Survivor's Guide to Seminary, Post #11 (Your Professional Image and Its Cultivation - Part 4)

Previous entries in this series can be referenced here.

So, whatever you are going to do with your seminary degree, there’s one thing that is certain no matter what direction you are headed – you will be a professional and it is in your best interest early on to cultivate a professional “image.” We chatted about this in my previous posts. We're continuing that discussion in this post with Tip #4.

TIP #4 – Be mindful of your interactions with other students and faculty

In terms of our professional image, one of the most important things we can do is respect others and expect respect in return. In some ways, our relationships are the most important grid in which our professionalism is maintained, for it is the consummate professional who is concerned with collegiality – the cooperation of colleagues – and makes it her highest priority. In the seminary, an individual’s independence of thought is sacrosanct in my opinion, thus it becomes important for each of us to concern ourselves with mutual respect. Now, this does not mean that we cannot disagree with one another; after all, I too have independence of thought. But the way we adjudicate our differences and manifest our mutual respect does much to enhance our professional image.

One example here might be helpful. Once, a fellow student was struggling in a language class I was in at seminary. For whatever reason, this person was having a bit of a hard time and it was beginning to wear on them. In their tired and frustrated state, a little idea popped into their mind that perhaps it was a pedagogical flaw of the instructor, rather than the student’s own struggle to master a challenging course, which was at issue. 

“Professor failure” was to blame. 

They came to me to discuss a plan that had hatched in their mind.

The plan was this: approach the Dean of the graduate seminary and express the frustration that, because the student had done so well in other classes, and yet, was having so much trouble in the current course, that it must be the professor’s fault. What did I think?

“I think this is a terrible idea” I replied.

“What!? Why?” they asked.

I told the student that I was not a fan of whining. 

Yes, I said it just like that. I told them that I thought students at our level ought to “take our lumps” better than that. Moreover, if they planned to ask for recommendation letters from the Dean or this professor in the future, there were better, more positive ways, of approaching the problem – ways that were less likely to sully the student’s reputation. 

I offered other, more positive alternatives, which did not involve an end run around the professor to the Dean and which would bring the student and the “offending” professor into a more productive relationship. Of course, I also reminded them that the class was hard, and they ought to give themselves a break, too.

The primary reason for my advice was professionalism. 

Indeed, I think one day I might need a recommendation letter from my professors. And when I ask them for one I want them to think of me as a “go-getter” – a person who can handle the workload of the next level, whether the next level is a local church or a doctoral program. 

Also, it’s a matter of pride. As I told this student, I don’t like to whine to professors because I don’t want to give them the satisfaction that they are getting the best of me. Now, don’t read me the wrong way here. If you have a legitimate struggle in a class, take that concern/challenge to your professor in their office hours and see if you can work out a plan to overcome it. That kind of problem solving is the thing a professional would do. But remember, your professors are colleagues, and you are like their junior colleague now, and you don’t want to make your professor your therapist. Call home to your family or friends if things are tough. When things are tough in the classroom, approach your professor in “problem-solving mode” and be professional.

Now, your other colleagues in your seminary are your fellow students. You need to cultivate courteous, intellectual relationships with them as well. And enjoy the comradeship of seminary. You are going to experience a lot of trials with your seminary cohort (the students with which you enter the program). The relationships with students can be more casual than with professors, but remember, they always need to be professional, as well. One day, these fellow students will likely work in the Church with you, and you never know when one might serve at a church where you end up serving. Be professional.

On the Feeding of Goats and Sheep

"The pastor is called to feed the sheep, even if the sheep do not want to be fed. He is certainly not to become an entertainer of goats. Let goats entertain goats, and let them do it out in goatland. You will certainly not turn goats into sheep by pandering to their goatishness. Do we really believe that the Word of God, by His Spirit, changes, as well as maddens men? If we do, to be evangelists and pastors, feeders of sheep, we must be men of the Word of God."

William Still, The Work of the Pastor (Kindle Locations 226-229). Christian Focus Publications. Kindle Edition.

Survivor's Guide to Seminary, Post #10 (Your Professional Image and Its Cultivation - Part 3)

Previous entries in this series can be referenced here.

