Questioning Being a Professional

THE BOLDER WAY™

QUESTION ANYTHING

QUESTION RESOURCE 0032

THE QUESTION

What happens when professional becomes part of who I believe I am?

“Professional” can describe conduct.

It can also become an identity.

I may think of myself as a professional because of what I do, how I work, what I know, what I have earned, how others see me, or how I believe I am supposed to behave.

Once professional becomes part of who I believe I am, a judgment about my conduct may begin to feel like a judgment about me.

Questioning being a professional does not require me to give up a professional identity.

It allows me to Question what I have attached to that identity—and what I believe I must do to protect it.

A QUESTION TO HOLD

What do I believe a professional should be?

BEGIN WHERE SOMETHING GETS YOUR ATTENTION.

You do not have to answer every Question.

THE BOLDER WAY™

QUESTION ANYTHING

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BEGIN HERE

WHEN DID I BECOME A PROFESSIONAL?

Was it when I was paid?
Hired?
Credentialed?
Licensed?
Educated?
Promoted?
Given a title?

Recognized by others?
Experienced enough?
When I decided I was one?
What changed when I began describing myself as a professional?
What did the identity give me?
What did it ask of me?

WHAT DOES BEING A PROFESSIONAL SAY ABOUT ME?

Competent?
Responsible?
Credible?
Successful?
Knowledgeable?
Trustworthy?

Serious?
Accomplished?
Controlled?
Respectable?
Something else?
Which of those qualities belong to my work?
Which have become part of how I judge myself?

PROFESSIONAL BEHAVIOR ↔ PROFESSIONAL IDENTITY

What happens when behavior becomes identity?
If I make an unprofessional choice, does that mean I am an unprofessional Human?
If someone questions my professionalism, what do I hear them questioning?

My action?
My judgment?
My competence?
My worth?
Who I am?

WHAT CHANGES WHEN I DISTINGUISH HOW I BEHAVE FROM WHO I AM?

THE BOLDER WAY™

QUESTION ANYTHING

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GO FURTHER

WHAT IS A PROFESSIONAL ALLOWED TO DO?

Admit I do not know?
Ask for help?
Change my mind?
Make a mistake?
Show emotion?
Disagree?
Question authority?

Refuse something?
Set a boundary?
Speak informally?
Be uncertain?
Be unconventional?
Say that something is not working?
Leave?

WHAT DO I BELIEVE I HAVE TO CHANGE ABOUT MYSELF TO PROTECT THE IDENTITY?

What do I hide?
What do I soften?
What do I suppress?
What do I perform?
What do I avoid saying?

Which parts of myself do I consider inappropriate for a professional?
Who taught me that?
Does the work actually require it?
Or does the identity?

WHEN THE IDENTITY IS THREATENED

What happens when someone calls me unprofessional?
What do I immediately want to defend?
What am I afraid the judgment means?

Does professional approval become evidence that I belong?
Does professional criticism become evidence that I do not?
What am I willing to do to remain recognizable as a professional?

QUESTION TO GO FURTHER

What does being called unprofessional threaten?

THE BOLDER WAY™

QUESTION ANYTHING

QUESTION RESOURCE 0032

LET THE QUESTION MOVE

WHO AM I WHEN PROFESSIONAL IS NOT THE WHOLE ANSWER?

What belongs to my professional role?
What belongs to me beyond that role?
Which responsibilities remain important?
Which standards do I still choose?
Which behaviors genuinely support my work?
Which expectations have I mistaken for identity?

What can I Question without becoming less competent?
What can I change without becoming less credible?
What can I admit without becoming less professional?
What happens if I no longer need the identity to prove something about myself?

SELF

What do I use being seen as professional to tell me about myself?

What does recognition give me?

What does criticism take away?

What remains true about me when someone evaluates my professionalism differently?

SYSTEMS

What kind of professional does this System expect me to be?

Which parts of that expectation belong to the work?

Which belong to hierarchy, culture, tradition, image, or control?

What happens when my professional identity and the System’s version of professional do not match?

SOCIETY

What have I learned a professional Human is supposed to be?

What should a professional look like?

Sound like?

Feel like?

Want?

Reveal?

Hide?

Which of those expectations have become part of my identity?

RETURN TO THE QUESTION

What happens when professional becomes part of who I believe I am?
What do I believe a professional should be?
What do I believe I have to change to protect that identity?

What does being called unprofessional threaten?
What belongs to my conduct?
What belongs to my identity?
What remains a Question?

What does this reveal about Being Human?

Answers can come from anywhere. Questioning remains yours.

Questioning Being a Professional — QR-0032