Takeaway: It’s important to understand the components and criteria that define what it means to demonstrate professionalism.

Let’s kick off this topic of professionalism with a moment of self-reflection. Ponder this question and choose a response: On a scale of 1–5, how effective are you at demonstrating professionalism in your day-to-day business activities? (1 = not very effective, 3 = somewhat effective, 5 = very effective.) 

While I’m naturally curious what your response is, what I’m even more curious about is what you base your response on. As you pondered this question, what thoughts and/or images came to mind? What factors did you find most important in demonstrating professionalism?

To truly determine how well you demonstrate professionalism, it is necessary to define the components and criteria. What are the requirements of professionalism and how are they demonstrated? 

Components of Professionalism

In 2013, a collaboration of educational experts published the “Entry-Level Analysis Project (ELAP),” a blueprint of foundational standards of entry-level massage education. We can look to this valuable resource to guide us down the path in front of us today. According to ELAP, professionalism comprises work ethic, honesty, integrity, accountability, professional image, specialized knowledge, self-regulation, and time management.

Did you base your response on any of these? If not, you may be missing a few details that are worth opening a keen eye to. Let’s have a look at each component with acuity by defining it and considering ways it might be demonstrated.

Work Ethic

Work ethic is the belief in the moral benefit and importance of work, its ability to strengthen one’s character, and a willingness and desire to do one’s best in the workplace. What makes you show up to work each day? Is it solely for the money? Or is it because you believe in the value of the work you do and the positive impact you have on others? Do you continually strive to learn more, hone your skills, and elevate yourself to progressively higher levels? Does your attitude reflect your passion for what you do? Or are you ready for the day to be done before you even get started? 

Your response to each of these questions carries a level of energy, and that energy is felt by your clients, coworkers, and supervisors. This is what determines your work ethic. It isn’t that you show up for work . . . it’s how you show up for work!

Honesty and Integrity

Honesty is the quality of being fair, truthful, and accurate during communication and interactions with others, while integrity is the quality of being complete, whole, authentic, honest, and fair during those interactions. We’ll address these together because they go hand in hand. If you are dishonest, you are not living and working with integrity. 

Let’s say you craft a set of policies for your practice, including a policy that requires a 24-hour notice for appointment cancellations. Unless the cancellation is due to an illness or emergency, the penalty for a client not providing this notice is a charge of 50 percent of the regular session fee. However, one day you wake up and decide you need a personal day for one reason or another. You cancel your clients for the day, telling them you are sick. Then, you expect them to pay full price at their next session. Does this demonstrate honesty and integrity?

The answer is no. First, you aren’t sick, so you are demonstrating dishonesty. Second, if you have a policy that requires a 50 percent charge when the client doesn’t give a 24-hour notice, then you should also follow that policy and offer a 50 percent discount on their next session. It’s totally fine if you don’t tell your clients why you take a day off. However, you should follow your own policies. Taking this action shows you are honest, fair, whole, authentic, and truthful. 

Accountability

Accountability is an individual’s willingness to be liable or responsible for their personal actions and the situations that result. Consider a situation where you have made an error in judgment. For example, perhaps you misinformed a client on the best way to self-treat an injury because you made a guess when you weren’t sure, rather than taking the time to look it up. You later realize it and say nothing. Or your client calls to tell you they are having an adverse reaction and you say you aren’t sure why. Is this demonstrating accountability?

The answer is no. If you make an error, own it. You might have the misperception that owning errors causes clients (or anyone, for that matter) to lose faith in you. In fact, most people gain more faith in you when you are willing to own your errors and learn from them. 

Professional Image

Professional image is the visible representation of values and behaviors in alignment with the agreed standards of a profession. In the massage and bodywork profession, it includes personal hygiene, the use of good manners, and clean, modest dress.

I’ve seen violations of this standard repeatedly over the years. Examples include performing massage dressed in a sleeveless shirt/tank top, skirt, open-toed shoes/sandals or barefoot; showing cleavage; wearing a long necklace that inadvertently skims across the client’s skin; sporting long fingernails and fingernail polish; or smelling like cigarette smoke. 

Another violation of professional image is putting inappropriate content on personal social media pages. Yes, you deserve a personal life. But if you have a public account, your clients can see your personal social media activity and your posts reflect on your professional image. Whether you are on or off the clock, your professional image must be at the forefront of your mind. 

Specialized Knowledge

Specialized knowledge refers to the information, skills, values, behaviors, and abilities to perform a job or participate in a profession successfully. This component is typically managed through state licensure rules and regulations. Most states have a document that outlines what is expected of you to maintain professionalism when it comes to specialized knowledge. Do you know what these rules and regulations are for your state? If not, do you know where to find them? Visit abmp.com/practitioners/state-requirements to learn more.

Even with these rules and regulations, personal responsibility (which includes honesty and integrity!) must be present. Let’s say a client with lymphedema wants to schedule with you. You are not trained to work with clients with lymphedema. Should you perform the session anyway? The answer is no. Instead, you should refer them to someone who has this specialized training. This demonstrates professionalism.

Self-Regulation

Self-regulation is the ability to control oneself in response to stresses or pressure exerted by an outside force. Let’s say a professional colleague you share office space with becomes angry and aggressive because you make a change to the space without asking permission. Do you fight fire with fire by responding with anger and aggression? Not if you are demonstrating professionalism. Instead, you should practice self-regulation by staying calm. You might need to set clear emotional boundaries, but this can be done with finesse rather than fire. There are many excellent communication models available, and this would be a great opportunity to practice one. I recommend reading Chapter 7, on “Practice Management,” in The Ethics of Touch, third edition, by Ben Benjamin and Cherie Sohnen-Moe. 

Time Management

Time management is the analysis and adjustment of how working hours are spent and how tasks are prioritized to maximize efficiency. Simply put, use your time wisely, stick to your agreements, and don’t bite off more than you can chew. Don’t assume a client is OK with extra time added to their massage session. If you think you will go over the agreed upon time frame for a session, communicate it and get permission. They might be on a tight schedule, or they might only want to lie on your table for an hour (I have some clients who get antsy after 50 minutes). 

Additionally, if you can’t meet an agreed-upon deadline, don’t make the agreement. For example, let’s say you are offered a teaching opportunity, but you must develop the curriculum and practice the delivery in a short time frame. If you don’t have time to do it and do it well, don’t accept the offer. It’s that simple.

Always Do Your Best

Given this information, how would you rate yourself now? The best approach might be to rate yourself on each component and calculate the average. Most important is your willingness to take an honest look in the mirror and, in areas where you might fall short, develop a plan of improvement and hold yourself accountable. You won’t always be perfect, but you can make progress toward doing your best. Your profession depends on you.