The further you go in any professional field, the better you become at it. Managing people may have seemed daunting the first time you tried, but before long you may be managing entire stores or regions. To get to that level, however, you have to accept a certain amount of responsibility. That’s exactly why our salary potential grows as we become more capable – ultimately, the buck stops with us.
This means professional responsibility is, in itself, a skill you need to develop. In this post, we’ll discuss ten examples of how to integrate its vital insights.
- Honesty & Integrity In All Actions
To lead anyone, you have to be trusted by them. To earn that trust, you have to be honest. This sometimes means saying things that won’t make you popular, or admitting to fault where necessary.
- Accountability For Personal & Team Work
A football team’s manager might accept full responsibility for a match loss in their media interviews, and then give harsh feedback to their team in private. This is the hallmark of being a responsible manager.
- Adherence To Ethical Standards
It’s essential to set the example. Ethical standards often set the parameters of your role, be they managing a medical team involved in patient care, or making certain data management is handled with the gravity it should be. You should know ethical standards by heart, and expect them of your team no matter what.
- Effective Time Management
As a leader, your focus and attention is pulled in all manner of directions. That’s where effective time management is so important. You need to have time for yourself, for those who may need your assistance, and for unexpected outcomes that require your care. That’s why time blocking and priority setting can be so important, it provides you the chance to work on the most essential elements daily.
- Respecting Confidentiality
It’s important to be mindful of those you lead and those who you’re responsible for. An example might be a doctor keeping their patient’s secrets safe unless they intend to cause harm to themselves or others.
It might also mean helping an employee through a diagnosis while managing their working schedule as it shifts and adjusts due to need. If you can be respectful of those needs, your professional capability will be trusted.
- Commitment To Continued Learning
Someone in a responsible position should always strive to be better than they are. We all have weak spots. Think of a gifted head chef having to learn the ropes of managing new hires or training a person they’re responsible for over time. There’s always something new to learn, and making a professional focus a personal interest can certainly help you achieve a better outcome going forward, like qualifying for that ARF recertification.
- Providing Constructive Feedback
As a professional with experience and responsibility, often your feedback goes a long way. For example, teaching your staff how to manage your requests, what certain terms mean, and how to adapt to new regulations in your industry, all of allows the team to function better under your vision and leadership.
This also means learning not to just give praise whenever you can, but when it’s due. It also means not criticizing without something helpful to back it up, as this allows you to better ensure those lessons are understood and adopted.
- Showing Empathy & Compassion
It’s important to note that you are too hard-nosed in your position as a responsible professional. Of course, sometimes you have to be. If a medical professional under your watch is negligent, for example, or if a chef you manage doesn’t check the meat they’re serving has been cooked to the correct temperature, being ruthless and letting them go may be the only option.
But it’s also important to show empathy. From being there for someone under your watch if they’re having a tough time at home, to having an open-door policy you can use to connect with your staff, what matters is putting your human side first, and your professional needs later.
- Communicating Clearly & Effectively
Learn to speak effectively. Brief emails that can be understood and remembered are better than long-winded speeches that fail to get to the point.
Imperative, rich language that allows you to put your point across first, and separate them into steps, can be a great place to begin. Moreover, learning skills like public speaking can be a great idea.
- Leading by Example
The final tip is, of course, leading by example. Don’t ask anyone to do something you’re not willing to do yourself. Take the example of the head chef – if they think themselves too good to clean the kitchen when it’s needed, what standard can they expect from their staff?
With this advice, you’ll be certain to exercise and express the hallmarks of professional responsibility.