Author: Eddie Jett
So, what is your idea of professionalism? Is it knowing all of the ins and outs of your job? Is it the way you treat people? Is it the way you dress? Is it in the way you communicate? Please allow me to help you out… YES, YES and YES!
Mr. Webster and his fancy dictionary says this about a professional; “Exhibiting a courteous, conscientious, and generally businesslike manner in the workplace”
However you look at it, being professional means different things to different people. For a life safety Inspector, I believe it means staying engaged in the work at hand and having integrity in all that you do. Don’t let that stupid smart phone rule over you and cause you to be distracted from your job during the day! I just hurt a bunch of feelings didn’t I? (Stupid Eddie, he’s such a boomer) Now, I live in a glass house so I can’t throw stones because I’m as guilty as the next guy when it comes to these stupid smart phones. Working on it!
Let’s talk about your personal knowledge of the job for a minute. How confident are you in your job? Are you relying solely on what that slobberin’ old boomer taught you that you got stuck with for training when you started? I was. I thought all I needed to learn was what he was teaching me. He is a great man, and I do not fault him for what he taught me. Why? Because he was taught by another slobberin’ old boomer too. And so on and so forth. We learn a lot of great information from those that teach us, no doubt, but have you ever thought about bettering yourself with education? Use that stupid smart phone! Better yet, read it out of a book… Take an online course, take an in-person course, call a fellow professional and ask questions. Your success and professionalism depend on one person… YOU.
How about the way you dress? Are you going to an industrial site or an occupied office building? It makes a difference! If you show up to a job in an old, faded company T-shirt and pants that look like they have been crumpled under your bed for 6 weeks at an industrial site, nobody really cares. On the flip side, if you show up dressed like that at a nice office complex, you’re going to make people uncomfortable. Keep that in mind. YOU represent your company when you are in the field so the way you dress says a lot about your company. The customer doesn’t see your well-dressed CEO, they see YOU and that’s how they perceive your company. There’s an old saying that says “dress for the job you want.” I took that literally and came to work one day dressed as an astronaut… that didn’t go over so well. LOL! All kidding aside, dress for the job at hand.
How is your communication? What do you mean Eddie? How is your communication with the customer, your communication with the office, your communication with fellow co-workers? Does the customer and everyone in the building know the alarms are going to sound? Does the back office know that you need a lift on the job? Do your co-workers know the game plan for the day? Does everyone know their individual responsibility? Good, solid communication in all of these cases displays your individual professionalism.
Wrapping it all up! Here are a few things, in no particular order, that you can display as professionalism in your job as an Inspector. Read these and think about how you can be better in these areas!
- Safety
- Communication
- Your company vehicle
- Your attire
- Your reports
- Your education
- How you present yourself
- How you treat others
- Cleanliness
- Your tools
Thanks!
-Eddie-
