Professionalism and Discipline: Thoughts by Atul Gawande

From “The Checklist Manifesto - How to Get Things Right”, 2009, by Atul Gawande (medical doctor, author):

“All learned occupations have a definition of professionalism, a code of conduct.  It is where they spell out their ideals and duties.  The codes are sometimes stated, sometimes just understood.  But they all have at least three common elements.”

“First is an expectation of selflessness: that we who accept responsibility for others- whether we are doctors, lawyers, teachers, public authorities, soldiers, or pilots- will place the needs and concerns of those who depend on us above our own.  Second is an expectation of skill: that we will aim for excellence in our knowledge and expertise.  Third is an expectation of trustworthiness: that we will be responsible in our personal behavior toward our charges.”

“Aviators, however, add a forth expectation, discipline: discipline in following prudent procedure and in functioning with others...”

“Discipline is hard- harder than trustworthiness and skill and perhaps even selflessness.  We are by nature flawed and inconstant creatures.  We can’t even keep from snacking between meals.  We are not built for discipline.  We are built for novelty and excitement, not for careful attention to detail.  Discipline is something we have to work at.”

Here, here.

Dan Scheerer, SmartGeorge

Credit and Life

The mission (lower case) of SmartGeorge is to help kids see the correlation between money and life.  A clear example of that truth struck our dinner table last night.  I picked Trust as a discussion point with my boys (15 & 12) as we were wrapping up our meal:  “Tell me about trust”, I said.  Sheepishly they began to define it as they perceive it.  I followed with a stream of questions to help guide their thoughts:

“What does it mean to trust someone?” they talked about me, and parents in general.

“Is trust important?”

“How does being trusted help you?”

“How does someone lose your trust?”

“Can they gain it back?”  “How?”

“Do you have an example of someone you don’t trust?”  “Why not?”

“How does being trusted serve you?”

“Do you think there are people who might not trust you?”  “How can you fix that?”

“How long does it take to repair trust?” (followed by defining the difference between a sincere and insincere apology)

“How do you insure that people trust you over the long term?”

I don’t recall the exact order of these questions and the flow of the conversation, but over the course of about twenty minutes or more, they talked about their teachers, their friends, and yes, even their dogs. (trusting them not to bite - good point!)  By the time we were exhausting the topic (and probably their tolerance level to put up with dad’s fathering) they had stretched their minds and added some perspective on the subject of trust.  Hopefully, they will consider it more often in their daily lives as they interact with their peers, teachers, younger schoolmates, and siblings.  We’ll revisit the topic regularly to be certain.

But that’s not the end of it.  As it goes in life, so it goes in business.  The same rules apply.  We seek the same comfort in our business world as we do at home.  Can we trust our partners?  Our teammates?  Our vendors?  Our lenders?  Do they trust us?  Have we earned THEIR trust?  At SmartGeorge, we usually start with the financial lesson and then move into it’s application in life.  But I reversed it on my boys here.  This topic of Trust moves naturally into the financial term, Credit.  Credit is really about whether banks and other lenders trust you to pay your debts properly and on time.  If you fail to do so, you lose their trust and must pay a penalty, as in life.  Financial institutions make your failures public, as people do in life.  You can earn their trust back, but it takes action and time, as in life.  An apology isn’t enough (sincere or not), its about long term behavior and forming good habits.  With money, it can be measured through your credit score.  It’s not so easy in life, but just as important.  

Hmm.  As my favorite minister likes to say, “That’ll preach!”

Dan Scheerer, SmartGeorge