By Crystal Starlight
No Personalities Beyond This Point
I want to talk about “professionalism.”
I work in marketing and I focus on bringing companies and celebs to Las Vegas. As you can imagine, I really get to deal with some interesting personalities, including celebrity managers, publicists, corporate marketing directors and PR departments, business owners, and sometimes middle men in all departments. So it’s important to convey a “professional” demeanor. But what does that entail? Why does “professionalism” seem to go hand in hand with “lackluster presentation”? I’m admittedly easily bored (and easily entertained) but these “professional” occasions have really increased my trips to Cabo.
What is it about “professionalism” that sucks the personality out of regularly personable people? I mean, if you want to take this one step further, go to email. I live on my email. But if I judged everyone by their emails I would start thinking people just have their inbox on “automated robotics setting.” This is not normal human interaction. Is it really necessary to have this huge, professional cold front all the time? Are there big signs on corporate doors that say, “Please: No personalities beyond this point!”? This doesn’t necessarily apply to everyone, but I come across it more often than not.
To me, professionalism means don’t look like a slob and probably don’t start busting out blonde jokes. Professionalism is really just respectful common sense and a couple of guidelines like “don’t act like a fool,” isn’t it? See, I love people; as much as they inconvenience the crap out of me on occasion, I’m still a really social person. So it really weirds me out when I have great casual rapport with someone only for them to go into “professional mode” on me three days later. I seriously work my ass off to get people past their formal front to a place where I can relate to them on a non-fatally boring level. Yet, I have heard the phrase “please advise” more times via email in the last week than I can count. Who really talks like that? No one. When was the last time someone said to you, in person, “I’m not sure what you mean -- please advise”?
Don’t get me wrong; I understand being professional. I’m just saying it’s one of those things, like religion, that people sometimes get carried away with. And I certainly don’t understand the duality. I probably wouldn’t even care if the topic at hand didn’t put me to sleep, but I’m all about having an exciting life. Every moment that sucks is a moment I want back, and even these professionals aren’t in the business of giving refunds. So isn’t it possible to be engaging-professional? At the very least -- personable-professional? Do you really have to have the “at-work me” and the “not-at-work me”? I don’t think I could hack doing both. I like to think I’m me wherever I’m at. Now, I can probably be described as “larger than life.” Or, I often get “ball of fire.” But at least both of those terms imply engaging. I’ve got a deep vocabulary and I could front with ice cold formalities all day if you wanted…but who wants that? I’m in the business of fulfillment. I have goals, I have game plans, and I have fun. I’m engaging-professional.
So perhaps this is what anti-technological advancement individuals are afraid of --technology replacing personality. Hmm.
If you have an opinion, ladies and gentlemen -- please advise.
Precocious entrepreneur, workaholic and a rabid perfectionist Crystal Starlight is a pro right down the line. Email her at [email protected]