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Merriam Webster defines professionalism simply as “the conduct, aims, or qualities that characterize or mark a profession or a professional person.” Said another way, the way you carry yourself, your attitude, and the way you communicate with others combine to show professionalism—or a lack there of. Workers who dress well, have integrity, and are calm, cool, and collected are generally considered professional, and display professionalism.

There really is no excuse for being unprofessional—even at your first job. Every time you are in the presence of a colleague, you should look and act the part: Always be on time, be courteous, and dress professionally. Or, consider this: Think about where you want your career to go and act like you’re already there. We promise professionalism will get you far.

In meetings, failing to speak up can actually make you look unprofessional. Speaking up and sharing an educated opinion shows confidence, and that you know your job well. On the flip side, running your mouth in a meeting can also make you look unprofessional. If you dominate the conversation, you may be viewed as immature or unable to read the room—two things that could paint you as unprofessional. So, instead, strike a balance between speaking up and saying too much by sharing only valuable and important imput.

When in conflict, it can be difficult to remain professional at work. But an easy way to make sure that you are always professional in conflict situations is to remember the golden rule: Treat others how you want to be treated. If you can do that, you can remain professional.

Being a professional on the job ensures a positive first impression, successful interpersonal relationships and a lasting reputation. The key elements of on-the-job professionalism include time management, effective communication, enthusiasm, assignment delivery and appropriate attire.

Stay Calm Under Pressure

It’s natural to get stressed when things go wrong at work, but if you show your employees or teammates that you’re able to keep your cool when things heat up, they’ll be more likely to adopt similar behavior that enables them to better manage stress. And that could really come in handy the next time a disaster (whether major or minor) happens to strike your business.

Be the Brand

The company you work for has invested a lot of resources into building a strong brand, and you represent that brand whenever you’re in the public eye.

“Any time you attend a conference, business dinner, trade show, association meeting or social event, make sure you are representing both yourself and your company in the best ways possible,” says Jessie West, M.Ed., West Coaching and Consulting. “Share your expertise on LinkedIn, speak to a business group about your company’s products and services and maintain your professional reputation when using social media.”

Work Smarter, Not Harder

If you aren’t already looking for ways to be more efficient at work, make this a key part of your career goals this year. Believe it or not, innovators aren’t just people like Steve Jobs who change the course of an entire industry. Innovators can be people like the director of a national nonprofit who implemented the use of a shared document to keep check-in meetings with their team on track.

“If you have an organizational or another idea that would help things run more smoothly in the office, let your boss know! They will likely appreciate it . . . and implementing it could make everyone’s jobs a lot easier,” says Valerie Streif, Senior Advisor with Mentat, a San Francisco–based organization for job seekers.

Pair Complaints with Solutions

Bosses are used to having employees complain to them, but no one wants to be known as the employee who does nothing but complain. You’ll be more respected and feel more empowered if you can suggest a couple of ways to fix what’s frustrating you.

“When you identify a problem, instead of coming to me to report the problem, try to come with the problem and your proposed solution,” says Paul McHardy, Technology Specialist at USDISH. “Nothing makes a boss’s job easier than when their people are proactive in providing solutions to issues. It helps the decision-making process of what to do much easier, and you earn major bonus points for being the one to solve it.”

Admit When You’re Wrong

A good leader is someone others can relate to and respect, and a good way to make that happen is to own up to mistakes rather than gloss over them or put the blame elsewhere. If you show your team that you’re willing to hold yourself accountable when things go wrong, your employees will be less afraid to make mistakes themselves in the course of stepping outside their respective comfort zones.

Get Your Hands Dirty

As a boss or manager, you have every right to assign lower-level tasks to other people. And in many regards, it doesn’t make sense for you to spend your time dealing with individual computer glitches or shipping issues when you’re overseeing a major operation. At the same time, the last thing you want to do is give your team the impression that you’re above the tasks they’re responsible for. Quite the contrary — if you’re willing to spend some time in the trenches, you’ll gain insight as to what challenges your workers are facing and how you can help address them. At the same time, you’ll send the message that every task is important, which will keep your team motivated.

Once you’ve got the basic structure of an email down pat, and you know what mistakes to avoid, it’s time to focus on making your drafts stand out from the myriad emails most people get every day. Here are four strategies to take yours to the next level:

1. Think Positive

Sending an email that is remotely negative, or even neutral, can put you in a tricky place. And as with any written communication, there may be room for misinterpretation.

“In the absence of other information, our interpretation often defaults to the negative,” explains Dan Post Senning, an etiquette expert at the Emily Post Institute. “When you’re talking about negative communication, you’re [missing] the information that is tone of voice, the twinkle in your eye, the good humor that you intend something with or even the genuine care or concern with which you’re offering critique. So be really careful. When something reads as negative to you, it probably comes across as even more negative to someone else.”

2. Personalize Each Interaction

You wouldn’t want to get an email that reads, “Dear [client],” or which references your work in public relations when you’re actually in sales, because it would immediately show that the sender is either mass emailing you, or they didn’t do the proper research and find the right contact. Similarly, you’ll want to make sure that every email you send is crafted specifically for the recipient, and that you’re sending it to the right person.

So even though it may be tempting to use templates, it’s important to personalize it and keep in mind the communication style of the recipient before hitting send. To accomplish this, a quick Google search or a peek at the recipient’s LinkedIn or Twitter feed can do wonders. Before sending, try putting yourself in the recipient’s shoes for a gut-check on tone and content.

3. Follow Up — in Good Time

If you’re sending an email, you’re likely looking for a timely response. But with the large amounts of emails most people sort through each day, things can end up getting lost. As a general rule, a follow-up message should never come less than twenty-four hours after sending the initial email.

In other words: Don’t be the person who sends a follow-up request two hours after sending. In extreme cases, that kind of behavior can even get you blocked. “When you’re taking more time and actually caring about the person on the other side of the email, you’re immediately going to see a much higher response rate. I had to learn that the hard way,” says Cole Schafer, founder and copy chief of Honey Copy.

Now that you know all about professionalism, Nippon Link Vietnam will share “some quick cheats sheet to what counts as professional and what may no” in the next reading.

Source: Collection

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