Putting 'Professional' Back in Professional Services

On Christmas Eve, I received an email from a subcontractor alerting me to the fact that because he was perturbed about some aspects of our business relationship, he was taking steps that put our client's project in jeopardy. Aside from what he was doing, the wording of the email ranked among the most unprofessional I've received in my working lifetime.

Although I understood his perspective, the way he expressed himself got me thinking about professionalism. If asked, I'm sure he would describe himself as a professional. I'd venture to say that everyone reading this article on RainToday would consider themselves professionals. But what exactly does being a professional mean?

There is a lot of debate about what defines a professional. In today's world, the word's meaning has transformed and expanded. In past years, professionals were those who made their livings based on specialized training—by this definition, doctors and lawyers immediately come to mind. These days, the term "professional" applies more generally to those who earn their livings from specific activities and are experts in any one of a wide range of fields, such as plumbing, search-engine optimization consulting, public relations, architecture, and engineering.