Imagine that a person has certain strengths. They may then express these in different ways as they develop in their careers. For example:
They may be hired for their passion;
They may promoted for their professionalism;
They may then be respected for their ability to provide perspective.
Some people may progress through these stages. Let’s explore how they may take these steps.
Passion
Imagine that a person has certain strengths. They may get hired because they are passionate about expressing these in their work. Different people may express this passion in different ways.
Some people may express it in the enthusiastic way in which they speak. Some may express it in their desire to help certain people or an organisation. Some may express it in a quiet way by aiming to pursue their craft and perform superb quality work.
Passion can have both pluses and minuses. Some people express it in a positive way. They use it to apply their strengths to help other people and make a positive contribution.
Some people may sometimes express their passion in a negative way. They may care so much about a topic that they fight their corner and may or may not make a positive contribution.
A person may continue to build on their strengths and follow their passion. They may then move on to the next stage.
Professionalism
Some people may be considered for promotion because they develop their professionalism. They may do this in the way they work or the way they behave towards other people. Different people do this in different ways.
Some may simply focus on the basic skills. They may aim to be positive, proactive and behave in a professional way. They may take responsibility, be punctual and prepare properly. They may show respect to people and deliver consistently high professional standards.
Some people aim to develop their specific professional skills. They may aim to do this when working as a counsellor, medic, sales person, technician, leader or another professional role.
Some people aim to develop their people skills in the way they work with their colleagues, customers and other stakeholders. They may aim to do this as an individual contributor, leader or in another professional role.
Passion and professionalism can take a person so far. But sometimes it can also lead to them only focusing on their particular area of activity. Sometimes it can be useful to add another quality.
Perspective
Some people get respect by providing perspective. They are able to think strategically and see the big picture. They may focus on the organisation’s goals, for example, rather than just those of their department.
Such a person may, when appropriate, also outline the possible options for going forwards. This could be when aiming to find a solution, manage a crisis or work towards the organisation’s goals.
They may then channel their professionalism in a calm way. They may sometimes almost act like trusted advisor or wise counsel. They may act in a positive – and not patronising way – to encourage people:
To focus on the organisation’s strategy and picture of success;
To see the organisation’s possible options for moving forwards towards achieving the picture of success;
To consider the pluses and minuses of each option and, when appropriate, their chosen way forward towards achieving the picture of success.
Such a person may need to present the perspective in a calm and clear way, however, to increase the chances of people being able to receive the information. People can then move forwards in a considered way.
There are many ways for people to do fine work. Bearing in mind their strengths, some may aim to follow their passion, be professional and, when appropriate, also offer perspective.
Let’s return to your own work. Can you think of a situation where you may want to follow one or more of these approaches? How can you do this in your own way? What may happen as a result of taking these steps?
If you wish, try tackling the exercise on this theme. This invites you to complete the following sentences.
Leave a Reply