Wednesday, January 17, 2007

Professionalism in the Classroom?

One of those issues that have been simmering with me since first quarter is professionalism in the classroom. While not trying to indict the majority of my classmates, but I can not help but notice the lack of professionalism within our classrooms. And I am sure it is not just this school; my guess is that these behaviors are a common hallmark of most business schools. I keep asking myself if I am out of touch or if I am expecting too much, but I keep coming to the conclusion that professionalism is lacking.
Looking back, law school, early on, made it clear that we chose to be in a school that produces professionals and, therefore, we had a duty to behave accordingly. I remember thinking that it was a bit elitist, but I now recognize that it did help to set a professional tone in the classroom when the teacher was teaching.
I wonder if, when we have graduated and are leaders of teams, we will tolerate these common behaviors in our meetings (that I equate to classes):

  • Not being prepared - It is alright that circumstances did not allow you to complete the class readings, but it should not become a habit and you shouldn't waste class time by asking questions about the basic concepts that would have been obvious if you did the readings.
  • Talking - Why are there conversations going on when the teacher is talking? I understand you may have a pressing question, but make a note and continue to listen. How would you react if you are instructing your team and they are not listening because they are talking amongst themselves?
  • Cell Phone Ringing - I understand that there will be that one time that you forget to turn your phone off or set to vibrate, but there are people who are frequent re-offenders. A professional knows to look at his phone before he walks into a meeting to make sure it will not disturb the meeting. I feel bad for the first team I lead after graduating because if someone's phone goes off in my meeting I will make it very uncomfortable for that person.

Am I being too hard? I encourage your comments. My opinion is that you are not a professional simply because you can handle multiple information sources at once. A professional knows how to handle multiple information sources, but gives each source the proper respect and attention that it deserves. That means preparing beforehand for a meeting; listening to a speaker; and turning off outside stimulus to allow everyone else to focus.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

You wrote:
If someone's phone goes off in my meeting I will make it very uncomfortable for that person.
***How I long to have my phone ring in one of your meetings.

Canada-US MBA said...

Well, I am scared of you and your hormones. So I think you would be safe :).

Lori said...

lol HILARIOUS