Part 2:Doing a job vs completing a job: concept of professionalism and sincerity and how money clouds both.

When I went to pay the Electricity Bill in Trichy, there were four queues. I joined the first outer queue without giving any thought. Then I noticed the queue on the inner two queues moved swiftly and the outer queues did not move as fast as one would expect. The obvious inference anyone would make is that the persons at the desk serving the public are efficient in some counters and may be we joined the wrong queue.

But why should only the outer queues move slowly whereas the inner queues were otherwise. Chances! May be and they were not in this instance. The outer queues had constant disturbances with people getting in front by pushing themselves in. And also many people would simply give their cards and money to someone in the queue already to pay for them. Hence the person at the counter was doing as fast as the other counters but had too many transactions per person to handle.

Why I am elaborating this story so much? This is part two of my previous blog and completing a job. You can complete this job of paying the EB bill in many ways.

1. By properly standing in the queue: Be Sincere

2. You can squeeze in and pay the bill and be efficient in comparison to the one who is following the option 1. : Be Efficient

3. You can find ways to avoid the queue altogether, for example pay someone to pay for you and stand for you or log on to your account online and pay without a sweat, Be Professional.

Be efficient sounds good in option 2 but it is not acceptable to someone who stands in the queue sincerely. But be Professional sounds the best option since you find better way to do a job and acceptable and sounds right as well.

This brings me to the concept of Professionalism and Sincerity.

Though Sincerity sounds right in any thing you do, it may not be the efficient approach in competing a job. That is why Professionalism is much needed to combine sincerity and efficiency. This is why professionals score more and earn more for a given job. But you have to find professionals who show professionalism as opposed to efficiency by short cuts just like our example.

It can be difficult for anyone to differentiate the people who can complete the job efficiently as opposed to completing professionally. The latter approach may sometimes appear to take longer and costlier. I see more people who can complete a job without professionalism but efficently. In fact lots of jobs completed are done efficiently.

The efficient methods of following shortcuts are good if the outcome is for one off use or has a definite end point. For example paying an EB bill as above. But where it really hurts if the outcome has long term use. For example a building or a bridge. Here Efficiency has to give way for Professionalism. Because if you do not follow professionalism, then the lack of quality would show in the long run.

But you have to remember that everyone of us is a professional in what we do if we show professionalism.


Regards Chockalingam