reinventing professionalism

Perhaps you've heard of the american workplace? Success in that world is all about fitting in. Some of the ways I've fit in include dressing the part by matching the clothing standards of my peers. I've also practiced code switching, or altering my speech to sound more like my coworkers. Most of us are familiar with the ways that our jobs encourages conforming to the norms around us. The same is true to a huge extent in the society around us. Even being a noncomformist is conforming, as my dad liked to tell me in my rebellious teenage years. But I think that the value of code switching is also a symptom of a larger problem. Professionalism, and fitting in, puts many of us in a box that doesn't fit.I started my own company in part because it gave me the freedom to choose the peers and clients I worked with. I find myself code switching less often. When I do code switch, it's by choice. It can make my work easier at times without feeling like it's necessary to succeed. I've written…