I'm gonna talk about professional and that's
a word that we hear all the time.
We hear it, we see it, we read it its its
everywhere.
We use it so often I wonder if we really even
know what its mean.
And maybe more importantly, what is being
professional mean to you.
We can look in a dictionary and generally
we'd find oh three definitions and the first
is the professional pertains to a profession.
It kind of makes me stratch my head, but the
second defintion adds a little bit more.
Professional is someone who's paid for their
occupation.
Makes sense.
And, a third typical definition is a professional
is someone who's acheived a high level of
knowledge and skill.
Okay.
But when I look out in the audience this evening
and I apply those definitions I think it applies
to just about everybody.
So why is it in a community full of knowlegable
and skilled and paid workers that that label
professional is given to so few people.
Well, I think it has to do likely with the
value of the service that's delivered.
So what differentiates a professional say
from a technician, a technician is very skilled
and savy and knowledgable person, but the
difference between the two, the professional
delivers judgment.
Yeah, that considered decision, that valued
judgement.
In fact, the more uncertainties we face the
more important judgment becomes and the more
important the role of the professional.
But professional is an odd word.
I mean its not just a label or a title it
also can be used to describe or mean attitudes,
behaviors, and actions.
Think about it for a minute, if we combine
those three the the effect of those three
has some pretty profound implications.
And the reason is that attitudes drive behaviors,
and behaviors drive actions, then actions
reinforce attitudes, and what those three
things mean is there what their are describing
is literally us as individuals.
So that tells me that being professional that
can be applied by anyone and everyone.
And I think thats a good thing.
The process of being a professional its not
an event, or maybe I should have said that
a little more clearly, the only way of becoming
a professional is not an event its a process.
Its a journey.
And, it takes some real internal drive and
motivation but its often sparked with interest
and desire.
And the process for me started long ago when
I was able to become a member of mountain
rescue team when I was in junior highschool.
And, very early on I realized and learned
the value of being a professional.
Because in mountain rescue uncertainty just
that abounds, and judgment is mission critical
to what we do in mountain rescue.
And over the years I've learned more about
professionalism and what I see is a framework
to being a professional.
And that framework well it consists to four
different aspects.
And here's sort of the short version of my
talk.
But those four aspects to being a professional
are simply knowing, doing, helping, and learning.
You might think, whoa, wait a minute Dale,
is that is that really something or is that
the world according to Dale.
Well, it actually is some real meat to this
substance.
Those first three knowing, doing, and helping
that those were identified by psychologists
and sociologists more than 25 years ago.
But, they missed the boat it wasn't complete.
Because being a professional is a process.
So I've added learning to that.
Because it keeps that process going.
And the beauty of being a professional what
I've learned is sure it applies to me and
work but it also applies at home, it applies
at school, it applies in the mountains and
certainly at work.
In my journey to that as I said started with
mountain rescue.
More than 50 years ago here in Evergreen Alpine
rescue team was formed.
And, you gotta remember that far back Evergreen
was really a small place.
And they had a real challenge to have enough
members that could drop everything and just
head off into the mountains to help people.
And so within a few years, the leadership
realized that young people teenagers could
actually do that hard work of the adults and
plus we had time.
So back in the day, we could become a member
of Alpine rescue team when we were 14.
And some of us even got on a little bit earlier.
But what was really cool and I think a very
unique feature of Alpine was that we were
not junior members.
And, yeah I did join after color photography
came out, I will point that out, but we were
not junior members because once that we demonstrated
that we could do the job we were expected
to do the job whenever needed.
And, that's really an important thing when
you are young person certainly there's some
limitations to that or some limiting factors
I mean I've gotta admit when you're a 14 15
year old teenager boy, really yes yes size
matters.
A we were not the biggest animal in the woods
at 14 15 even some of us 13 or 12.
A we also had to keep good grades so that
we could be let out of school when we were
called on missions.
And I've gotta admit that was one of the coolest
things of being on Alpine in junior high and
highschool was when the message came over
the PA attention all Alpine rescue team members
please come to the office.
And we always thought we were so cool.
Didn't happen enough but it was pretty cool.
But most important we had to keep our parents
happy and pleased with what we were doing.
Cause they're the ones that answered the phone
in the middle of the night.
They're the ones that had to wake us up and
often drive us to some staging area at 4 o'clock
in the morning.
And it became really a big deal when a we
could drive.
Cause we didn't have to rely as much on our
parents.
We didn't have to ride our bikes sometimes
to get to missions and trainings.
And it didn't have to mooch rides and we had
that independence which we all knows a great
thing.
But the key thing is that we were not treated
as juniors we were treated as equals because
we worked really hard.
And we worked right along side those adults.
By the time we were in highschool at least
some of us were actually starting to lead
or direct significant portions of a the search
and rescues and even directing the entire
operations.
This is highschoolers doing this.
And, also being at that age there were times
when maybe the biggest thing was when your
voice stopped changing.
Cause it was really hard to call up and order
up a helicopter when you call the military
and you wake up a captain or a major in the
middle of the night who's now grumpy and your
voice starts cracking.
It just didn't go over very well so we learned
very early on to be to speak with confidence
and authority and even tone to our voice.
But we learned alot, well, and I've gotta
say I'm still at it 40 years later.
Enjoying it, enjoying all of my colleagues
on the team and learning alot.
So, with that I bring a challenge to you guys.
And think of everything that you are doing
or will do that you do it with this framework
or this context of being a professional.
And remember those four aspects of being a
professional first one, professional being
professional is knowing and I mean learn everything
that you can and as much as you can.
And you need to know more than just having
an awareness you need to understand.
And take that knowledge and apply it.
Start doing something with it.
Because when you're doing something with it
you are practicing and that's where you develop
skills.
And when you take knowledge and you combine
it with skill you're gonna start to realized
that there is many options and many solutions
to solving problems.
That third aspect of being a professional
is helping and we have heard that term given
in several different ways tonight.
Of giving, helping, being there for people.
Helping professionals help people because
remember I said that highest level with the
professional offers is judgment.
And in mountain rescue that judgment comes
with a lot of hard work.
No doubt about it.
But that helping is where you make a difference
and professionals make a difference in peoples
lives.
And the last is to make a commitment to learning.
Make a commitment to life long learning.
Cause learning keeps you current keeps your
skills and knowledge current and up to date.
But more importantly learning let me back
up more importantly is because yesterdays
knowledge and skills aren't always gonna be
good enough to solve tomorrows problems.
So everything that you do be professional
in what you do.
Its gonna make you better.
And being professionals gonna probably help
you make your community a better place too.
Thank you
