Rekindled Professionalism

I frequently get this sense when I return from a conference. While these forums are designed to promote new business, provide educational tracks and gather as an industry to discuss the important issues of the day, I have always found this to be the most valuable thing I get out of conference attendance. Professionalism. Whenever I return from a conference, I become motivated to perform my job better and with a higher quality than when I left. Not to brag but I'm pretty good at what I do. I'm certainly no expert in the field, but after seeing some of my colleagues in action I believe that I'm a cut above some of them. Striving to set higher goals is never a bad thing in my book.

A big part of attending these conferences for me is the networking with other industry professionals. In our everyday lives, we often become bogged down in the monotony of the tasks at hand and the people with whom we work. It very quickly can become the same people, the same faces, doing the same things, day in and day out. It's a joy to sit down with your contemporaries to talk about issues and successes, get feedback on some of the ideas you are working on, and receive advice on problems you may be encountering. Immersing myself in five days of this environment is much like a Fountain of Youth for me. Even though I might be exhausted at the end of these conferences from the trauma of traveling, late nights, bad food, and excessive alcohol consumption, I am always inspired to bring back the newest and best ideas to my workplace. I relish the chance to convey this rediscovered attitude to an awaiting staff.

Then I come back to this... the childish drivel, infantile behavior, and destructive environment of my current workplace. I swear to you Internet, it's like moderating a group of five years old that can't play together without fighting over the toys or kicking sand out of the sandbox. I greedily cling to the professionalism of those people I just left last week while I struggle to bring some sense of it to the people to whom I've returned. My personal career growth this past week has been impressive. While my week vacation relieved at great deal of stress and angst, the week at the conference rekindled the faintly flickering light that was my affection for what I do. It has fueled a confidence that I haven't felt for quite some time.

In a better world, all of this would spur me onto greater heights where I work. Instead, it pushes me to search elsewhere for the professional environment I need to thrive. I know there is no way I can adequately improve the atmosphere of my current workplace enough to make it worth the effort. There will never be that type of professionalism in this place. The guiding force for this dramatic shift would have to come from the top, and I don't believe the will or ability to foster that kind of change exists with my boss. But the freshly renewed aura of professionalism resides inside of me. I'll nurture it the best I can, share it in small doses with those people who will cherish it, and stockpile the remainder for my next stop. The next organization that employs me will get a much better version of the person that left for Anaheim just over one week ago.