Are You a Pro?

I was online in a social network and I saw someone talking about forming a group of social media professionals. It got me to thinking what is the definition of a professional? In my opinion, a professional is someone who makes a living at their chosen profession. I know of no one (or maybe there are a select few) who can truly be called a professional at social media by my definition; although they had 300 people sign up for membership in the first hour.

It reminded me of professional speakers making the same claim yet most professional speakers I meet at our speaker conventions could never live on their speaking earnings. So what do you call these people? I feel in today’s world we have three categories of workers.

The Hobbyist

This is the person that has all the markings of someone making a living at a profession, and claims the profession as their livelihood, yet they don’t make enough money at it to live on, or they are trading on past accomplishments but the title of professional no longer fits. These people also exist in the workforce and pose at jobs.

The hobbyist falls into three categories of its own.

The person who just can’t make it on what they are making but loves the perks of calling themselves professionals. In the day of downsizing many managers are calling themselves professional consultants, and what they really are, is a job seeker trying to make a buck between jobs. Beware of the faux-professional in your ranks. Because if you have an employee searching hard for a new position outside of your organization posing as a dedicated employee, they are hobbyists until they move along and you aren’t getting your bang for your investment dollar.

The person who was a professional at one time who just can’t hang it up. People don’t retire anymore they just fade away. They don’t want to give up what they do and were once good at, but they are long past their prime and coasting on past accomplishments.

Do you have anyone who is counting the days until they can leave? I had a client whose CEO literally counted the days until he could retire with full benefits. This is not a leader no matter how strong he was 15 years ago. He is now a hobbyist and a drain on corporate resources, morale and is in anti-growth mode because it is easier to exist as a hobbyist in status quo.

The third hobbyist is just that someone enjoying a hobby. These hobbyists can actually help your business if they are part-time or volunteers. Maybe these hobbyists are retired people looking for things to do and make a bit of side money. This can be an effective use of a true hobbyist – doing something they enjoy more for the value of doing it than the pay that may or may not come with it. These are not professionals but hobbyists that can be a positive addition to your team.

The Wannabe

In the speaking business these are the people who show up at speaker meetings wanting to be speakers but have no clue on what topic or what their message is. They just know they love to talk in front of an audience and their friends have told them they are funny. There is no talent or topical passion or expertise just raw enthusiasm. Because the job is more non-glamour that glamour and requires hours and hours of hard work to get started most wash out.

In the working work wannabes are those in the interview process full of puppy dog enthusiasm for the job opening even though they have no real understanding of what it takes to be successful at it, or whether they even have the skill set for it. Sadly, because some companies are so desperate for talent and to fill critical job opening they make a hasty decision and hire the enthusiasm without the talent. This wannabe is now in a position that causes them to be filled with insecurities and out of those insecurities will make judgment errors and mistakes they won’t want to readily admit to. Experienced interviewees can still be wannabes; therefore don’t be fooled by a well-written resume.

Make sure your hiring process actually gets to the details you need to know to see if this person is a good fit, is just looking for an experience or is truly a professional that will be an addition to your team.

The Professional

By pure definition a professional is a person who gets paid to perform specific duties. As we know not all who get paid to perform deliver. A real “professional” not only earns what they make but they create a reputation of being a good value for the investment. Some speakers earn $50,000 a speech over and over because what they deliver is considered a value at that price. In your workplace a professional is someone who knows their job, delivers good value and understands how to build on a previous performance and grow. This is someone you can count on to deliver.

Professionals are not looking to be covered in accolades, yet they expect to be appreciated. They want to work with other professionals and be given the opportunity to make a difference for you. A professional is going to cost more than a hobbyist and a Wannabe but focusing on cost is missing the bigger picture. You are looking for return on investment and the right professionals deliver that return.

Who in your workplace would you deem a Hobbyist? A Wannabe? A Professional? Who is making the best contributions to growing your business? Who is a deficit employee taking more than they are giving? How do you think professionals feel working around deficit employees? It’s time to weed out the hobbyists and wannabes who are gunking up your growth systems and let your professionals grow your business.