Mean what you say and say what you mean!

Ask The Team Doc: "Creating a Professional Organization
Monday, February 14, 2005
What steps can I take to inculcate professionalism in our organization? Which areas do you think are important to highlight? How can I encourage team members to seriously start thinking about what it means to be professional, as opposed to just doing a job? All suggestions are welcome!

The Team Doc Says...

Professionalism can be demonstrated by many factors in your organization from dress to behavior. I suggest you start at the top. Work with the leadership of the organization to determine what message they want to send to the outside world about the company.

Define values for the organization and then go further to identify specific actions that support those values. Once defined, make sure the values and actions are communicated -- often -- to the employee population. Gather feedback from team members on what's working and what's not. Form teams to help resolve any issues that arise."

Pete's Points:

Then make sure that the leadership practices what it preaches. Leading by example means exactly that. If you say one thing but DO another then people will eagerly follow what you DO and ignore what you say.