Tag: leadership

Professionalism #5: Respect the Role – Helping Your Boss Win

Everyday Is an Interview

One of the quickest ways professionalism erodes is in meetings, not through silence, but through performance.

You have seen it.
An employee who asks question after question, not to clarify or contribute, but to expose gaps. Each comment is framed as curiosity yet designed to highlight a new supervisor’s inexperience while elevating their own status among colleagues.

That is not leadership.
That is not professionalism.
That is insecurity disguised as engagement.

Professionalism means respecting the role, even when the person in it is new.

Organizations succeed when people help their leaders win. That does not mean blind agreement. It means asking questions with purpose, offering context privately, and choosing collaboration over correction as a public sport.

If you have experience, use it to strengthen the team, not weaken trust.
If you see a gap, fill it; do not spotlight it.
If you want influence, earn it through support, not sabotage.

True professionals understand timing, tone, and intent. They know the difference between helping and posturing. They accept their role with dignity, even when ego tempts them otherwise.

Every meeting is an interview.
Professionalism is being remembered as someone who made the work and the people better.

“Professionalism is not proving you are the smartest person in the room. It is making the room stronger.”

#EverydayIsAnInterview #WWKDD #Professionalism #HabitsForSuccess #Leadership #ProfessionalConduct #Discipline #JustBeBetter #IOwnTheMorning #StayStrongStayHealthy

Professionalism #4: The Responsibility of Reputation

Everyday Is an Interview

Your reputation walks into the room before you do.
People form expectations not based on your title, but on your consistency, habits, follow-through, attitude, and the way you carry yourself in every interaction.

Professionalism means understanding that reputation isn’t built in big moments.
It’s built in the tiny ones:

  • The email you send at 7:00 AM.
  • The tone you use when you’re frustrated.
  • The way you speak about colleagues when they’re not in the room.
  • The reliability of your work, even when no one is checking.

Reputation is the result of hundreds of small choices that compound over time.
And here’s the truth: your reputation is always working, even when you aren’t.

People notice who is prepared.
People remember who delivers.
People trust those who follow through.
People avoid the ones who blame, complain, or cut corners.

Professionals protect their reputation intentionally. They know credibility is earned slowly and lost quickly. They understand that every moment, especially the inconvenient ones, is a chance to reinforce or erode the standard they set.

Your reputation is your responsibility. Treat it like an asset. Guard it like a currency. Invest in it daily through habits that reflect your values.

“Your reputation is the shadow of your habits. Build it with intention.”

#EverydayIsAnInterview #WWKDD #Professionalism #HabitsForSuccess #Reputation #Leadership #Discipline #Consistency #JustBeBetter #IOwnTheMorning #StayStrongStayHealthy

Professionalism #3: The Power of Prepared Presence

Everyday Is an Interview

Professionalism isn’t just how you act; it’s how you arrive.
Your presence in a room says more about your habits than your résumé ever will.

Prepared presence is the quiet confidence that comes from doing the work before the work. It’s the difference between walking into a meeting ready to contribute… versus scrambling to catch up. People notice the difference instantly.

Preparation is respect.
It respects your colleagues’ time, your organization’s mission, and the expectations tied to your role. When you show up prepared, you elevate the room and yourself.

But professional presence goes deeper than paperwork and planning. It’s your posture. Your tone. Your awareness. Your willingness to listen before you speak. Your ability to stay grounded when conversations get heated.

Prepared presence is built from habits:

  • Reviewing the agenda before the meeting.
  • Knowing your data before you discuss it.
  • Anticipating questions before they’re asked.
  • Practicing the reps needed to make excellence predictable.

These habits compound. They sharpen your credibility. They strengthen your reputation. They tell people, “I am not here to waste your time.“

“Preparation is the foundation of presence. The work you do before you walk into the room determines the influence you have once you’re in it.”

#EverydayIsAnInterview #WWKDD #Professionalism #HabitsForSuccess #PreparedPresence #Leadership #Consistency #Discipline #JustBeBetter #IOwnTheMorning #StayStrongStayHealthy

Professionalism #2: The Calm in the Chaos

Everyday Is An Interview

Professionalism isn’t tested when everything is smooth; it’s tested when everything isn’t.
Anyone can look polished when the schedule is light, the inbox is quiet, and everyone agrees. But the real measure of professionalism is how you carry yourself when the pressure spikes, the timeline shrinks, or the unexpected shows up.

Chaos reveals character.
It exposes who prepared, who panics, and who stays centered enough to move the work forward.

Being the calm in the chaos isn’t passive; it’s intentional. It’s a habit built through repetition:

  • The reps of staying organized.
  • The reps of preparing ahead.
  • The reps of controlling your tone.
  • The reps of responding, not reacting.

Professionalism is emotional discipline.
It’s the ability to slow down your mind when everyone else speeds up. It’s choosing clarity over drama, purpose over pride, and solutions over spectacle.

People remember the calmest person in the room.
And more importantly, they start to rely on them. Calm earns credibility, and credibility earns influence.