So, whatever you are going to do with your seminary degree, there’s one thing that is certain no matter what direction you are headed – you will be a professional and it is in your best interest early on to cultivate a professional “image.” We chatted about this in my last post. We're continuing that discussion in this post with Tip #3 - Cultivate Focus, Dedication, and Intelligence.

TIP #3 – Cultivate Focus, Dedication, and Intelligence

These three are foundational pillars of your personal brand. They are the qualities that you need to be all about  - whether you are a student in the seminary classroom, a minister in a local Church, or a professor or faculty member. Focus, dedication, and intelligence are important qualities. But how does one develop them?

Cultivate Focus. Are you focused? Professionals are focused. There are lots of ways to be focused. Let’s just run through a few and work on implementing these in your life so you can be more of a pro.

• Exercise: a fit body and a fit mind are a wonderful combination. Neuroscientists have known for a long time what most of us are just figuring out – it’s easier to focus your mind when you take care of your body. 
• Meditate: a 15-20 minute session of meditation each day is perfect for increasing mental focus. Google search this one and find out how it’s done. 
• Eliminate Distractions: If you are a student in seminary, this needs to be a priority in your life. Granted, you will likely have other things you need to take care of – family, perhaps even a job, etc. – but your work in seminary needs to be a high priority. Cultivate focus by eliminating distractions. Try this: for one week, keep a detailed record daily of how you spend your time. What did you do from one hour to the next? What activities did you do from first light of the morning until you went to sleep at night? At the end of the week, take a look at how you spent the week. How much time are you spending on your primary task: seminary? How much time are you spending in Internet surfing or entertainment? When you are reading or writing, do you have distractions like Facebook or TV pulling your mind away from your work? Finally, are you scheduling your time well (more on this later) so you are getting all the reading, writing, etc. for seminary completed? Eliminate distractions to increase your focus.
• Know your goals: It’s easier to cultivate focus when you know why you came to seminary. We’ve talked about this already, but this is where knowing why came for the degree you are working on will really pay off – in your ability to cultivate focus. Focus comes when you know why you are in seminary and what you are doing.
• Let your family and friends know that you are serious about your work: If your family or friends have not gotten the message that you are a seminary student and are serious about your work, sit down with them and let know you need a team around you that will help you focus on the challenges ahead. A large ability to cultivate focus will come from those you spend the most time with each day. 
• Do not miss class: This should go without saying, but ditching classes is for undergraduates. You will be in every class, barring an emergency, and you will be there early, grasshopper.

Cultivate Dedication: Are you dedicated? Well, a professional – by definition in many ways – is dedicated. This is not a pastime for you, it’s your vocation, and it’s what you do. Cultivating dedication is really about shaping where you put your time and energy. Dedication takes large amounts of time and energy, and that’s why you need to track how you spend your time. Your time is what marks what is important to you.

In cultivating dedication, you want to foster those kinds of qualities – turning your work in on time, doing the reading, making it to class every time, etc. – that will tell your faculty that you are a promising scholar or ministry student, one who is committed to her work. In my opinion, dedicated students will think about their semester’s work every day. They will make some productive move forward on their work everyday. They will schedule their day so they can get the work done. If your social life and their work conflict, you will work first and play later. If you want to be dedicated, make seminary your priority.

Cultivate Intelligence: Professionals are intelligent in their fields. You need to be so as well. But what does that really mean? Well, there’s no one definition from neuroscience or psychology for what ‘intelligence’ is – but there are many definitions. At the very least, intelligence is goal-directed adaptive behavior bolstered by memory, “crystallized” facts and informational content, memory, initiative, and the ability to self-critique. To my mind, there are several things one can be to bolster what we mean when we say “intelligence.”

