Gracious Professionalism®
Dr. Woodie Flowers, FIRST National Advisor and Pappalardo Professor Emeritus of Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, coined the term “Gracious Professionalism®.”
Gracious Professionalism is part of the ethos of FIRST. It is a main motto of the FIRST Robotics Competition. It’s a way of doing things that encourages high-quality work, emphasizes the value of others, and respects individuals and the community. The definition has never been precisely outlined, but it's connotation is widely understood and may be summarized as this: "Competition for the sake not of destroying one another, but for the sake of bettering and improving both competitors as a result of the competition."
With Gracious Professionalism, fierce competition and mutual gain are not separate notions. Gracious professionals learn and compete like crazy, but treat one another with respect and kindness in the process. They avoid treating anyone like losers. No chest thumping tough talk, but no sticky-sweet platitudes either. Knowledge, competition, and empathy are comfortably blended.
Lending a spare part to an opponent in order to keep them from forfeiting a match is a prime example of gracious professionalism. Using your only time-out during a Super-Regional Final match so that your opposing Alliance can have an extra 3 minutest to try to finish repairs to their robot is a prime example of Gracious Professionalism (and we got to see that happen in San Antonio at the FTC South 2015 Super-Regionals).
In the long run, Gracious Professionalism is part of pursuing a meaningful life. One can add to society and enjoy the satisfaction of knowing one has acted with integrity and sensitivity.
