What Happens To Your Attitude Towards Gracious Professionalism When You Leave FIRST?

[GaryVoshol]

I recall discussing the attitude of several new employees at work, "Oh, he's still young and not disallusioned yet. He'll learn." And yes, we all learn, and we all become somewhat disillusioned. But that's because for the most part we we have too high of an illusion in the first place. Most of us aren't going to "change the world".

That sounds cynical, but it really isn't. I prefer realistic. And I would submit that most people who do end up being in a position to change the world don't start out that way, and don't start out trying to be that way.

But being disallusioned by the world doesn't mean we have to be disallusioned about ourselves. We do what we can in our part of the world. Who knows, maybe your little assignment will turn out to be something that, taken together with a lot of other little assignments, will change the world. All along the way you can act in a professional manner, getting your job done, meeting your deadlines, producing your own quality work. And if you can be gracious about it, not complaining about your workload, not carping at the faults of others, then you will have achieved your own GP.

Now, to go off on a tangent -

Originally Posted by JaneYoung

From the FIRST website:

http://www.usfirst.org/who/content.aspx?id=36

Shouldn't FIRST's own website show the (tm) symbol for "Gracious Professionalism" and "Coopertition"?