Unprofessionalism
What does it really mean to be professional?
For generations, professionalism has been associated with competence, composure and control. But many of the unwritten rules we follow at work were built for a different world, one that asked us to hide uncertainty, suppress emotion and prioritise appearance over connection.
Each week, Dr Myriam Hadnes, behavioural economist, facilitator and founder of workshops.work, sits down with people who've questioned those rules. Their stories start with a professional risk. Few set out to be disruptive. Most simply reached a point where the conventional way of working no longer served them or the people around them.
Together they unpack the risks they took: admitting they didn't know, showing grief at work, challenging authority, asking for help, dressing differently, changing careers, trusting others, leading in ways they'd never seen modelled.
This podcast doesn't ask you to reject professionalism, or treat authenticity as some ideal to reach for. It’s about judgment: Which professional norms help us collaborate, lead and build trust? Which ones create distance between people? And how do we recognise the difference?
If you've ever felt the gap between who you are and who you think work wants you to be, this podcast invites you to look again. Not every professional rule needs breaking. But every one is worth questioning.
Unprofessionalism
027 - Why This Podcast Makes Us Uncomfortable with Dr Myriam Hadnes
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This week's professional risk
Questioning the professional rules we’ve always followed, without ever choosing them.
Description
Every now and then, a conversation comes along that completely breaks my understanding of unprofessionalism. This episode starts with one of those moments. I realised that simply breaking professional norms isn’t enough. Some people challenge conventions to gain attention, power or status. Others do it because they’re trying to make work more human, more honest or more courageous. The difference matters.
But perhaps the most interesting part isn’t what my guests do. It’s what happens inside us when we hear their stories. That little voice saying, “You can’t do that.” Where does it come from? Is it protecting something you deeply value? Or is it repeating a rule you inherited without ever questioning it?
If this podcast has ever made you uncomfortable, this episode explains why.
This episode invites you to reflect on:
- Why feeling uncomfortable doesn’t necessarily mean someone crossed a line.
- How to tell the difference between breaking a rule that’s outdated and one that’s worth protecting.
- Why most of us follow professional norms that nobody ever explicitly taught us.
Over to you!
The next time you catch yourself thinking, “You can’t do that,” ask yourself: What professional rule did they just break? And do I still believe that rule deserves to exist?
About the guest
Myriam is a facilitator, behavioural economist and the host of Unprofessionalism. After interviewing dozens of leaders, entrepreneurs and creatives, she has realised that every time she thinks she understands unprofessionalism, a new conversation stretches its boundaries.
This episode is one of those moments.
Links to learn more about Myriam Hadnes: