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Become the Silent Professional

Families, friends, and members of the class of 2022! I am honored and humbled to address you

on behalf of the graduate school.

Have you ever stopped and questioned why we seek recognition in everything we do? We have

stayed up late writing those last few paragraphs, on countless nights, to the morning calm

peeking through our blinds. We have all submitted an assignment on Brightspace as our laptop

clock struck 11:59 p.m. and felt a minute of relief before midnight signaled a new due date, and

the cycle restarts. We write our names immediately following the title of a 25-page paper

because we deserve the credit and recognition. Right? Imagine if your name wasn’t there. Would

your paper lose any value in meaning or substance? I’m here to explain the most important life

lesson I have ever learned; become the silent professional.

Be patient. One of the first steps to becoming a silent professional is to have a vast amount of

patience. You will watch as peers are promoted ahead of their Cohort and receive instant

gratification from their products. They will rely on immediate fulfillment to reinforce their work

ethic. Instead, you should look for small daily steps forward to gain the more significant move

over time. Become the best in your chosen field by staying secret, unnoticed, and unrecognized.

Improve the team. Becoming a silent professional means putting the quality of work and

collective accomplishments before individual goals, accolades, or recognition. When you are

assigned to work in a group, you agree to put forth a product that outweighs any personal goals.
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Allow the final results to shine and elevate team members by placing their names above yours.

Building a positive environment and developing others will extend influence beyond any boss.

Keep learning. The last step of becoming a silent professional requires you to keep learning.

Millions of YouTube channels teach new or inexperienced beginners a new skill or craft. Free

leadership seminars are continuously occurring throughout the year, and you can watch them at

the comfort of your home in your favorite pajama pants. Self-improving will expand intellectual

capacity and domain performance in a career field.

Silent professionals are patient, but they always improve the team and learn new ways. Continue

to look for the small daily steps forward and don’t rely on the accolades to reinforce work ethic.

The reliance becomes a toxic trait for poor leadership skills. Instead, stay secret, unnoticed, and

unrecognized by advancing others within a team. A silent professional is quiet, consistent, and

professional—every day.