• Read. Read widely and read well. Read a newspaper ever day, read books, journals, magazines, and book reviews. Read widely and cultivate a love of reading - even of things and of areas that are not in your field. There’s no better way to enhance the informational content of your “intelligence” than by reading. We’ll talk more about this in the next section, “The Six Über Skills of Seminary” 
• Learn new things: As you become expert in the various areas of study in seminary, remember that the power of learning novel things – new things - can really increase your intelligence. While it’s fine to become a deep specialist in one area, challenge yourself to learn about other things – things that are now to you. Although I consider myself a systematic theologian, I also enjoy reading and learning about insects and American Civil War history. But more than that, I try to learn new things in these areas. Recently, I travelled with my family to Gettysburg and we hired a battlefield guide to help us tour the field and learn about the battle. It was a little piece of brain candy. 
• Struggle: Neuroscientists have shown that our brains, much like our muscles when we lift in the gym, will respond with greater growth when we struggle. Environments where we are constantly learning will help us in this. As we struggle to master new knowledge, our neurons respond by making greater numbers of connections with other neurons, a sign of a healthy and intelligent mind. So, while in seminary, don’t take it easy on yourself. Read difficult things and be patient. Let your mind respond to the harder work (and know that it will). Don’t shirk the hard classes, sign up for them and let your mind work hard. The payoff, while not instantaneous, will eventually come. I remember when I first started reading Karl Barth’s Church Dogmatics. It was a tough bit of reading and I couldn’t read more than 10 pages at a time because I was constantly going back to a sentence I had just read making sure I had understood it. But these days, my mind has responded to the harder reading level of Barth’s work, and I can read 30-40 pages of the Church Dogmatics at a time. The struggle at the beginning is now paying off, so to speak. Lesson: work hard and let your mind grow, grow, grow (in connectedness).

Survivor's Guide to Seminary, Post #9 (Your Professional Image and Its Cultivation - Part 2)

Previous entries in this series can be referenced here.

So, whatever you are going to do with your seminary degree, there’s one thing that is certain no matter what direction you are headed – you will be a professional and it is in your best interest early on to cultivate a professional “image.” We chatted about this in my last post. We're continuing that discussion in this post with Tip #2 - Dressing for Success.

TIP #2 – Dress for Success

This is the most predictable tip in the book, eh? Yep, it is. Do you know why? Because it’s conventional wisdom that has helped many a person cultivate their personal brand and professionalism. And it works.

Now, I sense the times are changing on this one. I see lots of students that are wearing nicer clothes these days on campus, and it’s clear that they take care of themselves. But still, if you observe what many students are wearing on campuses, you will notice a trend towards sportswear – t-shirts, shorts, and sweatpants. And these articles of clothing are great – really great even – if you’re working out at the gym.

But in the classrooms of the seminary, you need to put in a little more effort. Now, it might be nice if you were judged on just your body of work and the brilliance of your scholarship. But folks do receive an impression from us based on our appearance. They notice what we wear. So dress for success.

In the military, we called it “appropriate civilian attire.” For men and women, it was usually slacks (or a skirt for the ladies), a collared shirt, shoes that were neat and polished, a belt, and hair that was combed (and a face that was shaved for the men – but hey, that was the military).

Now, in terms of seminary, I think one should dress in terms of what is appropriate for your department, particularly the faculty members teaching your classes. In my seminary, most professors taught classes in “business casual” – slacks or skirts, button down collars, polo shirts or long-sleeved shirts, in neutral colors. Pretty conservative stuff. Several routinely lectured in jackets, one professor always had a tie on as well.

When I was in class, it was usually always the same clothes for me: khaki slacks, polished shoes, button down collars on either a short- or long-sleeved dress shirt, and a neutral colored sweater vest. I wore this kind of outfit all the time. Most days, I even had a sport coat in the back of my truck, though I rarely wore it on campus. Nonetheless, I was ready to if the occasion called for it.

The advantages of dressing well – or at least better than undergrads in t-shirts and shorts – are well known. There is the confidence boost from looking like you are a professional. There’s also the chance that you will be taken more seriously by those who care about appearances, which are most other people, themselves professionals, who dress the part and keep up appearances in their own worlds. And depending on what you want to do with your seminary degree, it’s important to dress for the job you want to do.

I preach, do counseling, and make hospital visits in the routine prosecution of my ministry “job.” In each of these roles, which represent but a fraction of my total responsibilities in the ministry, people expect a professional – someone who speaks (and looks) like he knows what he is doing. So, I don’t go to work in t-shirts and shorts. Truth be told, most days, I go to work in the same things that I went to class in – business casual. Only these days, I tend to wear ties more often – especially on Sunday. It all depends on your context.

