Unprofessionalism

About Unprofessionalism

What does it really mean to be professional? For generations, professionalism has been associated with competence, composure and control. But many of the unwritten rules we follow at work were built for a different world, one that asked us to hide uncertainty, suppress emotion and prioritise appearance over connection. Each week, Dr Myriam Hadnes, behavioural economist, facilitator and founder of workshops.work, sits down with people who've questioned those rules. Their stories start with a professional risk. Few set out to be disruptive. Most simply reached a point where the conventional way of working no longer served them or the people around them. Together they unpack the risks they took: admitting they didn't know, showing grief at work, challenging authority, asking for help, dressing differently, changing careers, trusting others, leading in ways they'd never seen modelled. This podcast doesn't ask you to reject professionalism, or treat authenticity as some ideal to reach for. It’s about judgment: Which professional norms help us collaborate, lead and build trust? Which ones create distance between people? And how do we recognise the difference? If you've ever felt the gap between who you are and who you think work wants you to be, this podcast invites you to look again. Not every professional rule needs breaking. But every one is worth questioning.

Publisher

Dr Myriam Hadnes

Category

business · business · society & culture

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

6 Jan 2026

Latest episode

20 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

38 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   20 Oct 2026

   037 - Why Good Leaders Break Bad Rules with Marilyn Zakhour

   This week's professional risk - inspired by Marilyn Challenging a rule, a KPI or a person in authority when following along would be easier, safer and more professional. Description When Marilyn was told to cut a third of her marketing budget, she suggested cancelling Dubai’s New Year’s Eve celebration instead. Her team produced it. The room froze. For Marilyn, that was precisely the point. An absurd demand sometimes needs an equally absurd response before everyone stops hiding behind the pro...

2. 

   6 Oct 2026

   036 - The Person Behind the Title with Piero Gandini

   This week's professional risk - inspired by Piero Gandini Risking status and authority by refusing to let your title determine how you relate to people. Description What happens when you gain status but refuse to behave as though it makes you more important than the people around you? When Piero became a Colombian consul, his new team had only ever called his predecessor "Consul". On the first evening, a colleague asked, "Mr Consul, what do you want to eat?" He answered, "My name is Piero." S...

3. 

   22 Sept 2026

   035 - When Private and Professional Collapse with Dr. Kate Raynes-Goldie

   This week's professional risk - inspired by Kate Raynes-Goldie Trusting yourself enough to break the rules that are supposed to keep you safe. Description Professionalism feels safe. Kate calls it a false safety: the suit, the right behaviour, the private life kept at home, all so nobody sees the part of us that might be judged. It is also what we ask of each other, when we expect a colleague to show up in a way that isn't confronting for anyone else in the room. Once Facebook opened up beyon...

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