What is more important: Gracious Professionalism or Safety?
 

Hi, I'm new to FRC and I was wondering, in your opinion, if you had to choose, what is more important: Gracious Professionalism or Safety? Should you always be graciously professional even if it could mean potential injury? Should you maintain safety even if it could mean not being gracious or being unprofessional? I would really apriciate some help figuring this one out! :ahh:

Re: What is more important: Gracious Professionalism or Safety?
 

Gracious Professionalism: Some concept Dean and Woody made up.

Safety: Keeping yourself from being physically hurt.

Do you seriously need to ask this?

Re: What is more important: Gracious Professionalism or Safety?
 

I mean as far as judging is concerned... would it be better to be safe or graciously professional?

Re: What is more important: Gracious Professionalism or Safety?
 

Is it graciously professional to allow another person to risk injuring himself and/or others around?

I think not!

Re: What is more important: Gracious Professionalism or Safety?
 

Are you seriously asking this??? Safety is ALWAYS priority one.

Re: What is more important: Gracious Professionalism or Safety?
 

I believe it goes deeper than that.

GP: More than some concept. It goes deeper. Yes. They came up with the term. But not the words.

Gracious- To be kind, and to help others. Break it down further and you find the word Grace, which if to always forgive others, and to not hold grudges. Which is a whole different topic.

Professionalism- The act of being professional. To not lose your temper while dealing with others. To always keep the well being of the company (Or team in our case) in mind, and not your own ego.

That is my understanding.

Safety- To keep others and yourself safe.

If your are being Graciously Professional, will you not be watching for safety? If someone is about to do something stupid, is it not that hard to say "Hey! Student B, hold up. Let me help you with that." or "Hey, wait. before you go any further, but on these safety glasses will you? They help, trust me." is that not being safe and using GP at the same time?

-Rion

PS. I do not mean to spark the GP conversation. I'm just stating it how I see it.

Re: What is more important: Gracious Professionalism or Safety?
 

I absolutely agree. In situations where you can do both, you absolutely should, but what if you HAD to choose between them?

Re: What is more important: Gracious Professionalism or Safety?
 

If you're graciously professional. . . safety should come with the package.

Re: What is more important: Gracious Professionalism or Safety?
 

I fail to see any scenario where keeping yourself and others safe is not a GP action.

Provided such a scenario exists, it is hands down, no contest, safety that is #1.

Re: What is more important: Gracious Professionalism or Safety?
 

Being safe is part of being GP. I can't see a single situation where it's an either/or.

Unless you count yelling about safety glasses or other "minor" violations, in which case there are better ways, like "You don't have safety glasses in the shop? Well, then, please work in this area only, or find a pair. You also have the option to not work in this shop."

Like I said, it's not a question of one or the other. It's a question of both.

By the way, if, as implied earlier, you're worried about judging taking a hit from one or the other, don't be. Judges, both safety and otherwise, understand that there is danger, and if you're stopping someone from getting hurt, I highly doubt that they'll say anything negative.

Re: What is more important: Gracious Professionalism or Safety?
 

If a runaway train was heading straight for a young child and you were standing by a switch that could divert it into an old lady, would you throw the switch? :rolleyes:

Re: What is more important: Gracious Professionalism or Safety?
 

How old's the lady?

Re: What is more important: Gracious Professionalism or Safety?
 

Thought question. Both are taking a life...

Depending which was closer to me.... I would either throw the switch, then get the old lady out of the way, or just get the kid out of the way. Depending on which was closer...

Just saying.

Re: What is more important: Gracious Professionalism or Safety?
 

Let's say early retirement.

Re: What is more important: Gracious Professionalism or Safety?
 

Does her 401k come with saving her?

Lol.


Nah man this is just a game of "would you rather". The point is safety comes before acting graciously. Doing what's right is not always professional.

Re: What is more important: Gracious Professionalism or Safety?
 

...
I tend to rapidly change my mind about what I'm saying.
...

If a runaway train was heading straight for a friend of yours and you were standing by a switch that could divert it into a complete stranger, would you throw the switch?

Re: What is more important: Gracious Professionalism or Safety?
 

You just REALLY make this hard on me don't you....

Re: What is more important: Gracious Professionalism or Safety?
 

. . . The switch to stop the train? Of course.

Re: What is more important: Gracious Professionalism or Safety?
 

The classic lifeboat dilemma, or any variant thereof, is not what is being discussed. What is being discussed is simply: Are safety and GP mutually exclusive, and if so, which one should you take?

I think we've established that it's a very rare case where they are (rare to the point of non-existent). Therefore, the question is no longer a question of one or the other.



[to answer the train question] If a runaway train was heading straight for anyone, skip the switch (it's probably locked anyway) and get the person off the tracks pronto. THEN worry about how to stop the train.

Re: What is more important: Gracious Professionalism or Safety?
 

The gracious safety professional would have seen people wandering on the train tracks and gotten them off before the train got there.

GP doesn't mean you don't yell at someone who is doing something incredibly unsafe, if that's the only way to stop it. It means that when it's not an emergency, you take the time to graciously and professionally explain why they shouldn't do the behavior they were doing. But first you have to get them to stop before they hack off a finger, or worse!

Re: What is more important: Gracious Professionalism or Safety?
 

I believe that having a safe area is more G&P to the judges than to not be safe. Meaning if you are safe you probably would score higher in the GP than an unsafe team. I would stick with safety FIRST, Being safe is part of being G&P to your self and others around you.

Thats what i would consider if i were to be a judge... just my $.02

Re: What is more important: Gracious Professionalism or Safety?
 

FRCgal -
It would be helpful to know what your understanding of Gracious Professionalism is and how you are tying that in with safety and judging. Perhaps you can provide an example where you see them in conflict.

Re: What is more important: Gracious Professionalism or Safety?
 

You cannot act with Gracious Professionalism without being safe. If you are unsafe, GP is out the window. If someone is about to be hurt, the GP thing to do is prevent it.

Vector and sparrow, I think your discussion would be better done off line.

Re: What is more important: Gracious Professionalism or Safety?
 

Thank you everyone for all the helpful advice. Safety and Gracious Professionalism are both very important, but I see now how you can be safe without jeopardizing gracious professionalism. This has been really helpful! See ya'll at the championship! :D

Re: What is more important: Gracious Professionalism or Safety?
 

I can't imagine a situation where safety and gracious professionalism conflict.
yelling stop or look out is totally appropriate and professional.
yelling stop you f---- idiot is totally unnecessary and not professional.

Jack Gillespie
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