Doug Belshaw
Sacrificing personality at the altar of 'professionalism'
In every regular job I've ever had, I've been invited into my line manager's office for a quiet word. The topic of conversation has either been about 'acting professionally' or things I've said which might reflect badly on the organisation.
This is interesting to me, as my co-op colleagues haven't said this about me, nor have any of our clients. I suspect it may have something to do with hierarchical power.
mzan
@dajb The best persons I ever meet, "act professionally", without "acting professionally". They work in the best possible way, but showing their true personality. They are not robots. They are good coworkers, customers or "service providers", because you have both professional work, but with a human touch and a rather sincere feedback. They try to put in your shoes for solving your problem, and you understand if there are things to solve on your side. In this way, it is more difficult that problems escalate to unmanageable levels.
The difficult thing is how to "react professionally" when there are unresolvable personal problems between people. In this case, if there is no hope to find a solution, I start acting professionally, reducing at minimum the possibility of rage, but becoming fake. Also the other will notice this, but no problem at all. We must coexist with damage limitation.
Doug Belshaw
Subsequently been thinking while I've been out today about how many people are cosplaying their job roles.
Doug Belshaw
This was going to be a blog post, but then I realised I didn't have anything else to say other than:
1. 'Professionalism' is a stick with which hierarchical discipline is enacted
2. Encouragements to 'act professionally' are a way to drain the personality out of someone in order for them to behave less like a human, and more like a cog in a machine
3. Being a 'professional' largely means being held to someone else's standards
Thanks for coming to my TED Talk (sorry it didn't last 15 mins)
clacke
@adamprocter @Coffee @dajb Four years ago on my way to the interview for my current workplace I literally posted on here a picture of myself and the text "Your cosplay is: IT professional".
I shed a little of the armor each year as I gain confidence, recognition and trust.
Doug Belshaw
It doesn't have to be this way.
https://blog.weareopen.coop/bring-your-full-self-to-work-day-7efbaea914f1
davidak
@dajb you could still make a blog post out of it, to, well, make it more professional 😛
(and reach more people)
i heard from a collective that new people there have to unlearn the "professionalism" and heal from societal damage from other workplaces to have the courage to participate in an actual democracy, e.g. criticize an "authority"
Dr Adam Procter
@dajb unacceptable I shall be calling you to the office of Procter shortly I just can’t believe it. So churlish. We is gonna have to have some big speaks.
Doug Belshaw
@dnorman @harmonygritz That's usually when I look for my next position. Or, seven years ago, co-create a co-op. As I say, haven't had to have that conversation since.
D'Arcy Norman
@dajb @harmonygritz professionalism conversations can be “hey, I get where you’re coming from, but you need to be aware that you’re making things much more difficult than they need to be, for you and your team members.”
George Station
@dajb @dnorman On a broader note, Doug, your social dot coop peers who commented on this gave me some other trails to follow—kind of like the "old days" of social media sharing. Not that I should be surprised.
One led to an article on MSG, and another led to a transcript on Superintelligence. Both were fine rabbit holes (in the early sense of fascinating deeper dives, before the paranoiac kind of rabbit hole we worry about nowadays).
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