Now, in addition to my pastoral work, I want to be an academic, and I need to dress appropriate for the academic world. When I went to my first SBL/AAR conference in Atlanta (a major conference for biblical and religious studies), I wore a sport coat, slacks, and dress shirt each day. And I noticed those around me work jackets and ties, blouses and blazers – and they looked great. The second year I went, I wore a jacket and tie every day. Why? Because that’s what most of the other attendees were wearing, and I wanted to fit in with the crowd.

As I came to understand fashion more deeply, I realized that most of the male professors, presenters, and graduate students I was encountering at the conferences (sorry ladies, I was paying attention to the fellas so I could learn) were wearing “Ivy Trad” or “American Trad” – a traditional style of men’s dress common on college campuses in the Northeastern United States in the first half of the twentieth century. This style is probably best represented today by the looks and offerings of J. Press and Brooks Brothers. Now, that’s not to say that you have to buy your clothes from J. Press or Brooks Brothers, and drop money you don’t have while in seminary (though you can get affordable clearance items for both companies). But you should consider taking a little time to browse their websites and take a look at their men and women’s clothing. You’ll get the point. Their clothing pieces are traditional, timeless, and professional. Just like you want your professional image to be. I’ll probably get mail on this one, but appearances matter. Dress professionally and conservatively.

If this dress and appearance information has stymied you, or if you would like more resources to help you think about dressing professionally, consider doing an Internet search on men and women’s professional dress. You’ll turn up lots of information on the Web about how to dress professionally. If you want to take it a step further, and use the graduate school years to put together some timeless pieces of clothing in your wardrobe, let me recommend the following books:

For men:

• Ishizu, S., T. Kurosu, H. Hasegawa, T. Hayashida. Take Ivy. Brooklyn, NY: Powerhouse Books, 2010. 
• Roetzel, Bernhard. Gentlemen: A Timeless Fashion. Nueue Stalling, Oldenburg: H.F.Ullmann Publishing Gmbh, 1999.

For women and men:

• Banks, Jeffrey, and de La Chapelle, Doria. Preppy: Cultivating Ivy Style. New York: Rizzoli, 2011.

For women:

• Tuite, Rebecca. Seven Sisters Style: The All-American Preppy Look. New York: Rizzoli, 2014.

Note, I’m advocating for a certain style of dress that I think will enhance your professional appearance: traditional and conservative. This is a personal (and subjective) opinion of my own and you might disagree. Perhaps you’re thinking, “Egads! If I wear this kind of stuff I’ll come off like some stuffy East coast WASP!” Okay, I hear you. Just remember that fashion is a many-splendored thing – with lots of styles from which to choose. Whatever you decide to do, as long as you are dressier than t-shirts and shorts or sweatpants, you are taking a step in the right direction.

Survivor's Guide to Seminary, Post #8 (Your Professional Image and Its Cultivation - Part 1)

Previous entries in this series can be referenced here.

So, whatever you are going to do with your seminary degree, there’s one thing that is certain no matter what direction you are headed – you will be a professional and it is in your best interest early on to cultivate a professional “image.”

Now, in saying this, we’re treading on interesting territory. I have brought this conversation up in student circles and have gotten some pushback from folks who balk at the idea that ministers or theologians should cultivate a professional image. There seems to be some animated discussions about this in graduate student circles. After all, some argue, Jesus called his disciples from amongst the marginalized fishermen of Galilee. One certainly couldn’t accuse them of cultivating a professional image. What gives?

My response to that is – yeah, I hear you and you make a fair point. I’m pretty certain that Jesus is not concerned about our professional appearance, or demeanor, etc. If I read his teachings rightly, I’m pretty sure he’s concerned about the heart of the woman – the heart of the man – who follows him.

But I can assure you that many people among whom you will minister and work will have at least a passing concern that you accord yourself as a professional – as a person who cares about their behavior, appearance, and interactions with others because it reflects something of the gravitas they bear as a person of talent, skill, and responsibility. This is true in the secular world, in the Church, and in the seminary, too. So, if you will just trust me on this one – as a person who has passed through the halls of seminary, has worked in the world of the Church, and in the laboratories of academia, people are going to care that you carry yourself as a professional. Therefore, the time for you to cultivate and develop your professional qualities is NOW.

