Professionalism PDF

10/3/2024 Professionalism Professional Behaviors By Professor Kassem Saleh Kuwait University 1 Self-* Self-control -> self-reflection -> self-assessment -> self-correction...

10/3/2024 Professionalism Professional Behaviors By Professor Kassem Saleh Kuwait University 1 Self-* Self-control -> self-reflection -> self-assessment -> self-correction It is all under your control 2 1  10/3/2024 Self-control is the ability to subdue our impulses in order to achieve longer-term goals. Rather than responding to immediate impulses, we can plan, evaluate alternative actions, and avoid doing things we'll later regret. The ability to exert self-control is typically called willpower. It is what allows us to direct our attention, and it underlies all kinds of achievement. Self-reflection / self-awareness is the capacity of humans to exercise introspection and the willingness to learn more about their fundamental nature, purpose and essence. 3 Self-assessment / self-evaluation is a building block for setting goals and making positive changes. Self-assessment can help you decide if you are doing alright. It doesn't have to be about change. It can be about affirming what you are already doing. Self-correction is the ability to correct or compensate for your own errors or weaknesses 4 2  10/3/2024 The journey to professionalism Decide to choose excellence in everything you do Decide to be professional in all things and live it Examples of professionalism are all around us – look for them and learn from them Work on your attitudes, behaviors and character 5 Empathy The ability to see and experience the world and our behavior through the eyes of others – We can see the results of our interactions with others Before each and every interaction try to predict how it might feel to be on the receiving end You may express your compassion and sympathy but you still need to stress your expectations 6 3  10/3/2024 Self belief Believe in yourself and your abilities (but don’t be arrogant) Self-confident (not over-confident) But if you make a mistake admit it to yourself and to others; learn from it and avoid it Self-respect and self-management – Have time to yourself and your family to refresh and recharge 7 Quality Professionalism means dedication, focus and total commitment to the quality of tasks done – Whether you do it or you delegate it Fulfilling tasks: completeness, quality, cost and time Use state-of-the-art expertise and highest possible standards and check quality of the performed work Your processes and procedures must be transparent and recorded, measurable, testable, and repeatable and ….. 8 4  10/3/2024 Anyone at any level Professionalism and excellence can and should be at any level Anyone can initiate or be an agent for change for themselves and within their organizations at any level and in any role When recognized as professional you earn respect and will enhance your ability to influence people around you and hopefully get a promotion 9 Manage impressions in the real (physical) world It takes 7 seconds to make an impression Dress professionally and appropriately Watch your hands – noticed after face Make eye contact and firm handshake Engage with the person you are talking to Be animated and articulate and radiate energy Avoid the mobile phone minefield Be careful with the ending 10 5  10/3/2024 Manage impressions in the real (digital) world All your online profiles are consistent Any recorded voice message should be clear and polite Emails should be well-written, clear, concise and polite Digital messages, photos, etc should be well- thought of 11 Manage relationships Manners do matter: doing polite and thoughtful things will be effective in building and maintaining relationships Know the people around you Engage all possible stakeholders; ask for opinions and participation to improve results Good relationships -> good business 12 6  10/3/2024 Be effective Strong time management skills Time for self-reflection or thinking time Have a to-do list Monitor how your time is being spent if you are behind schedule Have a contingency time Take a break – it is healthy! [have enough sleep and drink plenty of water] Be organized and responsive Clear your desk periodically 13 Competence and expertise Reputation as a professional depends on ensuring that you can show your competence and you are able to provide evidence of your expertise. Share your expertise; provide assistance and encouragement to others; formal or adhoc Be adaptable, realistic and pragmatic - Have plan B or even plan C ready Solve problems creatively; recognize different ways to solve a problem; be flexible 14 7  10/3/2024 Continual improvement Invest in yourself – you know when you need to know more – Fill the gap by finding appropriate resources or seek assistance or help Continuing professional development – may be needed to maintain professional certification – Attend seminars, short courses, webcast, conferences, … Learn from your experiences/mistakes -> better judgement Find a mentor / a guide through your journey 15 Guaranteed results True professionalism will get you noticed – Good for you; good for your career path; and good for other life opportunities Immense satisfaction for yourself and in the benefits you bring to others Proud in knowing that each task you do will be done well Confident you did what you could to help and your participation made a difference 16 8  10/3/2024 Professionalism golden rules