---
title: Professionalism
tags:
  - topic/ergonomics/organizational
  - topic/individualism
  - type/philosophy
---
# Professionalism

%%

## TALK

I want to use this note to talk about
what makes an expert and
what makes an "expert".

* imposter syndrome
* effectiveness vs productivity
* traits valued by employers/clients
* being a "salesman" of your abilities
* how to _appear_ effective

%%

### Being a Salesman of Your Ability

To "sell" something in the sales sense
is to make it more appealing _without changing it_.
A cynic might call this lying.
A more fair take is that people generally present their ability as less than it is.

I suspect that the most knowledgeable
and technically effective practitioners of any field
are not known to be such.

To be a salesman of some ability
is a deviation from specialization in that ability.
Every bit of [[individual-ability#Capacity for Familiarity|capacity]]
devoted to salesmanship
is a bit less to the skill itself.

> [!example]
> Mike Holt has a better grasp on code than most,
> but there are likely hundreds better than him
> specifically in that aspect.
>
> It is his salesmanship, his visible confidence in his ability,
> that makes up the difference.

### Optics, or Playing the Game

#### Example: Notetaking

[[note-taking|note-takers]] always look more valuable than they would otherwise.