To begin our conversation on this topic, it’s important to sort our something real quick: the difference between a professional and an amateur.

Yes, yes – I know most of us think about professional versus amateur in terms of monetary compensation. I get paid, I’m a professional. I don’t get paid, I’m an amateur.

But let me challenge you to think of the two statuses in this way: when I’m a professional, I’m grown up and what I do is not just a past time, it’s my commitment. When I’m an amateur, I’m a dabbler, I’m not grown up yet. I don’t have all my “skin” in the game. I’m telling you that in the transition to seminary, you need to put all of your “skin” in the game. You need to cultivate an educational “grown up” persona and an emotional “grown up” persona.

As Steven Pressfield notes in his excellent book, Turning Pro, the difference between the professional and the amateur is all about habits.

Now, what I’d like for you to do is to think about the habits you’ve cultivated so far in your life and ask in what ways you need to stop engaging in amateur habits and develop professional habits.

To get us thinking about this the right way, let me tell you a story. It’s a story about day one, beginning of my undergraduate career. It was 7:30 in the morning and I was in a biology lab. I was ready and raring to go. Many of the students around me were not. The difference between the others and me was the difference between an amateur and a professional.

That morning, shaped by my time in the Marine Corps and the habits my time in the Corps had engendered in me, I was up at 5:00am, slurping robust, black coffee – that brown, life-giving juice – and about to head out the door for some early morning PT. That’s physical training for you non-military types. Once I was finished with my run, I had come home, showered, ironed my clothes, put a fresh polish on my shoes, and was out the door with my second cup of coffee. I arrived at class fifteen minutes early – 7:15am. I was caffeine buzzed and ready to look at some protozoa under the microscope. Oorah!

My classmates were not so ready. After all, it was 7:30am, this was college, and they were dragging in the door five and ten minutes late in their jammies. Amateurs. Greenhorns making rookie moves. Undergraduates being under-graduates. Who got more out of the lab that day? I’ll give you one guess. Hint: to this day I can still tell you about Volvox and Trypanosoma, and can even show you my notebook sketches.

Are you getting my drift?

As an undergraduate, like in high school, we all experienced a lot of handholding. In some ways, we were still treated like children. But at the graduate school level, in places like seminary, that needs to change. If your undergrad was like childhood, seminary represents your entry into the adult world. Yes, in some ways you might still feel like an adolescent, but in your training effort, and the ethos behind, you need to step it up a notch. You need to concern yourself with your professionalism and its cultivation.

So, where to start? Consider the following…

TIP #1 – Learn to start thinking about your personal brand

This one might make you dry heave a bit. Once upon a time, I would have. But “personal brand” is contemporary grammar for making a good first impression. And it’s important. As “they” always say, you only have one chance to…well, you know.

Make a first impression.

You see, your personal brand accrues with each new acquaintance, colleague, co-worker, etc. that you meet. But it’s more than that – it accrues with your social media presence, with your blog or website presence, with the way you meet deadlines, how you turn your papers in on time. Your personal brand consists of the kinds of conversations you have, and the way that you conduct yourself in your studies and in your relationships. It can even be shaped by how you conduct yourself in class. Are you a goof-off or a serious student? All of this becomes a part of your personal brand.

And don’t underestimate the power of cultivating yourself as a person who is serious about their work. When you do, other serious students (meaning, those who care and work hard) will be attracted to you and you will be able to form the kind of relationships that can encourage you in your time in seminary.

Not only that, but the faculty will notice you more, and opportunities will open up – opportunities that might not be open to less serious students. Perhaps your professor has a book they’ve been meaning to review but they have no time. Perhaps because you’ve managed yourself like a professional, they ask you to write the review since they don’t have time. Perhaps because you do such a good job writing the review, just like a professional would, the professor helps you get it published in a journal.

Or perhaps a faculty member hears that you did a good job teaching Dr. Jones’ undergraduate New Testament class one day when she was away, so Dr. Smith asks you to teach his class next week since he will be away at an academic conference. And like a professional who takes care of his reputation (personal brand), you handle the class like a pro.

You get the drift. Learn to develop your personal brand.

Now, go work on cultivating your professional image. We'll explore Tips 2-4 in the next three posts...

[Catch the rest of the posts in the series here]