How Do You Define Professional?

I am a member of a peer group of other coaches. Each month, one of our members poses a thought question to the group. Recently, he asked, “How do you define professional?”.

As intended, both the question and the answers caused me to pause. The answers included:

• Respectful and honest
• Speaking candidly while being kind
• Keeping my self-awareness higher than my self-confidence
• It depends on the circumstances; what may be professional in one case may be considered unprofessional in another
• Showing up and doing your best even when you are tired, stressed, or otherwise dealing with challenges in your life

This last response triggered a memory for me.

Years ago, a woman I knew told me she learned her father had suddenly died just as she was about to go on stage to give a speech. She proudly told me that she put on a smile, went on stage, delivered her speech, and afterward sat down and cried.

I felt unsettled about her choice, and her comments stayed with me.

• Was this “professional” or something else?
• When does our desire to “be professional” overtake our responsibility for self-care?
• How do we recognize the difference and apply the “it depends on the circumstances answer?”