"Gracious Professionalism"

[yash101]

Hi guys,
So, this topic has been bugging me for a while. What do we mean by gracious professionalism? Is it those little and nifty things that boost the team's reputation, like shaking hands, cheering even for your opponents, helping someone out if the seem like they are struggling, etcetera? I think we should all discuss what "gracious professionalism" means to us, as a hint to those who do not know what that means! I think I might also use this to improve my "gracious professionalism!"

[EricH]

Originally Posted by yash101

What do we mean by gracious professionalism? Is it those little and nifty things that boost the team's reputation, like shaking hands, cheering even for your opponents, helping someone out if the seem like they are struggling, etcetera?

Yes and no. Those are signs of GP... but they can also be signs of sportsmanship, which is similar but not quite the same.

It's VERY hard to define what GP is. I look at it as a mixture of being gracious (which all of the above are examples of) and being professional (which the above are not always examples of). Even FIRST takes a while to define it, but doesn't really go into specifics. (By the way, if there are any questions about one of FIRST's mission statements or core values, I generally tend to start at the source--the FIRST website.)

I actually asked this question myself about a year and a half ago--thread is at http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/sh...d.php?t=103726 if you want some more detailed answers, including what I managed to come up with.

[sanddrag]

Doing the right thing, even when the right thing is not the easiest thing to do.

[Qbot2640]

I've got a picture from a regional last year where one second-year team was struggling to field their robot after some catastrophe on the last morning of the competition. Before long mentors and team members from about 6 other teams were in their pit working or running back and forth looking for parts and tools. While this is far from the complete definition - this is where I always start when trying to explain Gracious Professionalism.

My team recently presented to our School Board, and the concepts of Gracious Professionalism and Coopertition both drew applause from the assembly.

[Billfred]

This is a topic I have to wrangle with every once in a while. Woodie says it very well in the manual, to the point I used this quote verbatim as the second or third slide in 4901's first meeting:

FIRST celebrates high-quality, well-informed work done in a manner that leaves everyone feeling valued. Gracious Professionalism seems to be a good descriptor for a big part of the ethos of FIRST. It is one of the things that makes FIRST different and wonderful.

Gracious attitudes and behaviors are win-win. Gracious folks respect others and let that respect show in their actions. Professionals possess special knowledge and are trusted by society to use that knowledge responsibly. Thus, gracious professionals make a valued contribution in a manner pleasing to others and to themselves.

In FIRST, Gracious Professionalism means that we learn and compete like crazy, but treat one another with respect and kindness in the process. We try to avoid leaving anyone feeling like they have lost. No chest-thumping barbarian tough talk, but no sticky sweet platitudes either. Knowledge, pride and empathy comfortably blended.

(Six-by-six rule for slides? Ain't nobody got time for that!)

It seems like the further you reach in FIRST, the more likely it is that someone will frown upon your work and make it known loudly. (It's happened to me twice in recent years, and both times it was a punch in the gut. I don't know how Simbots manage it.) Gracious Professionalism is a test of yourself in these situations. If they smoked a motor, do you give them your spare? If they've got the other color bumpers on, do you still loan them the ballast so they can play better defense? If they stop moving in Finals 2, do you call your alliance's timeout before Finals 3?

The answer had better be yes. Be great, let others be great, and get as much dirt off your shoulder as possible.

[mman1506]

I think GP is the line where FRC becomes less of a competition and more of a common goal. We run a mobile machine shop that has won us a number of GP awards. A big part of it is making sure no team or person has priority (including ours).

[Alpha Beta]

When I think about what it means to be gracious, the following quote comes to mind, along with some of my own musings from 2010.

"We are like dwarfs sitting on the shoulders of giants. We see more, and things that are more distant, than they did, not because our sight is superior or because we are taller than they, but because they raise us up, and by their great stature add to ours."

Translated from the Latin Book Metalogicon, written in 1159 AD by John of Salisbury

When we find ourselves honored above our peers we have two obligations to that lofty position. The first is to acknowledge the unseen giants that have aided our ascent. The second is to join those giants in lifting up others to even greater heights.

Aaron Bailey, 2010

Some other thoughts I've had on what it means to be Professional.

• Professionals take responsibility for solving the problem, not punching the clock.
• Professionals know their limitations and don’t promise more than they can deliver. They do however deliver more than they promised. They also know when to ask for help.
• Professionals are constantly improving their skill-set by staying current with developments in their field, and by observing or working with their skilled colleagues.
• Professionals know how to collaborate. They use language that encourages a flow of ideas between colleagues. This includes giving credit to others and avoiding offensive comments that would diminish the contribution of others.
• Professionals pay attention to the details. They know the cost of sloppy work, and the beauty of good design.

