Ways To Be Professional at Work

1. Competence. You’re good at what you do – and you have the skills and knowledge that enable you to do your job well.

2. Reliability. People can depend on you to show up on time, submit your work when it’s supposed to be ready, etc.

3. Honesty. You tell the truth and are upfront about where things stand.

4. Integrity. You are known for your consistent principles.

5. Respect For Others. Treating all people as if they mattered is part of your approach.

6. Self-Upgrading. Rather than letting your skills or knowledge become outdated, you seek out ways of staying current.

7. Being Positive. No one likes a constant pessimist. Having an upbeat attitude and trying to be a problem-solver makes a big difference.

8. Supporting Others. You share the spotlight with colleagues, take time to show others how to do things properly, and lend an ear when necessary.

9. Staying Work-Focused. Not letting your private life needlessly have an impact on your job, and not spending time at work attending to personal matters.

10. Listening Carefully. People want to be heard, so you give people a chance to explain their ideas properly.

11. If someone asks you for an answer, ask to think it over, and let them know you will get back to them, within X amount of time.  Most things that require analysis don’t require an instant answer. By taking some time to think it over, mull the numbers, and really contemplate it, I’ve saved myself countless hours of aggravation.

12. Be aware of your body’s demands. Be well rested and eat properly.

14. Confidence

Confidence without the ability to back it up is useless, but if you’re truly competent, own it.

15. Diligence

Be persistent, demonstrate worth ethic, and “check small things.”

16. Curiosity

No professional is ever finished learning.

17. Strategic thinking
One of the basic tenets of success is to start with the end in mind. Truly professional people identify their goals, then work backward to achieve them.

18. Humor
You don’t need to be hilarious, but you need a sense of humor; it demonstrates perspective.

Avoid Being Unprofessional

Your employer may not tell you exactly their own view of what being professional means. But we all know from experience how to get labelled as “unprofessional.” By finishing tasks or projects late, for instance. Being unprepared when attending meetings. Spending time gossiping at work.

Other ways to be seen as unprofessional? Treat people with disrespect. Keep them waiting unnecessarily. Steal their thunder by using their ideas without giving them credit. Say one thing then do the complete opposite. Break promises regularly.

1. Flightiness.

To be flighty is to be fickle and irresponsible. Tell someone you’ll be at a certain place, or that you’ll accomplish a certain thing-and then never do it? Sorry, you’re flighty.

2. Disorganization

(Anyone who gets more than 1,000 emails a day probably falls into this category.) As most of us who run businesses understand, clients and customers expect you to reply quickly. They want you to be able to talk about their situations (seemingly) off-the-cuff. If you aren’t in control of your own situation, they’ll wonder how you can possibly be in control of theirs.

3. Overpromising.

A really brilliant salesperson once told me her art of selling was about “making the maximum promise you can, consistent with your ability to deliver.” Entrepreneurs often push the envelope on this, but the key is to make sure you’re confident you will eventually be able to make good on your promises.