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True Professionalism
Book

True Professionalism

The Courage to Care About Your People, Your Clients, and Your Career

David H. Maister
Free Press, 1997
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Editorial Rating

7

Qualities

  • Applicable
  • Well Structured
  • Concrete Examples

Recommendation

David H. Maister has written a valuable book about what it really means to be a professional. Presented with depth, insight and plenty of practical advice, the book is intelligently written and can be applied to anyone’s career, no matter the level or industry. Maister also has plenty to say to companies about their professionalism and lack of it. getAbstract recommends this book to professionals in all areas, and if you want to be a better one - or if you’re not sure whether you are one or not - start reading.

Summary

The Path to Professionalism

True professionalism is a personal commitment to bettering oneself and a dedication to providing the best and most efficient service to your clients. The core of professionalism resides in the logic of these three principles:

  1. Believe passionately in what you do.
  2. Never compromise your standards and values.
  3. Care about your clients.

These ethical approaches are the main road to success. Achieve true professionalism by:

  • Developing a personal career strategy.
  • Tracking the profitability of your employees’ individual assignments.
  • Guaranteeing your client’s satisfaction.
  • Discovering what you truly love to do and aligning your real-world actions with your true values.
  • Continuing to improve yourself.
  • Building your employees’ skills.

Dynamos, Cruisers and Losers

At any given stage of your professional life, your performance can be that of a "Dynamo," a "Cruiser" or a "Loser."

You are a dynamo when you are always working to learn something new and continually adding to your skills and knowledge. As a dynamo, you...

About the Author

David H. Maister  of Maister Associates in Boston, is also the author of Managing the Professional Service Firm and a former professor at the Harvard Business School. He consults with professional service firms worldwide.

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