My Pispective on Professional Standards

(A pispective is when you write about something in 314 words. Which doesn't count these words or the credits at the bottom)

It's important to have standards.

One sense of having a standard is to stand firm. In the sense of a battle. We plant our standard and defend it against all comers. That's a nice idea, but how often do stand firm?

If we spend a lot of time on the boundaries of groups we end up doing a lot of negotiating. Negotiation is an exercise in fluidity and diplomacy. Sometimes its very important to stand firm. More often we seek to draw people to common ground.

A standard is also measure. It's something regular, repeatable and predictable. Standards are very important in work. They help us connect what we do with what others do. Without standards in work the profession of management becomes very hard.

Managing is about organizing and integrating the work of others. Without measurement, management is very hard. This is why Drucker said 'what gets measured, gets managed'.

Sometimes different knowledge professionals stand firm on their own measurement. This can be a great pain for the team. It gets in the way of integration. Knowledge professionals that can't negotiate don't tend to stay.

Management professionals also have to set standards in the form of rules. This is about setting standards of conduct that the team meets. A high performing team works to a particular standard. The best teams manage their own standards.

But there are often people who avoid the measure of professional behaviour the team expects. With them it is important to stand firm. Because they interfere with the measure of work. It's like debasing the currency.

Setting and maintaining standards are very important in business. This is about being professional. Being professional isn't about belonging to a particular group. It's about standing firm on our measure of work. It's about submitting to rules.