There are many definitions of professional behavior. One of the more problematic ones is that you should bury your emotions at work. Of course, it’s important to exercise some control over your emotions so that they don’t become a chronic distraction to you and your team. But control does not mean bury. It’s healthy to acknowledge your feelings and the feelings of your colleagues. Sometimes things happen that cause good feelings. You want to celebrate those. And sometimes things happen that cause bad feelings. You want to deal with them as they arise.
Some very quick DOs and DON’Ts for professional behavior at work
DOs
- BUILD & MAINTAIN TRUST. Create a culture of trust with transparency, honesty, vulnerability. You don’t have to be the boss to do this
- BE INCLUSIVE. Help everyone on your team feel seen and heard. Again, you don’t have to be the boss to do this
- TROUBLESHOOT. Recognize bottlenecks and address them. Lean into problems that are uncomfortable
DON’Ts (counters to the points above)
- Create a culture of insecurity with fear, opacity, and gossip
- Be the only one talking and the only one who shares their goals out loud
- Ignore problems and hope that they will magically go away. This isn’t what happens. Unresolved problems grow into resentment
There’s a lot of good writing about how to implement the positive points above. Here are some of my favorites:
Radical Candor by Kim Scott
Linchpin by Seth Godin
Creative Conspiracy by Leigh Thompson