Always striving for excellence Being trustworthy Being accountable and taking responsibility for own actions Being courteous and reliable Being honest, open and transparent Being competent and continually learning Always acting ethically Always acting honorably and with integrity Always treating others with respect Always respecting confidentiality Being a role model 17 Covey’s speed of trust 13 behaviors to increase trust To improve Characters and Competence Character: Integrity and Intent Competence: Capabilities and Results 18 9  10/3/2024 Integrity (Are you congruent?) Integrity includes honesty (telling the truth and leaving the right impression), congruence (walking your talk), humility, and the courage to do what is right. The most massive violations of trust are violations of integrity. How to increase your integrity: – Make and keep commitments to yourself. – Stand for something. – Be open. 19 Intent (What’s your agenda?) Intent is about motive, agenda and behavior. Motive is your reason for doing something. The motive that inspires the greatest trust is genuine caring. Agenda grows out of motive. It’s what you intend to do or promote because of your motive. The agenda that generally inspires the greatest trust is seeking mutual benefit (you want others to win). Behavior is the manifestation of motive and agenda. The behavior that best creates credibility and inspires trust is acting in the best interest of others. How to improve intent: – Examine and refine your motives. – Declare your intent - this “signals your behavior” - it lets people know what to look for so that they can recognize, understand, and acknowledge it when they see it. – Choose abundance (win-win). 20 10  10/3/2024 Capabilities (Are you relevant?) Capabilities are the talents, skills, knowledge, capacities, and abilities we have that enable us to perform with excellence. One way to accelerate the rate of learning, both individually and organizationally, is to learn with the intent to teach others what you learn (you learn most when you teach). How to increase your capabilities: – Run with your strengths (and with your purpose) - identify your strengths and then focus on engaging developing, and leveraging what’s distinctly yours. – Keep yourself relevant - engage in lifelong learning. – Know where you’re going - at the end of the day, people follow those who know where they’re going. 21 Results (What’s your track record?) Manifestation of capabilities Take responsibility for results (focus on results, not activities). How to improve your results? Expect to win - we tend to get what we expect, both from ourselves and from others. When we expect more, we tend to get more; when we expect less, we tend to get less. Finish strong - results are all about finishing strong. 22 11  10/3/2024 Character: Integrity and Intent 23 Competence: Capabilities and Results 24 12  10/3/2024 25 Assessment of professional behaviors [National Board of Medical Examiners] Categorized list of behaviors Communication / interpersonal behaviors that can be observed through interactions with: – Patients – Professional colleagues Respect, integrity, compassion and responsibility behaviors related to: – Patients – Colleagues / teams – Systems or occurring anywhere 26 13  10/3/2024 27 28 14  10/3/2024 29 30 15  10/3/2024 31 32 16  10/3/2024 33 34 17  10/3/2024 50 Positive Character Traits for the Workplace Adventurous: I take risks. Ambitious: I am driven to succeed. Approachable: I work well with others. Articulate: I can express myself well in front of groups. Autonomous: I use initiative. Calm: I stay levelheaded in a crisis. Charismatic: I can be a leader when need be. Cheerful: I develop a positive work environment. Clever: I can juggle multiple tasks. Competitive: I thrive under pressure. 35 Confident: I am not afraid to ask questions. Cooperative: I get along well in a team setting. Courteous: I care about workplace atmosphere. Creative: I think outside the box. Curiosity: I am eager to learn. Determined: I am self-motivated. Devoted: I am committed to the company’s success. Diligent: I always work my hardest. Easygoing: I easily adapt to new situations. Educated: I possess formal training. Efficient: I have very quick turnover time. Eloquent: I have strong communication skills. 36 18  10/3/2024 Energetic: I am able to work long and hard hours. Enthusiastic: I put my all into every project. Flexible: I am able to adapt my priorities. Focused: I am goal-oriented. Friendly: I am easy to work with. Honest: I value integrity. Imaginative: I am inventive in my work process. Independent: I need little direction. Inexperienced: I am a blank pallet. Inquisitive: I am excellent at gathering information. Insightful: I can read between the lines. Intuitive: I can sense when there is a problem. Meticulous: I pay attention to the small details. 37 Neurotic: I am a perfectionist. Open-minded: I take constructive criticism well. Opinionated: I am comfortable voicing opinions. Organized: I am a meticulous planner. Patient: I am not easily ruffled. Perceptive: I can read people effortlessly. Persuasive: I am a natural salesperson. Procedural: I work best with structure. Punctual: I have great time management skills. Quiet: I am a great listener. Relaxed: I do not stress easily. Resourceful: I use every tool at hand. Responsible: I always finish a task on time. Talkative: I am comfortable initiating a dialogue. Technological: I am industrially savvy. 38 19