Professionalism and You in the IT Industry

Being Professional

 Everyone and his dog (or her cat) claims to be a Professional these days.
 Every organisation likes to lay claim to that too.
 And most every product has a "Pro" version: For the Pros.

"I'm a professional"
"We do things professionally"
"Hi, I'm the Professional Services Manager"

Are they really professionals? Or is this just another manifestation of Fake News?
Let's do a little unpacking.
Webster has a range of definitions for the word, but the one that is most pertinent is
3: "following a line of conduct as though it were a profession"
which is about the behaviour of adherents in comparison with people in Professions.

But wait, there's more:
A person who is in a Profession gets to Profess (that's the root for all these words).
Webster, once again: Profess ... 4a: to practice or claim to be versed in (a calling or profession)

Maybe we need to look at some real Professionals for a bit of guidance. Those that the Law says are professional, and which has legal restrictions about who can, and who can't be in.

Professions are regulated

Literally regulated, you break the law if you claim to be a Medical doctor and aren't one!

 

Here is a quick list:

•     Doctors and Dentists
•     Lawyers & Attorneys
•     Chartered Accountants
•     Architects
•     Engineers
•     Religious Ministers (well, the law doesn't really apply there ~ but they seem to belong somehow)

These are people expected to know what they know . . .

and risk being criminalised if they don't!
To be in a Profession then, you are going to have some Education: High School is not enough.
Some Education? Oh no, no, no. Lots of education. In fact, a life time of it.
I hardly want to be treated by a Dentist who still believes in pliers and forceps!
Or give my tax returns to an Accountant who hasn't boned up on this year's regulations . . . .

In a Profession there is a deep commitment to formal knowledge, and skills, and continual and never-ending replenishment over time.

It doesn't stop there:

You know that I know what I know: Oversight, experience, practice.

Qualifying is not enough.
You don't get to be a doctor, or Engineer, or CA just by studying.
You have to serve some time.
Experience is built into the process.
Got a medical degree? Go onto an internship before you get your ticket.
Or Articled Clerk. etc.
There is an oversight process, and it's built in

 So what have we gleaned from people in Formal Professions so far?

• You need an education in the Discipline which is normalised across institutions;
• reinforced by ongoing and continual re-education and self-learning, also formal study, followed by 
• an internship with oversight from Practitioners leading up to minimum set of experience; and only then
• you qualify to be a Professional. 
• You become "One of Us. Accepted by the Medical Council; Or Institute of Engineers; etc. this is called

Professional autonomy

That's what you get when you are registered with a formal body and allowed to practice. It's a big deal, because only NOW can you call yourself a professional working in a real profession.

• It's this Professional Autonomy that gives you the initial Trust and Acceptance of the Community you will serve

The certificate on your wall means that they don't have to interrogate your qualifications or the right to provide them with services.

Welcome to the Trust Regime.

The community trusts you to do a good job.
And if you do a bad job, you get reported to the governing body which has extensive powers to reign you in, discipline you, kick you out, and even set the law loose on you.

The important thing though, is that the community grants you the right to practice largely unhindered and expects the profession to look after its own affairs. The basis of your expertise is not questioned.

Codes of Conduct: I do what I do

The governing body has a code of conduct which you must adhere to, and a clearly defined end goal in sight: "Mission" and "Vision" isn't some vague marketing con. It runs deep (witness the Hippocratic Oath). And people live it out in their lives. It drives them forward to long hours of sacrifice and hard work. And despite what many think, a lifetime commitment to your discipline demands long hours of study and catch-up, which isn't easy: personal life, family life, all live on its edges.

The hidden code: Morality and Ethics

Would you go to an unethical doctor?
Well, maybe a lawyer!
How do you feel about an unethical priest?
As I noted earlier, to belong to a Profession you also subscribe to its spiritual code of conduct, and this is as often as not unwritten.

Failure to hold a high moral standard is regarded as anathema, you can get drummed out for failing to behave in the way that the profession and the community expects.

The key Attributes of a Professional

can now be answered. Reading all of the above, we can arrive at four key characteristics which, if you adhere to, will give you the right to claim that you are acting and behaving as a Professional in your discipline

    A desire to gain and keep up specialized skills & knowledge

•     Tools, skills, education, process constantly keeping up with changing times

    Professional autonomy

•     Metrics, communication, delivery are not enough. A desire to be part of the wider community is needed, these replace that certificate on the wall.

    A Distinctive Goal

• Again, simply doing your job well isn't enough either. Your role is continually challenged, so that sense we give of adhering to a Personal or Academic or Corporate Code of Conduct which you are striving towards is a key attribute of your Professional competence.

    Value Realisation within and towards a Community

•     An Ethical Motivation 
•     Driven by our behaviour to each other and to the Community of colleagues, clients, and competitors.

Those four characteristics are more than merely items on a check list to be ticked off. They are a part of a value set that all Professionals worthy of the name would aspire to. They are, indeed, Aspirational Values, and they demand a set of Behaviours if they are to manifest in an individual. In you.

Coming next

In the third part of this 2-part series (*grin*) I will look at how these characteristics play out in our lives by offering a personal manifesto of aspirational values and their associated behaviours to live up to and keep.
You can also read Part 1 (the Conversation).