Some of you don’t understand the meaning of professionalism. What do it means to be professional in your work? This is a little true story. Back in the days when money was even tougher to earn, things were cheaper. Back then, the cost of service could be in just sen (which means less than RM1). There was this man, who had problem with his bicycle and he had a friend who offered service to repair bicycle. So the first man sent the bicycle to his friend’s place and he fixed it. The service cost him 20 sen. So thinking that it was just 20 sen, the first man thought his friend could consider it for free. He was wrong. His friend said to him, “Okay, it’s 20 sen altogether. I know it’s just 20 sen but you still have to pay since you are getting a service for your bicycle here.” With hesitation and felt a little upset because his own good friend still asked for such an amount, he paid it anyway. Just when his friend received the coin, he said, “Come lets go to the coffee shop. I’ll treat you.” So they sat they and ordered food and drinks and chatted away. It cost the friend about RM 1.50. So he paid up. The first guy still didn’t get it. When they were leaving the stall, the friend told him. “Sorry buddy if you felt a little awkward about me asking you to pay 20 sen for the service. I don’t mean to be calculative towards a good friend like you. But this is how I see it. When you come to my place to ask for service, it’s between a customer and a businessman. I offer you service at certain cost and you must pay after you get the service. It’s the nature of doing business. When it comes to our friendship, it’s a different thing. I can buy you drinks and foods, whatever I feel like spending to treat you something. It’s not because I am stingy and calculative, but this is about being Professional in my work. I don’t mix business with pleasure. Business is business. So the first guy laughed and finally understood why the friend did that. Especially when he only paid 20 sen and the friend treated him food and drink cost more than 20 sen. He then understood the meaning of being professional.
How about you?
It took some time for me to be this way. But when I finally understood, this is what I do. I NEVER ASK for discount from my friends. If they give me a discount, I will see if it’s reasonable or not. If not, I will STILL pay more than the price offered because I UNDERSTAND that this is not the time to expect my friends to be generous or thoughtful. Business is they source of income. They have to pay for rental, workers and other things. If you are not professional, you could end up closing your business anytime soon. Business people who are not professional, thinking that they want to win the heart of their friends and relatives, guess what, Business is not your field. You need to work with the Welfare or Charity organizations since that you will FAIL indefinitely as a businessman. Only those with professionalism are realistic about business and only they can survive longer.
This has been my way. It’s painful to deal with people who don’t understand professionalism. Just like when I owed my friend RM2 because I had no change that time and she was rushing, I still paid her and she never told me, “Nevermind about the RM2” and we did went out a few times and she paid for our lunch that cost more than RM25 per person. This is what being professional is all about. And if you claim to understand, make sure you do what’s necessary to make it easier for your friends to be professional in their work too. Don’t expect them to be generous, and if you think you can’t get something for free if you go to other shops, DON’T expect it free from your friends too. Bear that in mind.
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