Professionalism in business and ‘blogging

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Professionalism is more than just being good at something. Life being broadly analogous to a contest, professionalism is about how you present yourself before, during and after the game. So what does being a Pro mean?

If you’re new to business, look at the following as a rough guide to doing business with people. A people primer, if you like.

As a businessman, I have to play the politics game as well as my own game. Why? Because the other businesses I do business with have their own take on things and how those things need to be done.

So diplomacy plays a big part, in the sense that business people must pay some respect to each other and our own, sometimes idiosyncratic, way of doing things.

Sometimes, there will be a clash of personalities and it’s during those moments that you have be a diplomat first and foremost. But at the same time, you need to distinguish yourself by maintaining some degree of composure.

If it’s a conflict and it transpires that you’re wrong, then bow out gracefully and ensure you can articulate the reasons why you thought your were right.

Be sure sure you’re not closing any doors, or burning any bridges.

Don’t be an advertorialinsultomercialist by insulting your competitors to give yourself an edge.

Sports stars are a great example of how we often get the whole professionalism thing used interchangeably with talent. Or use the word professionalism so often that it’s almost throw-away, disposable.

A huge salary is not a sign of professionalism. Nor is a insulting the competition, getting blind drunk in public, beating up your girlfriend, illicit affairs, gambling addictions, abusive behaviour or questionable TV appearances.

Professionalism is about being dignified and composed in the face of adversity. Being aware of your influence and using that influence in a responsible and measured way.

In ‘blogging, upholding these qualities can be a challenge, which I know only too well myself. As an example, dealing with bad comments can sometimes mean making uncomfortable, difficult choices.

Showing restraint when writing is another challenge. As a rule, if you’re in the mood to write a rant, do so, but leave it until the next day at least, or when you’ve calmed down. Then, re-read and edit accordingly. You’ll be surprised by how differently things look!

Of course, business people and sports stars are driven, motivated individuals. They often share common, key character attributes, such as aggression, towering egos, extreme natural talent, an intuitive awareness, huge self belief and a hunger for success.

However, what separates the professionals from the also-rans is how those qualities are harnessed, focused, channeled and then applied to their life. And I say life because professionalism is a life-long thing, not something you can switch on & off with all the convenience of a light bulb.

So I thought I’d put the question to the people of my Social Network and ask them for their definition of what they think professionalism is:

  • Ash Laws via Pownce — “Conducting any dealings or interactions with other people ethically.”
  • Richard Alan Cowling via Twitter — “It’s simply an attitude. Nothing more … but the attitude … results in behaviour which is.”
  • Alex Hardy on Twitter — “Working to certain standards of quality and how you conduct yourself with other professionals / customers.”

Also, here’s some things that don’t automatically make you a Pro:

  • wearing a smart or an expensive suite;
  • just saying that you’re a Pro, or an expert, guru et cetera;
  • going to the same venues / events / gigs as the Pros;
  • having Pros as “friends” on some social network;

No, professionalism is everything you do done well and noticed by enough of the right people often enough that they consider you to be a professional.

Even if you act like a Pro, to be considered a Pro is for others to say, not you…

Don’t make ’em think?

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Sometimes, thinking can be a bad thing. Don’t get me wrong, I like thinking, but there’s the right kind and the wrong kind when it comes to business — and especially web design.

Yesterday, I went to the cinema with my girlfriend. Afterwards, just before the drive home, I needed the little boys room. As we both went down the corridor to our respective rooms, I stopped next to the sign marked with a little blue guy. I paused, looked at the sign on the wall, but couldn’t figure out which door the sign related two, since there were two.

Why not just put the sign on the door like everyone else? For a split second, I felt indecisive, which really is not Wayne Smallman at all! Trust me on that one.

When websites work well

And then I was reminded of a book I bought a while back called “Don’t Make Me Think!” by Steve Krug, which is a common-sense approach to web usability. And a lot of the advice really is just that — common sense.

The overarching theme is to not make people think when they’re using your website. It’s a wise policy, too. There are a number of constants to designing a website which, as a web designer, it’s as well to stick to.

Examples abound, such as the use of images within a web page. More often than not, the default action of the visitor is to click on the image. Not meeting people’s expectations can leave them feeling frustrated and confused. It’s at that moment that their thoughts turn to your competitors website.

I’m also reminded of a quote from the excellent action crime thriller Ronin. In this particular scene, Sam (played by Robert De Niro) says something like: “If there’s any doubt, there is no doubt.” And he’s absolutely right.

Once there are doubts, those doubts dissolve what initial trust there might have been between your visitor and your website. After all, building trust is amazing hard with a website, especially for small businesses with a small brand.

Being taught the wrong kind of lessons in business

As is often the case, clients rarely have a full appreciation of the amount of time involved in what you do. When these expectations get too high, I invite a client to the office for the day to go through a set of changes and / or amends. At the end of the day, they’re usually a little tired and a good deal more educated about what I have to do when they want that blue widget to be red.

Similarly, I get to see more of their decision making process, which gives me the mental tools I need to ask the right questions and when to ask them.

