I think we need to, culturally, seperate "professionalism" from "sanitized".

I work with a bunch of brilliant, competent, incredible people. And they are funny, and weird, and authentic. All the time.

But there's still a prevailing vision that "professionalism" is being "on". Is a mask you wear to show yourself as "adult". You hide the weird, you put on the suit, you shake hands, your jokes are designed for chuckles.

That's not professionalism to me. Professionalism is treating folks with respect and getting shit done. It's being honest and human.

De-brand yourself, be all of yourself, be your brilliant and weird and capable and ambitious self.

@esdin well said. Blindboy Boatclub of the Rubberbandits recently shared a similar sentiment that resonated with me, about seriousness and solemnity -- that solemnity is the act of publicly simulating seriousness, and that we can be serious without the performance of solemnity.