[Al Skierkiewicz]

For me I use the grandma is watching analogy. However, I modify it be saying that you have to act as if "my grandmother is watching you." My grandmother was 98 1/2 when she died. Nena was an Italian grandmother with a seventh grade education in a pre-arranged marriage that lasted 66 years until my grandfather's death. Her idea of good behavior was pretty well defined. You are either good or not. You are either acting in a way that would make her proud or you're not. There is no in between. If you are not pleasing Nena you are not acting with gracious professionalism.
Thanks, Nena.

[pfreivald]

"Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.

...and kick robotty rear-end."

[Koko Ed]

To me GP stands for accomplishing a common goal in spite of any differences you may have.

[Oblarg]

The defining aspect of FIRST, for me, and really the essence of gracious professionalism is that as much as FIRST is a fierce competition, it's also a communal engineering challenge; we may pit our robots against each other, but we're all in it together. The competition is almost always secondary to that. A good FRC team does not participate for the sake of competition, they participate for the sake of the science, the math, and the engineering - and just as much as they can realize that through the performance of their own robot, it is just as important to help other teams realize it through theirs. We might compete with our robots, but we're not "opponents" in the usual sense. Not at all. This is why you see teams sharing tips, ideas, and even complete designs on a forum like this - the point is for everyone to build and field the best robot they possibly can. The competition itself is almost incidental.

To illustrate this: In my first year on 449, at the Trenton regional, a robot in autonomous mode rammed into our alliance station wall and knocked our OI clean off the shelf. Both of our joysticks were destroyed, and we had no spares. Immediately afterwards, they came over to our pit and asked us what we needed to become functional again. This would never happen at any other type of competition; the emphasis of FIRST is fundamentally different. For someone who "gets" gracious professionalism, it is vastly more satisfying to help another team field a working robot where they would not have before than to win the competition.

The point of FIRST is, as per the name, inspiration. Your job, as a member of an FRC team, is to inspire interest and passion for science and technology. You cannot do this unless you put the science and technology ahead of the competition in your list of priorities.

It may sound cheesy at first (especially given the speeches during kickoff), but it's absolutely essential to the functioning of FRC. I'd certainly not have stuck around as long as I have without it.

[treffk]

Woody Flowers talked about Gracious Professionalism during the 2013 kickoff. He referenced team 1108(and today is 11/08!) and how during the Greater Kansas City Regional they had their trailer stolen off an SUV. This trailer was lent to them by someone in the community for competition. This was a huge loss for them as the trailer contained tools, spare parts and I think there was even a few awards in there. The Greater Kansas City Regional banded together and started collecting the $100 MasterCard gift cards we were given to help cover the expenses to replace what was lost.

Another anecdote from the Greater Kansas City Regional: We have had teams show up on Thursday with just the kit of parts and very few tools. They had been registered and wanted to compete but did not have any experience to create a robot. Teams jumped together very quickly to help them build a robot that if I remember correctly was moving before Thursday was over.

Sidenote: It was awesome to hear Woody mention this during kickoff as I had forgotten he was there that year or that he even was aware of what took place as it happened during the final day of competition. It was even better he mentioned it cause I was sitting next to my cousin who is a 1108 alumni who was on the team when this took place.

2013 Kickoff Woody on Gracious Professionalism

To me Gracious Professionalism is comprised of professional courtesy, sportsmanship, teamwork and competition. Although we are all broken into separate teams and alliances we have to work together to make this program work. Without Gracious Professionalism we would be like competing companies (think of P&G and Johnson & Johnson if you need more of a visual) working to get ahead of the other, making sure no trade-secrets get out. Instead we work together and band together to help each other grow and become better teams this in turn helps each team build better robots making for more competitive matches, making for a more fun competition.

[Taylor]

To me:
Gracious Professionalism is a celebration. I will celebrate the wins of the teams around me, and the teams against whom I compete. Even those that beat me.
Because I've worked with some of these teams, and helped these teams to achieve their success. Or because I know how hard our team works, so if another team beats us, they must have worked harder/smarter/more effectively. Either way, that merits a celebration.

[class1234567]

To me GP is like a cross country race. Everyone struggles through it, but everybody encourages each other to finish, and do their best. Of corse you'll have "winners" and "losers", but everyones a winner because they already finished the hard task.

[Clem1640]

Gracious professionalism is:

Working together to come up with solutions to problems; on your own team and especially with other teams

Pointing out that loose wire or bolt on your opponent's robot while you're queued for a match

Taking time to think of what other teams may need as you pack for a competition

Realizing that you've got more students working in other team's pits than your own

Taking care and time not to make work or messes that others will need to fix/clean up

Understanding how your actions affect others and keeping this front-of-mind

Gracious professionalism is one of the aspects of FIRST which make the FIRST experience really rewarding and enjoyable. It's also really good practice for a professional career.