2-fer Tuesday #3: Personal vs Professional, Personal vs Principled

** This piece is part of my ongoing “2-fer Tuesday” series where I share critical distinctions in how to view and think about the world that may help you see things more clearly - which then supports better thinking, firmer decision making, and wiser action taking. ** 

When it comes to taking more ownership of your career advancement, one issue that continually confounds even seasoned Executives is slipping into the mode of operating from a “personal” orientation. Actions coming from “personal” motivations can have a tendency to be self-centered and/or self-serving, and small slips here can have large and lasting impacts to your relationships and reputation. In this short piece I’ll unpack the two distinctions of Personal vs Professional and Personal vs Principled in hopes of helping you increase your trust, enhance your integrity, and enlarge your circle of influence. 

1)    Personal vs Professional – The more you show up in your “Professional” capacity vs your “Personal” framework, the better you’ll do on almost every metric.

This distinction is typical of so many I share in that it is simple to understand, but very difficult to consistently practice. It deserves a fuller unpacking in a separate post, so this take here is a just a broad stroke overview. First things first, by “Personal” here I mean everything that is not part of your job description. Or said another way, “Professional” is everything to do with your role, including being a behavioral and cultural leader in your company. Everything outside of this circle is by definition “personal.”  

For over 90% of you, the odds are that you are being paid by some company some amount of money to do certain things. And doing those things well requires you to “show up” in certain capacities, with certain levels of emotional maturity, and embody certain characteristics that come with the specifics of your role. This is just as true for a Barista as it is for a CEO.

And seen through this lens, almost all of your “personal” thoughts, feelings, and inclinations aren’t only irrelevant, but are probably unhelpful. I know this idea may seem a bit offensive to some of you, but I’d simply ask you to reflect on how the Café’s customer service focus is being served by a moody Barista or how the Board of Directors might feel about the CEO’s feelings about the updated legal requirements.

In other words, while at work just focus on your job and on doing it well. The higher up the org chart you go, the more important it is to intelligently embody the role you occupy as professionally as you can. In short, it’s not about YOU, but your ability to help the company and your team be successful.

2)    Personal vs Principled – Principled actions and behaviors clarify your character and immediately increase the respect and trust from others that form the bedrock of your relationships. Actions based on Personal motives and self-interest also clarify your character, but negatively so, and lower the respect and trust you are given in relationships. 

 As discussed in my piece about your LEQ Score (Leadership Effectiveness Quotient), Trust is one of the 3 main factors that factor into your Leadership ability. And unlike the other two (Capacity and Culture), it is extremely fragile, and therefore, perhaps the most valuable. While a certain, casual amount of trust and respect will be granted up front, deeper trust, the kind that inspires followership, must be slowly earned over time and through countless and constant action.  

Every little thing counts here, and the easiest way for you build trust and respect is to act in accordance with principles vs personal feelings. It may seem old-fashioned, but articulating a “code” for yourself to adhere to and follow can be a powerful organizing force in your growth and development. And when tempted to be led astray, either through events or invitations, it can be much easier to simply say “no thanks, that’s against my code.” Sure, it may cost you some minor relationship points in the short run, but it will earn you respect, and trust, in the longer one.

In summary, look around at your team, your colleagues, and especially the upper Leadership of your organization. What you want from them? What do admire about their effectiveness? Their character? Their trustworthiness? I’d wager that the people who get the most respect, the most appreciation, and the most trust are the ones who show up and embody their Professional responsibilities vs complaining about their Personal lives. I’d bet these same people also have some pretty firm Principles by which they operate, Principles that allow them to be relied upon, given more responsibility, and valued for their judgement and recommendations.

How can you start to show up a little more Professionally in your role? Where do you see opportunities to refine and upgrade the principles by which you operate?