Truisms distilled out of a lifetime’s experiences come out as a collection in The Professional. The sanctimonious tone it assumes in some places is jarring but it is Bagchi’s by right, due to the sheer diversity and depth of experiences and views that he marshals before us.

The book looks at professionalism, as a sum total of attitudes, attributes and skill sets, all built over the bedrock of integrity. Spread over eight sub-sections, the author warns us that it has to be read in the order it is written. It can be read in any order, reading Bagchi is such a pleasure. Though there are done to death advices like ask questions, do research, and manage time, there are gems galore. Being comfortable with limitations, doing what you are good at, taking charge, value of dissent and transparency and dealing with personal pain are some of the exciting reads. Most of what Bagchi brings to the table is not new. But the authenticity he imparts to those ideas, by way of personal practice is what makes the book worth a read.  One of the best pieces is about being committed to commitment.  

 

Reading The Professional, I instinctively remembered Ayn Rand and her favourite icon Howard Roark. Bagchi’s professional is almost like him, fanatical about integrity, professionally competent, highly efficient, supremely confident, totally self-aware, but unlike Roark, humane and politically correct.

One segment, managing complexity, also shows Bagchi’s erudition. All the seven pieces are worth a second reading. The piece on dealing with personal pain is vintage Bagchi.If you have very little time to read, then the 18 pages dealing with New World is the section you must go for.  Each piece here illuminates the complexities involved in today’s world.And that brings me to Bagchi’s raison d’être, integrity.

Integrety is the bedrock of professionalism to Bagchi, and he would only see it in black and white. There appears to be a singular lack of context in Bagchi’s narrative. To him it is an absolute concept. But values, morals and  principles  evolve and they evolve in tandem with the society. How much land at what price is fair for a firm and the society? How much of affirmative action is essential? How far should a firm go, in protecting jobs? What profit levels are fair profit levels?

The above questions are not amenable to answers in black and white. Grey dominates our life, and it rubs off on matters of personal integrity as well. Equating an inflated bill or claiming a false tax break to sexual harassment and punishing all similarly might look very seductive, but has no use in the outside world.