Calling oneself a professional would ordinarily come with a sense of pride and accomplishment..agreed? Certainly! You have worked hard to get there and the journey ahead is embraced with great expectations and enthusiasm. Today, the discussion is proposed to be about the connection between the professional accomplishment and the journey, with a view of sustaining relationships, common understanding and progress.

The professional qualification is personal property of the holder. The expectation of the organization and different stakeholders is the effective utilization of the resource that is resident in the professional actor.
Here are a few pointers that are meant to guide us on this journey.

1. Understanding the difference between the qualification you hold as a professional and the specific role that you play in the organization as such.

2. Ensuring that the mechanism within which the collaborative process as between yourself and other professionals/actors has inherent operating frameworks to ensure the achievement of satisfaction on both sides.

3. Making an effort to obtain buy-in from stakeholders on the relevance of your service to the organisation and respective units. Periodic sensitization and review is a welcome contextual approach to the process.

4. Respecting the work and processes of other professionals/actors in the organisation and appreciating the differences in standards and quality as demanded by different professional fraternities. Avoid the notion that you know better than the professional about the practice to the extent that you feel you can intrude into a system that you do not have proficiency beyond the expected level of appreciation sufficient for effective collaboration. Engage but do not show ignorant disrespect for colleagues in the name of contribution. Candid discussions with a view of resolving practical challenges are very useful within the realm of respect and understanding.

Be a professional… in name and deed!