As a society, our culture wants us to conform and follow a laid-down path in life. Innovation requires breaking out of this, which means facing our worries about failure, criticism, and the potential negative impact on our careers.

Here is an intriguing experiment; HR managers everywhere should record the start times of all meetings and events in their organizations for a month or quarter. They should note the gap between the stated start time and the actual start time.

This data will reveal valuable insights, such as the time wasted waiting for meetings and the usual culprits for lateness. Don’t be surprised if most of the delays or interruptions are caused by the boss man 😊

But it is not just about meetings; there is a decline in professionalism in society, and delays are just one symptom. Lack of ownership, unreliability, commitment issues, lack of effort, and sloppy dressing are other common problems in the workplace.

These issues don’t reflect intelligence or capability. People are more intelligent and capable today than ever before. What’s gone missing is the attitude of professionalism, prevalent in my younger days, which was instilled in us by the work culture we grew up with.

As professionals, we were punctual, reliable, and committed to our work. Our teams could depend on us, and everyone felt safe around us. We had our shortcomings of course but our attitude made up for many of those.

I am not sure where and how these values have been lost. Today’s workplace has seen a decline from professionalism to amateurism. It’s fashionable to hate your job, complain about your pay, be late, and dress sloppily in crumpled T shirts and jeans or shalwar kameez!

A professional is intentional, reliable and never sloppy. They don’t misplace things, forget, or are ever late. These behaviours are repulsive to them.

There is a simple formula for success in your career or business; shift your identity to being a professional who does what they say, has a great work ethic, complains less, shoulders responsibilities, looks smart (even in casual clothes), and more than anything else, displays abundant positive energy.

Worth thinking about 🤔