“Great Public efforts are often rooted in deeply personal experiences and sometimes very personal feelings.”
Subroto Bagchi, The Professional.
“The Professional” takes you through a roller coaster ride of real life incidents and rich experiences of professionals, and their journey up the corporate ladder. However, what’s interesting is that the experiences and incidents listed are not just about how to conduct yourself or what to do in an organization, but it also tells us about the people who knowingly or unknowingly broke the ethical code, and what happened to them or what the organization had to undergo because of them. It is a classic example of both sides of a coin being beautifully illustrated.
Bagchi lists seven essential elements of a True Professional – Integrity, Self Awareness, Professional Qualities, Managing Volume, Managing Complexity, New world Imperatives, and the “Professional’s Professional” – in that order. He talks in detail about each aspect, how it affects the both the individual and the organization, how it fosters growth, and how the organization and the individual can benefit by inculcating strong values and ethics in themselves. He articulates the importance of moral and ethical codes, and how an enterprise can stand apart and create a niche for itself in the ever-competing global market.
One of the most admirable qualities of Bagchi is that he has not given only the positive examples of MindTree and flipsides of other companies. It takes great courage and confidence for an author to write about the mistakes of his own company and employees and Bagchi takes away the prize for that one. He engages the readers in the process of unlearning and re-thinking about the ethical codes instilled in them, while subtly infusing great values into their system.
The book aptly describes what it takes to be a True Professional in this era of cut throat competition, where companies and people combat dirty. It shows the true spirit of a passionate Professional, and the consequences of choosing the easy path as against the right path.
A good read for everyone- from a budding person on the threshold to a successful corporate career to a highly established individual ranking high on the corporate ladder. It is also equally relevant to your roadside vegetable vendor, or the municipal worker, the police, or any individual who works earnestly to earn his income. For, ultimately, a Professional is not who a person is in terms of what his business card reads, but what the individual is, inside out.
So, do you think you are a True Professional?
