Top three differences between old professional behavior and new professional behavior

Social media blogger and author Allison Fine recently wrote an article in the Havard Business Review discussing the difference between an old professional and a new professional.

Are you an old professional or new professional?

Through a series of examples she conveys the point that old professionals are those who operate by ‘corporate’ rules of conduct. New professionals, or those engaged in the social media world, are connected; literally. They more openly wear their professional hearts on their sleeves and feel connected on a more personal level. They share hobbies and interests with others in the course of their work.  Fine asserts that corporations need to be like new professionals to succeed; shedding the corporate veil and opening up to the world.

While I agree with some points, I tend to believe that a proper mixture of old professionalism and new professionalism is needed to succeed. I also believe businesses do need to embrace social media but, not without some level of planning and oversight. 

I present to you the top three differences between old professional and new professional behavior and some thoughts as to why I feel a mixture of behaviors is the way to go:

1. Guarded and closed off versus open and emotional
   Old professionals operate by a different set of standards when it comes to the public release of company information. They tend to close the blinds and curtains until a carefully formulated message is ready for public release, if at all.  New professionals want to get information out in real time. Yes, the opportunity to make public mistakes increases but it makes your company more ‘human’ and easier to engage with.
   

   
   The new approach is risky because it only takes one mistake to relegate you to the front pages of the social media realm for all the wrong reasons. I am one of the thought that designated, trusted individuals should be responsible for speaking on the company’s behalf in social media and that executive oversight is a good idea.


2. Public mistakes aren’t acceptable versus being free to make mistakes and apologizing
   
   Public mistakes are the enemy of the old professional and are a direct result of that guarded, closed off persona. Time and time again we’ve heard reports of companies and celebrities putting out sensitive information or doing something outside the realm of reason. Oddly enough, many of these mishaps occur in the social media world.
   
   

   Everyone, old and new professionals alike, make mistakes. What’s really important that you don’t make too many of the same mistakes and view them as an opportunity to learn.

   
   
3. I have to have all the answers versus I’ll get back to you
   In the old professional world, when a question is asked you are expected to have an answer and to be on top of all goings on.
   
   
   I am more new professional when it comes to this attribute. I tell my teams and colleagues it is acceptable to say, ‘I don’t know but I will find out and get back to you’ and that one cannot possibly succeed by holing up and working without communicating with the team.

In a sense, I am agreeing that we do need to be more transparent and accessible to the world outside of ourselves, however, one need be careful about the way they present themselves publicly.

There is indeed a divide as to what makes a person or company professional, what is considered acceptable and that it is likely somewhat generational. Fine argues that social media makes professionals and companies more human, in that they are more ‘honest, open, fallible, funny, and connected.’ Ultimately she says companies need to embrace the new professional approach to be effective.

I tend to assert the point that many pros, old and new, who are firmly entrenched in social media and use it for work and play, have a diminished ability to separate their front-stage persona from their backstage-selves.

All-too-often, the exact characteristics that are positives for the new professional are joined together with a feeling that it’s ok to be the ‘real you’ in all environments. Spouting off opinions without thinking (ala personal social media) could possibly alienate you, your company and those who support it by being too ‘real.’

The old professional is likely the real face you should have on in most instances because it is important to show respect, restraint, and patience. That’s not to say that being completely old school is the right way to go either. I suggest that companies need to find the right balance between openness and planning to be truly effective.  

Some Thoughts Are Better Left Untweeted: Is Social Media Eroding Self-Control?

In line with last week’s blog about social media applications and ramifications surrounding airline travel, a recent article by CNN’s Todd Leopold regarding the speed, sociology and psychology surrounding social media got me thinking once again.

The gist of his story is that social media has the ability to spread public missteps and misinformation so rapidly that unintentional (and sometimes intentional) blunders are often seen as truth even after being proved false. The Leopold goes further and conveys that the “need to be first” and instant access to a worldwide audience has changed the way we interact with each other, the way we get our “news,” and it’s beginning to creep into our everyday non-online lives, not to mention the lasting effects of reacting before thinking in cyberspace. You can hit delete but the damage has already been done in some instances.

One item from the story really stuck with me and got my wheels spinning. The author references sociologist Erving Goffman’s observation that people often carry with them a “front-stage” and “backstage” personality. Meaning when we are in front of others we present ourselves one way much like an actor on stage and the second the curtain drops, the “real” self comes out. A pop culture expert goes on to say that we are becoming more “backstage” every day.

Indeed.

As I stated last week in the airline article, people say and do things they would never say or do in person via the web. Rants, political agendas, gossip and fulfilling the need to be in the spotlight are only an instant smart phone visit away. Take for instance, Gilbert Gottfried’s tasteless Tweets about the earthquake disaster in Japan. They had their intended effect. He was front and center in the headlines. It also came with professional consequences, as it cost him a relatively lucrative job voicing the Aflac duck.

It takes me to my main point. Professional “front stage” behavior seems to be going the way of the dodo bird. I’m not taking about the over-served co-worker with a lampshade on his head at an office party. I am talking about really inappropriate and instantaneous reactions by professionals to work related situations. Rabid emails have gotten plenty of employees and executives fired.

I am not immune to getting upset or reacting instantly to situations, however, a majority of the time I have learned to keep it in check. I have fallen victim to the temptation to fire off a scathing email written in the tone of a mad dog eying a mail carrier. There is a difference. I can save it in my drafts, cool off, and either reword my message hit delete. While reacting in such a way professionally can sometimes be therapeutic, such behavior is left best to the recycle bin.

With social media, there is no cooling off period. People Tweet or post their most personal thoughts, feelings and rants as they are feeling them…with what seems to be reckless abandon. While it might also be classified as therapeutic expressing how you feel, the potential for self-destruction is exponentially higher.

Author and MIT professor Sherry Turkle’s 2011 work, Alone Together (and seemingly hundreds of other books and papers on the subject) takes it a step further. In the book, she argues that technology is threatening to take over our lives to the point where it makes us less human. While social media’s purpose was to allow us to communicate more effectively and rapidly, it’s actually keeping us from experiencing real human interactions in the real world.

I am going to take this thought a step further.

We’ve heard recent reports of people calling emergency numbers because their fast food order was not processed as ordered. Or about parents at a pee wee football game in full out riot mode hitting referees, other parents and even the kids themselves over a blown call. It seems as if our reactionary selves are starting to take hold in the physical world. It can be seen on planes, at Broadway shows, and concerts. In Interviews, lunch meetings, and first dates.

There is a new “norm” in the current our culture that says it’s OK to be “yourself.” However, that’s not a new saying, it’s just the concept of what “yourself” actually is that has changed. Yourself apparently now refers to the “backstage” presentation of yourself, and it’s becoming the norm to assume that people have to take it or leave it, that’s just who you are.

I think to some degree people should be “themselves” where that means the “backstage” self, however there are some circumstances which call for having a bit more self restraint and dignity - such as an interview, or even flying in a plane, where acting restrained, professional, and respectful can also qualify as being “yourself.”

The internet is no different. If people worried more about their online reputation, their integrity when it comes to making sure the information they’re getting is good information, and their contribution to the group, be it in a restaurant, interview, or Broadway show; everyone will have a better experience.