.
But if you’re out of sick days, and you have to clock in, then be a professional.
This is hard to do btw.
Losing your dog is not easy.
Most people are going to clock in, be agitated, and take out their anger on the customers.
That’s why most people aren’t professionals.
A rare few are going to do their job perfectly.
These people deserve praise.
They are feeling strong emotions.
However, they are not letting their emotional state be known to the public.
If you’re a content creator…
Then you shouldn’t be recording a YouTube video with a mopey attitude.
Muster up the energy and record, otherwise, don’t record at all!
After a haircut, I should not think:
‘Geez, my barber must be having a long day.’
I shouldn’t be thinking anything.
He should be delivering the same quality of work when he’s on top of the world vs right after he got a divorce.
Why More People Are Becoming Unprofessional
People are becoming unprofessional because society rewards it.
Too many people in society are asking to hear the worker’s context.
‘Before we judge too soon, let’s hear their side of the story.’
More people are taking the worker’s side vs the person who is paying for the service.
When a person complains about poor service, they are immediately labeled a Karen!
Nowadays, workers do sloppy jobs, and if you complain about their poor work ethic, they will call you a Karen.
Then the public will take the sloppy worker’s side.
How to Become a Professional Again
You won’t always get praise for being a professional.
People will get used to you always showing up on time, doing a good job, and leaving the environment better than you found it.
If you are trying to be a professional for praise, then you will be disappointed.
You should be a professional because it is a part of you.
You can’t stand it when you said you were going to do one thing and then do something else.
I remember when I used to work in Subway, I took pride in making sandwiches fast and efficiently.
Every now and then, one of my coworkers would be lollygagging in the back on their phone.
I couldn’t be on my phone if I saw a big line in the front.
I had to take care of the line.
Does that mean I’m always a professional?
Nah.
I’m human.
But when I don’t carry myself like a professional, I’m quick to acknowledge it and get back on track.
The path is to be a professional.
When you stray, do your best to get back on the path.
When the path is to be professional, you’ll be able to distinguish the signal from the noise in your mannerisms.
The Professionals Win in the Long Run
In the short run, it feels good to be unprofessional.
Because if you whine about your job, a lot of people will listen.
But in the long run, being known as a sloppy worker is not good.
You will lose a ton of opportunities.
Plus, you won’t have as much confidence.
You won’t view yourself as a person who gets things done.
You’ll see yourself as a liar.
A person who says one thing at the job interview, and does a completely different thing once you get the job.
Quit being sloppy.
2 steps to be more professional:
- Stop giving unneeded context.
- Stop letting others know what you are feeling.
When you clock in, do a great job.
When you clock out, process whatever emotions you need to process.
For more insights into mindset, check out the Level Up Mentality Book
🧠Ebook
🧠Paperback/Kindle
🧠Audiobook
