The Professional
Defining the New Standard of Excellence at Work
By: Subroto Bagchi
Published: June 30, 2011
Format: Hardcover, 256 pages
ISBN-10: 1591844029
ISBN-13: 978-1591844020
Publisher: Portfolio/Penguin
"But after almost thirty-five years of life as a professional, I have found that, in the new era of the global economy, where every person's actions have the potential to have a global impact - whether good or bad - we must redefine what it means to be a true professional", writes vice chairman and co-founder of MindTree Ltd, Subroto Bagchi, in his thought provoking and insightful book The Professional: Defining the New Standard of Excellence at Work. The author describes how the very concept of what it means to be a professional must be reconsidered and enhanced to meet the challenges of the global economy.
Subroto Bagchi recognizes that there are more professional people in the world than ever before, and their ranks have expanded well beyond thought leaders and those who work in office buildings. Along with this explosion in the number of professionals, however, is a complete lack of an instruction manual that guides people toward true professionalism. In a time of globalization, the challenges of professionalism are multiplied as people now work routinely on a world wide scale. There is a need to communicate effectively with people on the other side of the planet, and that international trade actions affect people and organizations far beyond any borders or continents.
Subroto Bagchi (photo left) addresses and defines an entirely new approach to professionalism, that takes into consideration the challenges to the individual, and the ever increasing globalization of the economy. The author provides his analysis of what it means to be a professional. He also offers insights into the qualities that demonstrate professionalism on both a personal and a global scale. Subroto Bagchi considers the three fundamental characteristics of the true professional as being able to work without supervision, able to certify the completion of any job or task, and behaving with complete integrity at all times.
Subroto Bagchi goes farther than those three basic attributes of professionalism and shares some additional traits that comprise the professional. Those traits include:
* Being self aware
* Is always ethical in all things
* Takes care of the mind, body and soul
* Prioritizes things and events to maximize value
* Takes a long term view over the entirety of one's career
* Is able to evolve and embrace new challenges and adapts to change
* Is comfortable with things not trained for
* Understands the imperatives of the global econmy
* Is culturally aware, connected and engages with people globally
For me, the power of the book is how Subroto Bagchi redefines and the very meaning of what it means to be a true professional. Going far beyond mere job titles and basic principles, the author presents and entirely fresh code of conduct that transform an individual from being skilled in a role to being professional in that role. The author guides the person who aspires to be a professional in the new global reality in the behaviors and ethical codes essential for a reputation of integrity. A professional must not only succeed today, in the global world, but leave a legacy that leaves that same world a much better place.
For the author, being a true professional goes beyond merely being paid. Instead, professionalism is a way of living, working and behaving that touches all areas of the individual's personal and public life. The accepted standards for professional practice are simply a starting point for Subroto Bagchi. His concepts move far beyond the basics, and encompass the entire person as a holistic philosophy of living. For Subroto Bagchi, anyone in any walk of life can and should be a professional, and embrace and live the principles of true professionalism at all times. Indeed, in the modern global world, Subroto Bagchi points out that there is no other alternative but true professionalism at all times.
I highly recommend the transformational and wisdom filled book The Professional: Defining the New Standard of Excellence at Work by Subroto Bagchi, to anyone seeking an intelligent and ethics based guide to becoming a true professional in today's globalized economy. Your journey toward professionalism begins here, and will last for a lifetime.
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