Three qualities define the word “professional” in my mind: Knowing your area of expertise, keeping up with the latest in your field and placing your clients’ interests above your own.

Knowing your area of expertise―this means both breadth and depth. This means formal education, this means seminars and this means a lot of independent reading and study. Unfortunately, schools of learning don’t always teach that which you really have to know. I remember when I was learning about pedagogy, my college professor held up a copy of a book that was authored by a student who had graduated from a four-year teaching college but found himself to be totally unprepared to face his students and, hence, he penned a book titled “What Do I Do Monday Morning?” The absence of practical guidance requires the aspiring professional to learn in innovative ways. Parenthetically, the real purpose of education is to cause the student to develop a lifelong love affair with learning. Too many of our schools cause the reverse effect. Finally, the individual who is always faking it, or claiming to be able to learn entire businesses in minutes, will never be a professional.

Keeping up with the latest in your field―to be a respected professional you can’t be left behind in the yellowing pages of how things were done ten years ago. You have to keep up. You have to read the journals; you have to attend the seminars; you have to listen to the speakers spouting new ideas, no matter how foolish you believe them to be. You will find that clients expect you to be well read. You don’t want to be in a situation where they are telling you about advancements in your field. You have to be in the know and it will take time to remain current and forward thinking.

Placing your clients’ interests above your own―there will always be opportunities for professionals to cheat and swindle their clients because the clients are not experts in the field. They are novices and can easily be convinced of the necessity of buying a product that is not needed or a service that will not benefit them. A professional must be someone who can be trusted and has impeccable integrity. Such a practitioner must always choose the course of action that favors the clients’ best interests and not the professional’s.

Professionals who are known for their knowledge, for keeping up and for their integrity are prized by their clients, respected by their peers and maintain successful practices.

Comedy Corner

Two hillbillies are sitting around talking one afternoon.