Devoted to Managers and those that seek to improve their management skills

"People who emphasize too strongly the fact that they're professionals usually are not very good at what they do."

When Kelleher made the statement that those that overly emphasize that they're professionals usually are not very good at what they do, it probably strikes a number of people as odd at a minimum, or completely untrue.

Yet when you consider it, those that take themselves too seriously, which is another way of saying what Kelleher said, you do find that they really aren't very good at what they do. Many times they are over-compensators and very insecure. There is also the need to remind everybody of their title as well.

What was Kelleher's definition of someone that was good at what they did? "What really adds up to professionalism is being very good at what you do in a very modest way," he said.

I agree. To me a professional is a doer and not necessarily a talker when it comes to being a professional. Those that are good at what they do, know it, but not in the way that they have a need to tell it to everybody. The efficiency and effectiveness they show forth on the job tells the story of who they are, not the speaking of words.

Even some of the more outrageous, great business leaders of our day have that same ability to go about their work in a modest way, which creates a lot of respect from those that encounter them.

This is important because we truly need people that are very good and committed to what they do on the job. But at the same time we need very little of those that think they're a gift to the company and people around them because they are always saying it.

There's nothing worse in a company or our own professional lives if what we talk doesn't line up with our actions. When you're truly committed to what you do, people around you will notice it, because when you're committed, you'll become excellent and a true professional. That quiet, modest confidence coming from that reality is all you'll ever need to have to show that you are a true professional. That's something that can't be hidden.

Other Herb Kelleher Sources:

A Culture of Commitment

HERB KELLEHER

The wild turkey

Herb Kelleher on the Record, Part 1

Herb Kelleher Talks about How Southwest Airlines Grew from Entrepreneurial Startup to Industry Leadership

Belief Model for The Leadership of Herb Kelleher (Southwest Airlines)

Herb Kelleher, Chairman, CEO and President, Southwest Airlines

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