All good, yes? Not always.

The great thing about clients is they often have a very clear idea of what they want. They don’t know what’s involved in making their ideas happen, nor do they care, unless it’s likely to cost a lot of money!

But if they’ve asked for similar in the past, and sat through an entire day with you while you do the work, this knowledge of how I do things can sometimes stymie the naked ideas behind their less naked ambitions.

And the moral of this story? Think before you make others think, or you might just be the last thing on their mind…

Great ideas in search of good money

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Four years of Research & Development really ought not to be for nothing. Frustrating as it may seem, that has been a distinct possibility for some years, now. Why? Because I don’t know the right people. Question is, are you the right person for me to share my ideas with?

Great ideas are worth far more than good money — and I have more that just great ideas. I have a product that is almost complete.

As a creative type, when it comes to formal project management and time tracking, things tend to be less than optimal. So I decided to write my own software to keep track of the time I spend on the projects of the clients of web design and internet consultancy, Octane, which is my own company.

But all that effort & toil just got me thinking.

“What if?”

For anyone who’s read read my Blah, Blah! Technology blog, that’s a question you’ll see me ask a lot!

Well, I did ask “What if?” and several hundred hours later, I’d written an all-grow’d-up version of my time tracking tool — and then some.

You see, it wasn’t enough for me to write an application that teams of people spread all over the world, connected via the web, could use to track time spent on jobs. No, what if I developed a platform onto which all kinds of applications could work and flourish?

Well, I did that too.

Sadly, I am an embarrassment to my dad. Why? I’m extremely bad at maths. And because of this, I wasn’t able to complete two key functions of my time tracking application, which are invoicing and reporting.

What do I need to finish it? Between £15-£20k to pay for developers to do the work I can’t.

What else do I need? People with vision, patience and the skills to push the software ideas I have, of which there are many.

So what are these other ideas? I’ve developed a platform for web applications that in some respects goes toe-to-toe with the likes of Salesforce and Microsoft. Did you really think I’d just stop with the one application?!

Consider a range of web applications, all working together seamlessly in a way you’ve never seen done before — not even with desktop applications.

Imagine an ecosystem where software developers can write their own web applications for Workspace, my software platform.

Think of the licensing deals and software subscriptions that come with creating a venue for software sales, promotion and production.

Yes, these are hard times, but we’re talking about software that will save people money over time.

Join the dots, guys…

Know your business through “Organic Knowledge”

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So you think you know all about yourself and your business, right? Wrong! I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve helped a business owner rediscover what I call their “Organic Knowledge”.

As the years roll by, your business matures and your successes are as a direct result of your experiences, be they good or bad. Thing is, as much as you rely on this know-how and experience, chances are, if I asked you to name all the reasons I should choose your company over someone else’s, you’d struggle.

Some of you are probably shaking your heads very hard, reeling off one key benefit and USP after another.

No, I’m talking about the kind of stuff you’d put in your CV or resume. And as a business owner, being totally unemployable after all these years, you’ve probably forgotten all of those really clever things you’ve learned, even though you make use of some of them every single day.

Rediscovering all of these choice morsels of business know-how is essential, this “Organic Knowledge” gets learned then cast to the back of your mind, because we do these things as a matter of course, mostly without thought, mechanically, almost.

The reason I call this “Organic Knowledge” is because it’s the stuff we learn naturally as we progress through our professional lives. Well, it’s time to recycle that business knowledge and make it all work for you!

The trick is writing them all down and then, as if they were dots on a sheet of paper, joining them together in new and innovative ways. By finding new ways of doing old things, you could very well re-energize your business.

It’s not hard to do, you just have to be aware of the things you do on a daily basis, think about how you started out, where you learned those things and then add them to the list!

If there’s a team of you, this can very well be a process of discovery — uncovering things about each other you never new. As an added bonus, there are some very serious considerations for your future marketing efforts, too.

The more you know about yourself, the more you know about your business and what you and your business can offer to your clients…

The power of saying “No” to clients and customers

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Saying “No” to a business client or customer needn’t be the world-ending event you imagine it to be. In fact, you might find that it makes your business life that little more easier.

Conversely, saying “Yes!” to everything can be far more harmful than ever saying “No”. In the seedy underworld of dodgy sales tricks & tactics, saying an emphatic “Yes!” to every single thing a prospective or current client requests is just a way of securing work.

However, if your team doesn’t have the right skills to progress with the work that’s just been won, you’re all going to look bad. And the interesting thing about bad news in the business world is that it moves at close to light speed!

Saying “No” can have two powerful effects:

  1. You’re demonstrating your willingness to stand by something, be that an idea, a belief, or a methodology, which most people will respect you for.
  2. If you’re saying “No” with respect to a request to perform services you’re either not happy with, or not skilled enough to complete, you’re demonstrating your honesty, which everyone will respect you for.

Of course, you need to have a good, strong relationship with your clients, or my advice probably isn’t going to serve you too well. Also, being able to justify your reasons is critical. Failure to do that will pretty much ensure your objections are disregarded.

In the end, good business is all about being honest to yourself and your clients…