Carry yourself in a way that steadies the room.
That’s professionalism. That’s leadership.

#EverydayIsAnInterview #WWKDD #Professionalism #Leadership #Discipline #JustBeBetter #IOwnTheMorning #StayStrongStayHealthy

Professionalism #1: The Standard You Carry

Everyday Is an Interview

Professionalism isn’t a job title; it’s a daily decision. It’s how you speak when frustrated, how you prepare when no one reminds you, and how you follow through when no one’s watching. It’s the consistency behind your name.

Good habits are the quiet engines of professionalism. They provide the reps that make composure automatic and excellence repeatable. You don’t rise to the occasion, you rise to your level of consistent habits.

Professionalism shows up in the small things: being on time, finishing what you start, preparing for meetings, double-checking your work, and showing respect even when you disagree. Those small things build big reputations.

When people trust your consistency, they stop checking your work and start depending on you. That’s when opportunity grows because professionalism breeds credibility, and credibility breeds leadership.

Carry your standard like it’s part of your uniform. When your habits align with your values, professionalism becomes effortless.

“Your habits write your reputation. Professionalism is how you prepare when no one’s looking.”

#EverydayIsAnInterview #WWKDD #Professionalism #HabitsForSuccess #Leadership #Consistency #Discipline #JustBeBetter #IOwnTheMorning #StayStrongStayHealthy

#7 – Meetings

I am not a fan of unproductive meetings. The main culprits are unprepared participants. Attending or leading a meeting you did not prepare for is disrespectful to yourself and others. It is even worse when an unprepared attendee wastes everyone’s time participating in the meeting.

Don’t waste my time, don’t waste others time, don’t waste your time. Be prepared.

#Just Be Better

#Stay Healthy, Stay Strong

#Be Prepared

#iownthemorning

Be Prepared: The Expert

When someone asks me a question about my area of concentration, I expect to be able to give them a great answer. I pride myself on being the expert on my topics. When I cannot provide a great answer, it is because I am unprepared. I strive to be the expert in the room on my topic, and I work on this daily.

Preparation is the key to success. The more you prepare, the more you develop your expertise. Keep working so that others can rely on you as their expert on your topic.

#Just Be Better

#Stay Strong, Stay Healthy

 The point

I hate meetings that have no point. There are too many people who, by holding a meeting, are powerful. It is true that when someone calls a meeting that I am compelled to attend, the person has power over my time. However, I will only give them the power to use my time effectively. 

Meetings should be on-point and concise. The leaders should encourage discussion and debate but be focused enough to keep the discussions on point. I’ve seen too many meetings devolve because the leader is either reluctant to or fails to recognize this issue. It takes a creative participant to redirect the conversation.

Do not waste other people’s time. Come to a meeting prepared and ready to work. Expect your colleagues to do the same.

Just Be Better

Stay Healthy, Stay Strong.

Don’t Waste Their Time

If I am doing my job, each charge should know the feedback they will receive at their annual evaluation meeting before it occurs. Through my actions and communications throughout the year, each employee should know what I expect from them, how I view their performance, and what changes they need to make. If I am doing my job well, my staff should never be surprised by the feedback they receive at their evaluation meeting. The meeting will digress and waste time if I do my job poorly.

Evaluations should be about growth. I want the feedback I give and receive to focus on changing behavior and improving performance. It’s the meeting that sets up our goals for the New Year.

Prepare and work to get what you want out of every meeting. Nothing less. Ensure your staff knows what you think of their performance and focus on the desired result you want them to achieve

Just Be Better

Stay Healthy, Stay Strong.

Another Man of Character

I always considered HR departments to be the mysterious office space that those on the outside hardly know. As an administrator, I work closely with our HR Director to handle staffing issues. I also negotiate contracts with the HR director on behalf of my colleagues. However, I never get to see what goes on behind the scenes. 

I do not envy their job. Most of the time, HR Directors and their staff have to have difficult conversations with people and tell them that they cannot have what they want. Their functions are often surrounded by negativity, and few ever talk about how great their HR director is. 

Many years ago, when my wife and I had only one son, who was still in a stroller, we were shopping at Brooks Brothers. I never shop for clothes without my wife as she has a keen insight into what clothes will look good on me. While we were shopping, our district’s HR Director at the time was also shopping at Brooks Brothers. I was not in administration yet, and I had only met him briefly two or three times over two years. He came over to us, greeted both my wife and me by name, and knelt down to say hello to our two-year-old son. He got up, told us that we had a beautiful child, and said goodbye. I was touched that he took the time to say hello, that he knew our names, and that he told us what every parent wants to hear about their child. I hardly knew the man, even though he was a colleague. I would not have thought twice if he did not recognize us in public. We have over 400 employees in our district. He made a significant impression on me in that short interaction at Brooks Brothers.

Always treat others that you know with value and respect. The HR Director has retired and moved on to other adventures. He probably forgot about that day at Brook’s Brothers. The interaction he had with us has influenced me ever since. He is another man of character and one I genuinely admire.

Just Be Better.

Stay Healthy, Stay Strong.