I recently went on holiday which meant I actually had time to watch TV. I found myself watching “The Great Food Truck Race Season 2” – it’s a reality TV show about 3-man team food trucks and like many reality TV shows, it’s a competition with a mix of flamboyant and passionate contestants. At the end of the episode, one team was eliminated. 

When the eliminated team was decided upon, the host said “I’m sorry you guys had to be eliminated, we will definitely remember you for your professionalism”.

What the host said made me reflect back on how I remember my bosses, colleagues and ponder how people remember me. True enough, the point that is most memorable about anyone in the working world, regardless of industry, white collar or blue collar, is their professionalism. We all have colleagues who are always late, always slow at doing their work, always coming up with excuses and similarly, we have colleagues and bosses who are always early to work, super efficient and a problem solver with a can-do attitude. All these speaks of their professionalism. 

Of course, some people simply do not care how others remember them professionally and allow themselves to lead mediocre unfulfilling lives. But I’m sure you are not one of those. So how do you think your colleagues, past and present, remember you?