i feel like this post will be me on a soapbox, but i was on the train this morning and felt it needed to be addressed. while i don’t consider myself anyone’s keeper, i do think that common sense and professionalism yield a set of unspoken rules about being a ybp.
- being late. rule of thumb: arriving early is arriving on time. arriving on time is arriving late. arriving late is cause for termination.
- excessive jewelry. lets all act a little more grown and calm the multiple piercings down to one. subtle diamonds are expected, not giant two carat cubic zirconium.
not knowing what ‘business professional’ is. shift some funds from your sneaker fetish to purchase a tailor-made gray, blue, or black suit. you don’t want to be caught without form-fitting business professional attire during important networking events.- not being trilingual. just in case you haven’t heard, there is a way to speak in the office, a way to speak to your family, and a way to speak to the cats on the block.
- wearing a do-rag. again, let us graduate from high school and retire the do-rag and head wraps for indoor, bedtime use.
- not having inviting decorum. whether you live in an apartment or house, grown and sexy is epitomized through the available clean and inviting house, subtle house colors and tone, and the complimentary wine with light snack.
- cursing excessively. yeah, it was cool in grade school, but ybp’s should pride themselves on a more tactful and expansive vernacular, especially in the office. the same could be said for laughing excessively loud and talking obnoxiously.
- not paying the bill every now and then. while you should never over extend yourself, grabbing the check ‘every now and then’ goes a long way, even if its just a couple of drinks.
- not paying colleagues back in a timely manner. almost an extension of number 8, if you don’t have cash on you at a given moment and a colleague offers, be sure to hit that person back within 1 day. not 2 days or 5 days. 1 day.
- excessively watching mtv and bet. while the viacom networks obviously provide us with some entertainment, they should not dictate our perspective about pop culture. join a book club, read newspapers and weblogs, and stay active in your neighborhood. you don’t want your conversation to be limited to ‘did you see what happened on college hill last night?’
(image from gettyimages.com)
The Urban Scientist
AMEN!!
August 14, 2007 at 9:35 am
ybpreader
lol i really have to work on my promptness.
August 14, 2007 at 9:36 am
Kimberly Michelle
Very good points.
August 14, 2007 at 10:01 am
GIB
LOVE it!! except the wine thing. i have a taste for it, but most alcohol is still basically nasty. if you don’t want to serve that, a fine mineral water or sparkling cider can add a nice flair to a grown and sexy evening.
August 15, 2007 at 9:31 am
Gabby
I love this!! I am always the one telling acquaintances how to behave. My girls and I sit around and talk about how some people need “Professionalism 101.” This is definitely a great start. Thanks for the post.
August 15, 2007 at 10:46 am
ETS
Who determines what business professional is?
Answer: The business.
Ok, so what about when we get in positions of power? Do we challenge those?
I speak as someone in the media, an industry that has adopted very non-African/black images of what is acceptable. What do you think about that?
Is there something inherently wrong with a guy delivering the news in locs or cornrows?
August 15, 2007 at 2:16 pm
Kay
I agree with some of what you said, but I think you have an extremely narrow view of being a ybp. The person you described probably lives on the East coast and doesn’t work in a tech field. The tables turn when you move to the west (where the good weather means no one dresses like a professional, it’s all business casual because the layers in a suit are too darn hot!), and/or work in a company that has “dot com” in the name or “web” in your title. I worked at a dot com that had a pool table in the breakroom. How do you play pool in a suit?
August 15, 2007 at 2:27 pm
ETS
Co-sign with Kay … on some levels. When I came to job interviews in Phoenix and the Bay area in a suit, they laughed at me. I was watching the news in LA and the weatherwoman had on jeans. JEANS!!
August 15, 2007 at 3:44 pm
freed_slave
#4 Sums it all up. We could spend all day talking about that one
August 17, 2007 at 12:04 pm
Wine Savvy not Wine Snobby | Young Black Professional Guide
[...] you are hosting or ordering and forgot which wine goes best with the meal in front of you, or if you just want to be more ybp. You can also support the sisters by purchasing a bottle of their Divas Uncorked Chardonnay. [...]
August 17, 2007 at 2:14 pm
J. Dakar
I agree with some of what you said. Out of curiosity, though, do you think a quarter-carat diamond stud in each ear is excessive?
August 18, 2007 at 8:16 pm
Bigrayvina
Number 10 is a bell ringer for me . It is amazing to me how people do not stay current and pride them selves on knowing what the person next door did . Never realizing that we are living in a global world and not broaden their scope could hurt them in the long run.
August 19, 2007 at 11:14 pm
A-Dub
Great list! Of course, everyone is different…I don’t drink alcohol and I don’t speak to “cats on the street” any differently than anybody else…
August 21, 2007 at 1:56 am
Are your Pants Sagging? | Young Black Professional Guide
[...] financially to wear your jeans below your waist, it’s probably not a good idea. 2. Fred already discussed du-rags; they are not fashion; they are not “ybp.” In my opinion, neither are sagging jeans. 3. [...]
August 31, 2007 at 10:56 am
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[...] while back Fredric wrote about 10 things that are not ybp (young, black or professional). Without his permission, I am adding double-dipping to that [...]
February 5, 2008 at 4:04 pm
NaijaBabe
God Bless you for writing this. AMEN!
August 16, 2008 at 5:51 pm
katrina
hmmm i agree with this to a certain extent, but as others said do not allow these to be your only guidelines or feel you MUST adapt these. It is annoying when young black professionals only do things a certain way and anything else is “beneath” them. lets focus on being responsible citizens of the world. period.
September 30, 2008 at 7:18 am
Erica
I think you should add not starting or participating in office gossip. The secretary in my office knows everyone's business and is more than willing to share it with who ever will listen. I don't participate, I think it is ignorant and very unprofessional.
January 23, 2009 at 8:21 am
Tiff
Please add ” hating” on other ybP to your list
March 16, 2009 at 7:15 pm