The Fellow Professionals

The other professionals in the field are competitors no doubt but in their deal­ings with one another, the feeling of antagonism should be substituted by the bond of fraternity. Free and fair competition is to be applauded but depre­cating others in the same profession and pointing out their faults to belittle them are to be eschewed. The client or the customer may have preference for one adviser in place of another. This personal pre­ference has to be accepted and acknowledged by a fellow professional with tolerance and in good grace.

Etiquette in the professional field requires that all the professionals should work for the total good of society. They must help the development and extension of their science. Their performance has to be heightened to the maximum. Their skill or expertise has to be perfected. There is hardly any scope for competition or mud-flinging here. Politeness, sincerity and spirit of coexistence towards one another in the same profession should be unquestioned and prevail always. Errors and genuine mistakes cannot be avoided but it is better to have a fair and open discussion before accepting another's customer. Professional unity and integrity have to be preserved at all costs at all times.

Thus, there is more scope for consultation in professions than for outright competition. The pro­fessional., who knows his limitations and sticks to thoroughness within his limited sphere is apt to be popular and will prosper within that circle. All fellow-professionals are equally in need of assistance from one another. There- should be no rancour, no remorse, only the will for better performance and general betterment. For that reason, between the lowest and the highest in the profession, snobbishness should be completely absent. If professionals view their work as business, they may be mistaken, because they are not buyers and sellers of commodities but their work refers to services which are concerned with human welfare.