By Eric Wamanji
Everyday, we suffer several misfortunes. A rude bus conductor, an indifferent waiter, or a corrupt public official, all play out in a predictable pattern as if an adept scriptwriter chose to create a racketeering series.
Yet, the marketplace economy – where competition is fierce – rides on a fundamental wheel: professionalism. It is what Adams Smith, the father of capitalism, partly espouses in his seminal works Wealth of the Nations and Theory of Moral Sentiments. He aptly notes: “by selling products that people want to buy, the butcher, brewer, and baker hope to make money. If they are effective in meeting the needs of their customers, they will enjoy the financial rewards.”
The operative word here is effectiveness against financial rewards which we call profit. Effectiveness denotes professionalism – which has become a buzzword, (unfortunately mostly hollow) in corporate milieu and has defined the “financial rewards” or losses for many organisations.
Gold Standard
Professionalism is the gold standard and discipline of a profession. Beyond the obligatory skills and competencies – gained through rigorous training and experience – for performing a duty, keeping fidelity to the codes of the profession and generally of the organisation is what sets experts apart.
Professionalism is a cocktail of attributes that generally dictates the acceptable demeanours expected of a profession. This could be civility and collegiality, decency and decorum, efficiency and confidentiality. By meeting these sacrosanct tenets, we bring honour to our professions and organisations. This is how reputation is seeded and nurtured.
Recently, I engaged wonks in organisational behaviour and professionalism. From our musings I gleaned other cherished essentials such as honesty, courtesy, transparency, integrity, responsibility and excellence as the finer fibres of professionalism.
The very concept of professionalism is critical both to the professional and the organisation. The individual gains the respect and prestige and therefore advances in career, the organisation is afforded the support for growth, respect, and reputation. A professional environment is a productive one. In such realm, people are happy and protective of the essence of their brand.
“Financial Rewards.”
Some folks that thrive in the private sector know this too well. Many others, especially in Kenya, sadly are apathetic to professionalism. Yet, profits are reflection of how professional an environment is. It is what Smith venerated as “financial rewards.” The marketplace is like a barometer; it tests our fit for purpose. This explains why it is the professional actor who the market favours and rewards. The blue chips understand this concept just too well. Their goods and services are to be delivered in the most professional manner as possible.
Smart leadership is also very sensitive to Grecian horses so unmissed in most organisations. These portraits, besting in mediocrity and sway on lore, neither harbours noble intensions nor boasts of any shred of effectiveness as counselled Smith. To suppose immaculate felicity of financial rewards in their reign is confession of naivety and myopia.
If unprofessional elements go untamed, they will manipulate the system, misadvise management for personal gratification, spawn disenchantment, and eventually haul the organisation to Armageddon.
Therefore, unprofessionalism is an error that should be unacceptable in any business environment. They are costly. Similarly, professionalism manifests better institutional capacity, sound leadership and value for money – it attracts admiration and support from stakeholders.
Gutters of Unprofessionalism
But why would organisations sink to the gutters of unprofessionalism? Surveys on most companies indicate that chasms in the chain are a cause. Ideally, the top should be the avatar of professionalism. Leading by example, having a firm grip on affairs of the organisation and allowing for innovative urges to blossom and thrive.
When corporate honchos lose traction either through omission or commission, and the chase of the trivial and the narrow, missing the big picture, there is a likelihood that the employee body will be restive and resort to the messy path of unprofessionalism. In international politics, this is the dangerous Hobbesian state of nature. Such anarchic organisations are destined for a flop.
Thus, to beat the curse of unprofessionalism, hiring the best brains is non-negotiable. An unqualified, incompetent and myopic team is burdensome to the realm. It is the genesis of anarchy and corporate losses. Leadership too must remain focused and continuously redefine the image of the organisation.
All reputable organisations that we admire were neither created overnight, nor were they accidental. They are products of continuous reflections and reviews. These organisations have taken their time to understand the dynamic nature of human beings, and have painfully trod a thorny path to greatness.
Such are, what Peter Senge in the epic Fifth Discipline calls ‘learning organisations’ with willing leadership and team wise enough to appreciate that the boat will certainly sink in the reign of mediocrity, triviality and paranoia. If it is the Smith’s butcher, brewer, or baker, they will close shop.
Thank you for reading. Kindly leave a comment. If you enjoyed reading this post, you can also sample our other blog here: http://rococo.co.ke/blog/