Professionalism 101: How Extracurricular Activities Taught Me About the Professional World

My first paying job, under the table of course, was when I was eleven. I started working for the same day care that took care of me over one summer. With my height (inching close to 5' 7"at the time; I was 5'9" by age fourteen) and stature, most younger children easily saw me as an authority figure. I would babysit occasionally after that. At fifteen, I had my first taxable paycheck, traveling almost an hour for less than six dollars an hour, and was invited back the next year as a supervisor for only seven dollars an hour. The summer after my high school graduation, I was the only paid intern at a small blackbox theater in downtown Washington D.C. and quickly picked up local, professional theater gigs. On several occasions I was chosen over older, but not necessarily more experienced technicians. And they called me.

At thirty-two years, I find myself grateful for my more than twenty years of work experience. Especially my time in theater. Just four years of a truly extraordinary high school theater experience taught me more about deadlines, professional relationships, and personal responsibility than papers or projects ever did. Such an application of education created a skill set I often see lacking in today's youth, which starts with a very tenuous concept: professionalism. 

The end cap to my theater education was my college course for Lighting Stagecraft, which the professor cleverly nicknamed "Professionalism 101". Even if theater is not your thing, I believe every young adult should learn and apply these principles before diving into the professional world. It is my intention that this series of blogs will help to clarify what it means to both act professional and be professional.

Be Prompt

Image courtesy of keepcalm-o-matic.co.uk

This lesson echoed loud and clear during my time at Regis University in Denver, striving for my B.F.A. in Screenwriting. I scheduled a meeting with a professor to solicit his advise on an outside project, but had to reschedule. The process of rescheduling was more grueling than one might expect. After all, shouldn't making up a test be a simple matter of walking in on another day when you feel up to it? Unfortunately, in the adult world, people's time is precious, and you must honor their commitment to dedicate any part of that to you. You cannot expect to get a job if you're late to an interview. No amount of explaining how traffic was atrocious or parking was limited will improve that first impression: 'You should know better'. And you should. Now, not everyone runs on deadlines, but better to be safe than sorry.

And this rule runs both ways. Don't, if you can help it, miss a deadline. There is a business term called a "hard stop". It means, no matter what, all efforts come to a halt at a certain time to ensure that everything that follows also stays on time. Here's a good example of the the term used in a sentence. In theater, there is always someone else who depends on your work to be done in order to do their job, so being late makes their job that much harder to do.

Be Prepared

The 5 P's was our theater mantra: Proper Preparation Prevents Poor Performance. This apparently was adapted from the British Army's 7 P's adage, "Proper Planning and Preparation Prevents Piss Poor Performance". This mantra helped us to understand the role of design before a production, including breaking down the script to figure out set, lighting, and sound design.

Meme courtesy of rottenecards.com

This is a hard lesson because if all you ever know is working toward a grade, then you don't fully see the consequences of _not_ "making the grade". When other people rely on you to be prepared, it puts tangible pressure into the picture. Tangible pressure is not to be confused with implied pressure. In a group project, for example, there is an impression that if you don't hold up your end of your responsibilities, then other people's grades will suffer for it. However, what if they just do the work for you? What if you're being graded individually? Then that pressure is only self-created, and, thus, easily cast aside.

Tangible Pressure = The Potential for Other People's Failure Due to Your Failure

It's amazing how people will suddenly try harder when there is an imperative.

It's Ok to Ask Questions 

This is also a valuable lesson learned when working as a temp (temporary employee), since most temps do not receive training as part of their assignments. In theater, however, the greatest advantage in the planning stages is communicating between the departments. The lighting technicians would talk with the art department about costumes, makeup or sets to coordinate color and intensity. Without that communication, actors could look melancholy when they should look aglow with young love. Asking questions is an essential component of being part of an organization and an effective team member at that. It's also the first line of defense to Prevent Poor Performance. This is often where instructional education and applied education tend to clash. In a instructional education, you are expected to sit and listen to a lecture without questioning, or read the book and regurgitate the information without inquiring further. 

Image courtesy of asktosinkinslowly.net

This isn't always the case (some schools take a classical approach and actually teach their students to question), but often there is no room for deviation from what the book or professor tells you and what's on the test. But in the real world of supply and demand, customer service, and corporate hierarchy, the "answers" aren't spelled out in black and white. Sometimes you have to read between the lines to "get the job done". But reading between the lines can be tricky, and asking questions is the only way to clarify.
This includes asking for help. It is better to ask for help and get the work done, than to fail alone, never giving yourself a chance to succeed.

