Professional approach to everything we do.

The word professional is used in a lot of ways. There are

professional athletes, actors, musicians and business people. Maybe

even some of us have even been told that we act professionally; or, on

the other hand, that we ought to change our behavior to act more

professional. So, we might ask, how can you tell when someone is

professional?

Well, the type of professional we’re talking about is the one that

occurs in business. To describe someone in business as professional

is to suggest that the manner in which they conduct themselves is

consistent, calm, objective and courteous.

Let’s take each one of these words by themselves. First, the word

consistent means that as we go about our jobs, people around us,

our coworkers as well as our customers, can count on a certain way

we act and handle our duties day to day. We’re not coming in one day

very depressed, then one day very happy then another day very quiet.

The most professional of us are those people who consistently have

the same good attitude and behavior at work everyday. This provides

a kind of stability for not only us but for our customers and

coworkers.

Next, let’s look at the word calm. A professional person is one

who can remain calm while their environment might be very stressful

and volatile. Their calm tends to settle situations down that would get

out of hand if it were addressed by somebody who began screaming or

getting angry to try and handle situations.

The third word we mentioned was objective. Professional

people make every attempt to gather information to make objective

decisions about situations that come to them. They don’t prematurely

jump to conclusions, react or, worse yet, start accusing people before

they get the facts.

Finally, the manner in which a professional handles themselves and

business is always by being courteous. They always say please and

thank you and perform their duties with a smile and humility toward

everyone they encounter.

So, when you hear the Second ODS Principle –Professional