The New Professionalism

I just read an article on Linkedin and it made me stop and think. It's about the standards of professionalism and what that means today vs. in the past. A social media executive, says needing to act "professional" is simply outdated.

In reading the article and the comments it elicited, I quickly realized the main point was about the image you project, specifically focused on individual style choices and behavior (i.e., "I'm bubbly and chatty.") 

I've worked for a silicon valley high tech firm that disdained the "dress for success" attitude. In fact, we had suits on the wall with banned symbols across them. I completely enjoyed dressing how I was comfortable while in the office. But, when I made sales calls it was a different matter. It was important for me to not push too hard against the client culture because I needed people to listen to what I was saying and not be distracted by what I was wearing.

This points out how you cannot make a blatant statement about professionalism being outdated. It depends on your role in the company. If you are customer-facing, it could not be entirely up to you. In the tech firm I just mentioned, company leaders showed up at customer meetings looking like they were important people with critical things to impart. They understood how one appears can distract attention away from what needs to get done.

In the tech world, work environments tend to be tightly configured in large open spaces. Voices carry and there are few workspaces set aside to hold personal conversations. As for how you act in the office, being bubbly and chatty is fine, but don't do it where you can distract people who are working. That's not being unprofessional, it's just plain being disrespectful of your colleagues. 

Younger workers think they are breaking down outmoded morays but it really depends... if you're an inside the company worker who never deals with clients it's a different ballgame. It's up to company leadership to decide how they want to present their company to clients visiting for meetings and demos. Busily working people looks good no matter how they are dressed. But, chatty folks congregating instead of working will have the opposite impact. 

There has to be some standard for the office since we all need to be there together and coexist.

https://www.linkedin.com/news/story/dont-hide-your-true-self-in-a-suit-4573857/

When You're Jack

I'm a Jack of all trades sort of person. My various roles have taught me a lot which I'm able to apply to virtually any situation. Being this type was once really valuable, but is it holding true today?

Of course, nothing beats experience!

However, as I've become one of the older folks in the room I started noticing my input being dismissed "because things have changed." Yes, and the more things change, the more they stay the same is my reply.

I'm a problem solver. In order to fix a problem, you need to really understand the problem and look at it from all angles. How do you know you really have a problem? Is there a deviation from expectation? What's the proof that the problem is real? Why do we care about fixing this problem, what are its impacts and on whom? What are the causes, what's driving the problem? 

No problem is unique, even though everyone thinks their problem is. This is why having seen a lot of problems in many different environments and situations makes being Jack a really valuable thing. I have history, examples with solutions, credibility and expertise at solving similar problems. This skillset only comes with years of experience, you can't learn it in a classroom.

I'm proud of my battle scars. 

 

Valuable Commodity

Common Sense is what I'm talking about today. Common sense helps us make smarter choices. In order to reflect on the choices before you, you need to pause and think before you act! I think this is the root cause of many of our troubles today. People aren't taking time to consider choices before them and the consequences of their actions. But then, I may be giving people credit for caring about more than themselves. But let's assume people generally do care about others and that they do want to avoid problems.

This is where common sense comes in.

If you just react without taking time to consider conditions and think through the ramifications of all possible actions you could take, then you are basically throwing caution to the wind. Or are you? There are people who have developed strong intuition based on their life experience. For those who have this, I'd say that's common sense. It's everyone else to whom I say, please slow down and think about what you're about to do.

Acting is making a commitment to the result.

If you are prepared to take responsibility for the result, go for it! But, if you're not, who do you think will help you out if that action was ultimately a bad one?

I think, as a society, we've lost our ability to proactively consider the consequences of our actions. I learned in my life lessons that there is always a counteraction for every action. I've learned to think before I act to avoid bad things happening. This is an important life skill. One, I think too many people have been sheltered from learning by overprotective parents, overworked teachers, and over glorified role models whose hard work to get to where they are is never talked about.

Growing up I was told life is hard. It can be, especially if you don't have any common sense.

Technology Promises

I have spent my career working in the technology field.

I've written code, I've managed technology projects and nationwide IT programs, I have developed and implemented emerging technology and now I work in technology sales.  Yet I often wonder if the promise that technology would improve our life and make living easier has come true.

Let's take a look...

