The Fake Professionalism
WHAT IT CAN COST TO AN ORGANIZATION?
Observing people and the changing culture around us can be the most triggering thing we ever face. The world is gradually changing the shape of the industry, the definition of etiquettes, professional behavior, and a lot more. In these fancy terms, we often overlook the origin of such basic principles.
In my terms, professional behavior consists of integrity, work ethics, reliability, respect towards co-workers and customers, and communication skills to explicate the thought process. There can be many additions, and different perspectives based on different scenarios to be put in the above list. What I don’t appreciate is the ‘Fake Professionalism’ which people tend to exhibit these days. The reasons can be infinite, considering one or two from them can be — to get a job, to prove the identity, to set an impression, etc. But do we really need those temporary prints? How long do you think a person can falsify an identity? I am not stating that it is always done on a purpose, but unknowingly these traits are getting transferred on to the next generation where they have begun following the same and for them, it’s completely normal.
It is taught to us to behave appropriately in board meetings or at a party with the board of directors, boss, etc. Of course, we should! We should show respect towards everyone, we can laugh at the boss’s lame jokes (not to impress but to save him from embarrassment), we should wear formals (not because it’s ordered but because it forms a neat image) and other such things. On the contrary part, I also feel that it’s okay to be a bit informal, it’s okay to get comfortable and take a spoon from someone else’s soup, it’s okay to drop a spoon on the floor, it’s okay to share your thoughts if you find something is wrong because such acts keep you satisfied and alive. When we celebrate diversity, we invite creativity. Who defines that we should be shameful of our weird acts?
Okay so here is an example of a story from my experience :
I was attending an annual flagship event (professional event) in Bangalore in Jan 2020, where attendees were student representatives from various colleges, industry professionals, and esteemed university professors. We were having our breakfast, and swiftly I took a piece of sweet from my friend’s plate to tease him. We were four people standing together, and suddenly one of them commented that I should behave properly since it was a professional event and secondly I was the one who knew maximum people from that crowd. Following him, another friend commented that this kind of behavior should not be done at such places since it might form a bad image of me. I was struck by that comment with a constant question in my mind ‘why I am with such kind of people,’ but I didn’t raise the matter respecting their concern for me. I obviously respected their concern, but I didn’t understand that if A thinks something of B, how does that affect B in any terms? Okay, let’s consider a perspective that maybe people will think that I don’t have manners and that’s okay to think but how does that matter to me? I mean I would never like to be with a person who judged me in a second by seeing one activity and concluded on my character. I would rather reject the offer to work with such kind of judgemental person who thinks that the first impression is the last.
We all tend to portray a distinct image to conform to a new situation or culture. But here’s the thing:
Is professionalism about learning etiquette from a YouTube channel and showing in the next big event? Have companies stopped looking for pure gold and started demanding the polished ones?
No wonder many workplaces feel somehow lifeless! Where employees are faking their reflection to become the next CEO, and obviously as we all know that if someone pretends to be a Spiderman, the next day he wakes up having supernatural power in his wrist, just so obvious. I believe this is the reason why employees scan the calendar of events more than twice to search for more and more holidays. Where they can be comfortable, enjoy their space, and relive their childhood moments of being carefree.
We really need to understand that ‘every time we leave a part of us behind, we cut ourselves off from a part of our potential, of our creativity and energy’. That’s why Frédéric Laloux in Reinventing Organizations introduces the concept of wholeness. Where he introduces the fact that we should be our whole self at work since it allows us to reach our maximum potential and contribute to productivity, no doubt. But today organizations are actively and systematically preventing us from being ourselves. And this only hurts the organization, as Laloux puts it:
“…Our community will be richest if we let all members contribute in their distinctive way, appreciating the differences in roles, education, backgrounds, interests, skills, characters, points of view, and so on.”
And this goes beyond office Diwali parties, happy hours, and clubbing with co-workers. The point which is being raised here is about being comfortable and proud of your weird behavior. The organizations should stop defining the behavior which should be followed in a 9–5 job because clearly your employees are spending most of their time to help your organization and you don’t want to lose them by making them a lifeless slave. Yesterday I read a quote that said: Good leaders build products, but great leaders build cultures. So don’t you feel that today the work culture needs a shift? Especially in organizations where profit matters the most and not the employee’s mental health. It surely deserves a thought!
Thank you for reading till the end. Hope this article contributed to the perspective you have about the working style and the definition of being professional. Follow my blog to get more articles and please share your comments/views/edits if any. It would be my honor to receive your insights on improvement.
