PATH Leadership Group · Session 7 · Professional skills
What are professional skills?
We are going to look at things people do at work or in meetings. Some are professional. Some are not. Some depend on the workplace.
Yes — this is professional
- Wearing clean clothes that suit the job
- Wearing what feels comfortable AND fits where you work (office / ranger work / art centre are all different)
- Keeping your space clean — rubbish in the bin, things put away
- Having a wash, brushing teeth, neat hair
- Doing what you say you will do (being reliable)
- Following the group agreement
- Being on time
- Calling your manager if you are running late or sick
- Listening when others are talking (active listening)
- Respecting everybody, even people you disagree with
- Being honest
No — this is not
- Always arriving late
- Not calling your manager when you will be late
- Disrespecting people
- Being rude
- Not following through on what you said you would do
- Talking over people in meetings
- Going on your phone while someone is talking to you
- Coming to work without the basics (wash, clean clothes, breakfast)
Depends on the workplace
- Wearing a suit — yes for a board meeting, no for ranger work
- Wearing thongs — OK at an art centre on a 42° day, not at a court appearance
- Calling people by their first names
- Talking about home and Country at work
- Bringing food to share
- Wearing a footy guernsey on a Friday
Different workplaces and different Country have different ways. There is no one right answer here — you pick, based on who you are with.
Have a think
- Which workplace would you most like to work in?
- What would a professional version of you look like at that workplace?
- Pick ONE thing from the “Yes” list you want to practise this week.
Adapted for Central Australia by DAS, in partnership with Inclusion NT under the PATH MOU 2025–26. Original curriculum © Inclusion NT.