Book Review on“THE PROFESSIONAL”

By: Subroto Bagchi

Brief idea about the author…

• Subroto Bagchi is a co-founder of MindTree Ltd., an international IT consulting company

• He was born in a small town of Bolangir district of Odisha.• Bagchi’s first best-selling book, ”The High-Performance

Entrepreneur”, shared his story of building a company.• His second bestseller, ”Go Kiss the World”, was the story of

his life, a motivation to young people that anyone can achieve.

• “The Professional” he gives us his knowledge, based on his lifelong experience, of what it takes to be a professional, what qualities you need to become a great professional.

Background of the book…

• The book is the percepts of how to be a perfect working professional.

• Subroto Bagchi, in this book has thoroughly illustrated the behavior, conduct and ethics of a professional.

• The examples he has quoted are relevant, inspiring and real life, motivating the professional on how he can follow the ethics and still be successful.

Part-I

• Integrity(person having high moral values) & why it is a key of professionalism

Story of Mahadeva…

– Dedicated work without any supervision– Education not necessarily makes a person

professional– Quality which will take an individual to the

pinnacle of human excellence– He completes the task with the immediacy of

demands.– Mahadeva: the high performer, and a true

professional

• The author debates with strong words on right & wrong of various contemporary issues happening around the country

• When the author on the first chapter described an uneducated individual as being a professional in needs, who actually was unprofessional in his deeds.

• On the other hand in subsequent chapters he talks about lawyers , doctors who are unprofessional in their deeds.

The day justice was murdered…

– This chapter highlights professional ethics– The killer of justice– Ethics is an integral part of professionalism– Understanding the boundary that separates a

professionally qualified person or a skilled individual, from a professional

– Without integrity, a professionally qualified individual is a danger to society

Part-II

• Key attributes of Self awareness• How an individual can acquire these attributes

Story of O.J. Simpson & Arthur Ashe…

– Both born in the same decade, similar circumstances & with remarkable talent

– Both worked hard, extremely hard, to reach the highest level of the professions. Both achieved prestige, acclaim, and fame.

– But behind the glamour, there was pain. In time, both men had their own brushes with the law. One for crimes ranging from shoplifting to murder. The other for protesting apartheid and oppression against immigrants from Haiti.

– What separates the two men is self awareness• To be a great professional, it is critical to develop of

self-awareness.

Key attributes of self awareness…

– Knowing who you are– Being authentic(reference without knowledge.)– Being comfortable(what is your specialty)– Seeking help (Take help always, reputation doesn’t matter)– Not suffering false comparison– Looking beyond money (sense of emptiness)– Being deeply self-observant

Part-III

• Relates to basic professional qualities• These qualities “Make someone a well-

rounded individual who can perform the responsibilities that come with the tag ‘professional’

• The author discusses about the professional & tactical tips on– Doing more by doing less (don’t disengage from

doing so many things at the same time and prioritize based on where you can make a larger impact)

– To-do list (small day to day goals which can help us in achieving the vision)

– Saying no (saying no to unimportant things)– White space (use white space for getting things

done in plan)

Part-IV

• Talks about how one can manage great volume of work.

• Essential qualities for managing volume– The power of vision: (Father’s vision for making his son

an engineer. Professionals bring the power of vision to their work.)

– Commitment: (Story about journalist)– Be prepared: (professional should be ready for

everything)– Listening: ( eyes are trained to notice smallest sign of

pain, lack of confidence and other feelings. Instant listening reduces the time of communication)

– Transparency: (transparency in work should be there)

• A professional, should not let go of the basic ability to work because “it is like losing your fingers.

• There are some things you must continue to do at any stage of your career. Not just the cerebral strategizing, but the actual work.

• For the chef, it’s not about the presentation of the dish, but about how to handle the kitchen knife to make the perfect cut.” Sometimes, the most profound ideas come not when you are in the boardroom but when you are washing dishes.

Part-V

• professional qualities senior managers require to deal with complex situations and problems i.e. managing complexity

– What makes a professional think the way he or she does in a make or break situation?

– How do their minds actually read the bigger picture and yet focus on small details?

– Complexity can be managed through• Logic or Emotion• Multiple intelligence

Part-VI

• Author talks about five important, “emergent concepts”

– Gender discrimination & sexual harassment– Cross cultural sensitivity• Just because we speak English does not mean we

understand each other while doing business around the world. In an increasingly global world, we have to learn cross cultural nuance because we deal with customers, suppliers & other collaborators who are as new to us we are to them.

– Governance (story of employee who sold his shares)• When institutions break laws, it is actually someone

working there who has broken the law• The first step in sensitizing professionals.

– Intellectual property• Now a days as more values are generated by using the

knowledge, it is every professional’s responsibility to acquire a basic understanding of concepts like copyright, patents & trademarks.

• It is every professional’s responsibility not to expose an organization as well as a client’s intellectual property.

– Sustainability• Do well by doing good• Make the planet a better place to live in

Part-VII

• the discussion is focused on what it means to be a ‘professional’s professional’

A yen for professionalism..

– Why Japan is best among the Professionals– Professionalism in Japan blends 3 things..

» National pride» Precedence of the group over the individual» It draws from their spiritual identity

The unprofessional…

– Missing a deadline– Non escalation of issues on time– Non-disclosure– Not respecting privacy of information– Not respecting ‘need to know’– Plagiarism (representing others ideas as of your own)– Passing on the blame– Overstating qualifications and experience– Mindless job hopping– Unsuitable experience

• We would like to conclude with….– Mahadeva, the man whose profession is the burial

of dead bodies, will remain a professional’s professional

– Because, ultimately, being a professional is a matter of personal choice & values we opt to live by.

THANK YOU