BC NOTARIES WHAT WE DO AND OUR PROFESSIONAL FRIENDS
On Being Professional Nigel Atkin
T
hese are times when professionalism comes to the fore, when professionals reinforce their well-deserved personal status— the respect and admiration they’ve earned over time in the grateful witness of society and their peers.
“heroes” . . . such as the young gods who showed up dangling from above.
critical thinking and teamwork and hone their ability to consume and communicate ideas effectively.
But the professional firstresponders who did the rescuing by air or boat or truck were just doing the job they loved and were trained for, as were countless of other thousands of unknown individuals working their respective shifts—or just plain volunteering through the night, heroic in some instances.
A commonly accepted definition of a profession is defined by eight attributes.
British Columbia has suffered one of its most devastating years in living memory. The individuals and communities who have suffered a menu of grief this year know firsthand some of those professionals who have stepped forth to help them personally and collectively survive, get through, and build back.
Many doctors and nurses with a history of exemplary service in these COVID times have rejected the “hero” designation for the above-and-beyond hard work they are continuing to do in these extraordinary times.
Depending on who you are and where you reside, the list of intertwined traumatic events causing injury, death, and destruction seems almost never-ending. The commonality is the professionals who did their job. The swift water-rescue technicians, the chopper pilots, the mayors, chiefs, councils, and administrators . . . the health care workers, paramedics and ambulance drivers, our first responders, the hundreds of drivers who “kept on truckin,’ ” and so many more individuals. Many people swept up in highway landslides or forced to evacuate their water-swept homes were rescued by their personal Volume 30, Number 3, Winter 2021
Numerous personal qualities and behaviours in many jobs demonstrate effective performance and commitment. Professional presence, an individual’s confidence, dependability and responsibility, ethics and honesty, even appearance, often state professionalism, as well as what they study and do. Professionals in all walks of life are recognized for their skill, good judgment, and being reliable. Professionals pay attention to the details of their work, indeed every aspect of their job. Professionalism comes from training, a positive attitude, and life-and-subject-matter experience. Beyond competence and wellstudied skills, professionals practice The Scrivener | www.bcnotaryassociation.ca
1. Lengthy and predominantly intellectual education 2. Socially important and necessary service 3. Social elite 4. Creativity required and rewarded 5. Intrinsically rewarding 6. Responsibilities exceed the bounds of business 7. Formal recognition 8. Self-regulating BC Notaries are like-minded, well-trained, and disciplined individuals who uphold ethical standards and who hold themselves apart through their unique service. They are well-accepted by the public for their specific legal knowledge in noncontentious areas of the law. They base their professional services on the highest levels of research, education, and training . . . to serve the greater good. s
Nigel Atkin teaches the Evolution of Public Relations course online at UVic. He offers onsite communication workshops to leverage human capital and exploit the multiplier effect of becoming better communicators. TABLE OF CONTENTS
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