The Production Triangle

This lesson should come with a great big neon flashing light. I once explained this concept to a client, and he asked "where did you go to business school?". "I didn't. I learned that in high school theater", I replied. Yeah... learning business basics in high school extracurricular activities. And it has served me well through event planning, filmmaking, and even in my own personal time management. Ultimately, the production triangle boils down to limitations and compromises. Whatever you want to do can either be done cheap, fast, or well. Choose two of the three, and you'll get it done every time. But you'll never have all three.

Compromise is a part of life, and this is often they way professionals figure out what and how to compromise. Know it, love it, use it.

This is the best way to explain it. Simple, but brilliant.

Though, this is what the triangle looks like. Whatever allows you to visualize it.

Be Honest About What You Can and Cannot Handle 

People can always tell when you are less than forthright.
Image courtesy of brandcure.com

Being honest with yourself is the first step to being honest with others. You must know and admit your own strengths and limitations. 

My freshman year of high school, I wanted so badly to be involved with theater, but I was taking all honors courses. I was already struggling academically, and could not see myself dedicating too much time to theater, unless I wanted to fail at both. So, I talked with the Theater Director, and she assigned me to the House Crew, which met a couple of times before the show, and only required attendance during performance days. 

Knowing and admitting this limitation saved us both the headache of me not performing my best, and her not receiving the best performance. On a similar note... 

Be Forthright

Plenty of people in the corporate world will contest this idea, arguing that volunteering information is foolish at best, and detrimental at worst. However, in my early years in professional theater, straight out of high school, I found people were more likely to trust me if I put all my cards out on the table. It saved us both time, and thus money, by not finding out once it was too late to remedy any complications. 

This is especially true since America has become a mostly service-oriented economy. Trust, which is necessary for any healthy relationship, is built only when everyone is on the same page. It's not enough to know your own strengths and weaknesses, but you also have to volunteer that information before it becomes a problem. Once others have evidence of your role in a situation, they can begin to give you more responsibility (which can mean better paying jobs). Now, that's not to say you shouldn't take legal precautions. For example, you don't want to volunteer your movie idea without having the recipient sign a non-discloser agreement. But, if you're on the same team, you've got to come clean. Ultimately, this rule is to ensure you are both consistent and ethical.

Always Take the High Road*This is the common connotation of "professionalism", and will be discussed further in another blog entry.

Stern is acceptable; rude is not. In theater, tensions run high, especially the week before production, which we endearingly term "Hell Week". People will snap, growl, and otherwise exchange unpleasantries, and this is mostly due to the extreme desire to do a good and noteworthy job. This kind of stress builds coping skills for future stressful situations. However, whether you are assuming the role of leader or subordinate or professional peer, it is unacceptable to: raise your voice, verbally threaten, make a scene in front of others, or otherwise let your emotions override your ability to make level-headed decisions while on the clock. Period. 
Luckily, we got a chance to get all of our novice, unprofessional tendencies out of the way (theoretically) before we left high school. Call it a trial run, which is precisely the kind of safe space school should be. Something has happened and you're not sure how to proceed? Ask a Question. Not sure you can creatively handle the conflict? Admit what you CAN and CANNOT handle, and then ASK FOR HELP!

Learning to be "professional" takes time, and I was lucky to have the opportunity to start practicing early on. You will make mistakes, but it is well worth the effort to attempt being professional at all times. Respect, courtesy, and efficiency will be your rewards.

What did YOU learn from your extracurricular activities? What were your first lessons in Professionalism? Leave a comment, and let me know!

Post Script: This BLOG is brought to you, in part, by a 21-year-old supervisor (and self-confessed "brat"), who thought she could crack the proverbial whip on me for picking up my client 5 minutes late (hey, I'm not perfect, but I make up for it by having the highest client request rate). Come to find out that she had not prepared the paperwork correctly, which delayed me, nor had she asked me if I needed any help, which delayed me further. Most importantly, she did not take the higher road and address this issue after the appointment, where she wouldn't inconvenience my client any further, nor did she take me aside to confront me individually, sparing myself and my co-workers the embarrassment of her tantrum.

To say the least, she just cost herself one of her most valuable employees (no, I'm not humble, but trust me, I am being entirely forthright).

This mentality has allowed young adults to think they know it all going into the professional world.