I always expected technology would be part of my life. Science fiction presented a future of flying cars, moving sidewalks, bionic implants, information at my fingertips and on my wrist, as well as instant access to virtual worlds to explore and learn how to create a brighter future for Mankind. 

Blind spot detection is a great example of technology we use and often take for granted. And something that didn't exist until just a few years ago. Blind spot detection provides 360 degrees of electronic coverage around your car, whether you are at speed or moving slowly. This "circle of safety" also includes adaptive cruise control, lane departure warning, rear and front parking sonar, the rear traffic alert, and parking cameras (ranging from rear-only through four cameras providing a birds-eye view of the car as you snake into and out of tight spaces). Some driver’s aids make you safer, especially late on a long drive, and some earn back their cost when you don’t crumple a fender or worse. Today, driving is much more dangerous as roads carry increased traffic and drivers are more distracted while behind the wheel. Clearly, tech is helping keep us safer.  

Science fiction also warned about the dark side of technology, and sadly those predictions are also being realized.

“These days we have Smartphones, Smart cars, Smartboards, Smart everything, but consider this: if the technology is getting smarter, does that mean humans are getting dumber?”

Rebecca McNutt

Doomsayers decry technology as being evil and surely the downfall of modern man. Some studies have learned that excessive screen time is bad for your mental health and sleep patterns. But, other research says cellphones are good because using them stimulates the brain. Until recently, it’s been hard to draw concrete conclusions. 

The National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) conducted the first formal study focused on digital addiction (DOI 10.3386/w28936 / ISSUE DATE June 2021.) This study explored people’s ability to maintain and reduce screen time usage to determine whether technology is indeed habit-forming. People have long speculated that the internet is addictive, and this study seems to confirm those fears. “Our data is consistent with social media having characteristics of addictive goods. [Social media sites are] habit-forming and we find ourselves using them more than we’d like to,” Allcott said. “That suggests that we would be better off if there was a better way to control our use.” Smartphone or Internet addiction can also negatively impact your life by increasing loneliness and depression. 

The good news is there is an app to help you measure and control your screentime! 

Technology promises great things ahead. But, humans need to apply common sense and think for themselves instead of letting our devices take control. I'm interested in hearing your thoughts on where we're heading. 

The Blessings of Growing Older

In our culture, youth is celebrated, desired and prolonged. Everyone wants to be young or appear younger.

To my way of thinking, each decade of my life has presented opportunities and challenges. Looking backward, I see the building blocks I put in place so I could enjoy the benefits now that I'm older.

Frequently someone posts the question, "If you could go back to [whenever] in your life, would you?"

Most people respond with an exuberant "Yes!"  But, I truthfully would not want to go back. 

• Going back would mean losing the experience and wisdom I'm amassed over time. 

• Going back would mean I'd lose the wonderful relationships I now enjoy with my grown children, colleagues and friends.

• Going back would mean needing to cover all the uphill progress I've made in my life so that I can now look forward to a life of relaxation and adventures.

George Bernard Shaw once wrote that “Youth is the most precious thing in life; it is too bad it has to be wasted on young folks.” If I could rephrase the question so that it asked, "If you could go back to [whenever] in your life while taking all your knowledge, learnings and earnings, would you?" I'd say "Yes, I would!" I'd love the chance for a redo knowing what I now know. Who wouldn't?
Since time travel isn't possible and this question is really annoying anyway, let's look at the blessings of growing older.
I feel I am in the perfect time of my life. Here are some reasons why.

• My career is established and I'm recognized as a leader in my industry.

• I was a successful parent, having produced two outstanding young adults who are happy and able to support themselves in careers they enjoy.

• I have the flexibility to work from anywhere and I control my own schedule (mostly).

• There is time in my life for hobbies and other interesting pursuits.

• Financially, I am on solid ground thanks to careful planning and diligently saving for my future...which is now here!

• I found my soul mate early on and we're still together! There's nothing better than sharing your life with someone who played a part in your history.

• My health is still good! This is a significant factor in my feeling I'm blessed. Health is the one area where I'd make life changes earlier if I could travel aback in time.

• I live in a safe and secure community.

My list could go on and on. I believe people tend to focus on what they don't have instead of what they do! Contentment is my goal at this point in life. I'm actualized!  In Maslow's hierarchy of needs, self-actualization is the highest level of psychological development, where personal potential is fully realized after basic bodily and ego needs have been fulfilled. 
Isn't this the real goal of life?
I think so.