Professionalism

I’m currently listening to: Rosie Thomas - If Songs Could Be Held - Pretty Dress

Over the last few days, as a result of an email correspondence with a certain individual who shall remain nameless, I have been reminded of the need for professionalism in the workplace. I guess I should use the word “workplace” loosely, considering this is just a professional organization which I belong to at my university. However, I feel that the term should still apply, considering this is a listserv primarily used for communication about various projects the club is working on.

At any rate, Andy and I are the officers for an organization, which is a part of a larger organization. As a result, the network administrator for the parent organization has a subscription to our listserv (even though he does not contribute to the project). For some reason, this person feels personally obligated to respond to every post made on the listserv. I understand that some people feel an urge to respond to everything they read, and I would not be bothered by this.  However this person has posted zero constructive responses since I joined the mailing list. In fact, I would characterize the vast majority of his posts as blatantly aggressive and negative. This has negatively affected our organization, as our members grow tired of constantly battling against a person who does not even attend our meetings. I just think that this problem could be solved easily if some individuals understood the importance of displaying professionalism when you participate in an organization. It seems that this person has badly ruined their credibility within the organization (and of the organization as a whole) because they do not take the time to consider how to respond in a professional fashion.

When you hold a position of power within your organization (or company), you represent, not only yourself, but also the people you work for. Sometimes it is easy to get caught up in an argument and forget this, so I figured everyone could use a reminder every once in a while.