Elsabe Manning - Up the Corporate Ladder

A Guide to Professionalism in the Workplace

A Guide to Professionalism in the Workplace

Published by Umuzi

an imprint of Random House Struik (Pty) Ltd

Company Reg No 1966/003153/07

Wembley Square, First Floor, Solan Road, Cape Town, 8001

PO Box 1144, Cape Town 8000, South Africa

www.randomstruik.co.za

Copyright Elsab Manning 2006
Elsab Manning hereby asserts her right to be
identified as the author of this work.

All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, mechanical or electronic, including photocopying and recording, or be stored in any information storage or retrieval system, without written permission from the publisher.

First edition, first printing 2006

ISBN: 9781415200100 (Print)

ISBN: 9781415204467 (ePub)

ISBN: 9781415204467 (PDF)

Sketches by Tony Grogan

Cover and inside design and layout by Abdul Amien

I dedicate this book to my son Ingo.

Your courage to live your life with reverence,

in spite of your suffering, makes me want

to be a better person.

With the world economy having globalised and thus integrating the different business cultures of the world, and South Africa itself transforming and bringing local experiences and cultures together, the place of work has become a melting pot that has increasingly become a challenge for many professionals to operate in. Companies have to adapt all the time to the changes occurring in the environment and this leaves a lot of individuals bewildered as they try to keep up with the pace of change.

The education system itself is struggling to adapt to these changes but is essentially stuck in the old mode of teaching competencies that hopefully prepare us for work and to some extent prepare us to become reasonably adjusted citizens. But the system is not geared towards training the individual about the personal culture required to make it in the different professions. The gap between the technical skills that young people learn at tertiary institutions and the social skills required by employers and clients is huge.

Companies and clients do not have the time to train recruits and service-providers with such skills. Parents can only teach within the contexts of their ethnic cultures. Very few established professionals are any wiser. The demands brought about by local companies being bought by foreign ones, small businesses growing rapidly, hostile takeovers and mergers etc., government increasingly being put under pressure to perform, professionals serving an increasingly informed public that is aware and willing to assert its rights, plus the proliferate use of technology all these have created a situation that requires economically active individuals to continuously sharpen their skills.

Since ultimately any business is about people and, more importantly, about relations with people for thats what service-related businesses and professions are about social skills that support our work are more than necessary.

Thankfully, Elsab Manning has come to our rescue. She has compiled a friendly and easy-to-follow guide that defines the personality of a true professional, informed by values and behaviours that will help you earn the respect of your peers.

But it always starts with self-respect: the self-respect that you can take anywhere in the world and still be regarded as a true professional. In the world of limited second chances, Elsabs book is a welcome contribution to the empowerment of the increasing number of emerging professionals and entrepreneurs who have to compete on a global stage. If you are ambitious and you have to be to make it in the ever-changing world of business and work and want to become a success in your professional life, this author offers you the tools to master both yourself and the necessary practical skills, to become an effective professional in your chosen field of business.

Refine your skills and reach for the stars!

Tim Modise

Johannesburg

October 2005

I would like to thank Charles Pingle for encouraging me to write this book. I will forever be grateful for our time together. Thank you for giving me exactly what I needed at the time, and for being such a wonderful teacher.

I would like to express my immense gratitude to my publisher, Dr Annari van der Merwe, for realising the value that my book can add to business in South Africa. Thank you for believing in me and for giving me this opportunity.

To my editor, Biddy Greene thank you for all your hard work, advice, insight, fabulous ideas, wonderful sense of humour and above all, your friendship. Thank you for making me look good!

I am very grateful to Tony Grogan for doing the illustrations for my book. Thank you for adding a touch of class and humour.

I would like to thank my clients for their support and loyalty over the years and for the trust they have always placed in my abilities as a writer, consultant, facilitator, trainer and coach. It is because of the constant repeat business from you of running numerous Professionalism in the Workplace workshops for your organisations that I have written this book. I will always remember.

To Tim Modise and Italia Boninelli thank you for taking the time out of your very busy schedules to read my book and for all the uplifting comments and praise. I appreciate it immensely and I truly value your opinions.

A special thanks to all my teachers without the lessons I learnt from you my life would have been very different. You have served me very well.

Self-study, observation, experience, training, coaching and mentoring are all processes which help in the creation of knowledge and the desire and willingness to change and develop. Such growth in turn leads to emotional maturity and opportunities for advancement. This book is designed to develop these opportunities by defining and clarifying expectations regarding professional conduct in the workplace.

Professionalism is the term used to describe the internationally accepted standards or expectations that society has of peoples conduct and levels of competence in the workplace.

Being professional means that your conduct has to remain above reproach at all times and must fit in with the circumstances and situations in which you find yourself. Being professional requires that you comply willingly with the highest ethical standards and that you have a deep awareness and understanding of appropriate business behaviour in various cultures. It also requires a high degree of knowledge, skill, ability, attitude and sound judgement.

Value to you

Improving your conduct will gain you the respect and credibility you need in any business or social setting. It is essential in building trusting relationships, but it is also a fundamental prerequisite for a successful career especially if you want that sought-after job, or if you want your own business to be successful.

New communication skills when practiced and applied will help you to recognise and acknowledge your boundaries in assertiveness. These boundaries are governed by a deep awareness of the effect your assertive behaviour may have on others. As you will learn from the information contained in this book, it is vital to be sensitive to the needs, constraints and feelings of others.