There are different steps to becoming a professional. These steps involve specific levels of both skill and knowledge. These steps are concerned with everybody regardless of occupation or ad vocation. Being a professional is more than a title or more than simply being an expert in a specific field. Being an expert is the result of long and hard efforts in developing a knowledge base and skill base which are necessary to achieving the highest level of ability and performance in a specific area. There are five major steps that one must always complete in obtaining the title of "professional". These steps are illustrated in Figure 14-3 and include: 

(1) beginner, 
(2) novice, 
(3) advanced, 
(4) master, and 
(5) professional.

Beginner

The first stage up the ladder to being a professional is the first rung and it is entitled "beginner". The beginner stage is designed to allow us all to learn how to do it. We must learn the various tasks that are associated with whatever activity in which we are involved. If we are to be a basketball player, then we need to practice to basics of tossing the ball up towards the hoop. We need hour upon hour practicing. We need to learn the various plays. We need to learn the various team activities that are involved in becoming a good basketball player.

This beginner stage requires hours and hours, days and days, months and months, and even years of preparation and practice. This stage cannot be overlooked although many of us at time would like to. However, we do need to develop the skills and techniques which are necessary to enable us to become the best there is.

Novice

After we have gone through the beginner stage, we need to practice doing what we do. If we are a young swimmer, we need to go out and time ourselves to see how good we can actually become in swimming the 100 meters with the breaststroke. We need to practice our breathing, our arms and legs strokes. We need to practice the activities which we have learned in the beginning stage.

Advanced

At this stage we actually do it. If we are a football team member, we have learned the various skills we have practiced and now we need to go out and compete and use these skills in an actual game situation.

The advanced stage include and is involved with the actual use of proper skills in a competitive situation. It is at this time that we have gone through all the formal training programs, we have practiced this prior to the grand opening. Now is the grand opening. Now is the time when we actually perform with our customers. This is the stage wherein we have perfected somewhat our skill level and we are able to go out and satisfy most of our customers needs and wants.

Hopefully, we will win the football game. But more importantly, we will have been able to compete and we would have been able to see the strengths and weaknesses of our performance. We can review this performance on film or we can review this performance by measuring our sales volume and profits.

Master

In the master stage, we perfect our abilities and now we began to teach others to do it as well. We have been working on improving our skills. If we are the professional baseball player, we have been out working very hard on the baseball team. We are now one of the better players on our team and may even be recognized as one of the top ten players in different categories such as home runs, bases stolen, runs batted in, batting average, or slugging average.

The master is an individual who has spent considerably time in acquiring the knowledge and skill levels necessary to becoming one of the better players in the league. The master is proud of his or her accomplishment. They are now called upon by the franchisee to help train other staff members in how to perform the duties and obligations of that position.

Professional

The professional is an individual who is striving to become the very best he or she can become. This is an individual who may now be going toward the Olympics and who now will strive to be the best person in that particular field or endeavor. The true professional is concerned with more than just sales or winning an Olympic gold medal. The true professional is also concerned with helping others. The true professional is interested in lifting others to their position and in helping others to become the best they can be.

Many individuals, because of greed or avarice, will never become a professional. Yes, they may become a master at their particular task, they may become the home run king of the baseball world, but they will never receive the designation of a true professional because the true professional helps others. The true professional reaches out to help each staff member to become the best that that staff member can become. The true professional reaches out to help the other individual to read, to write, to learn, to understand, and to be able to grow individually. The true professional is somewhat is an idealist but the true professional also knows their limits coupled with their abilities.

The true professional understands the limitations of one's self as well as others. They appreciate the difference in people. They realize the growth potential that each one has. They strive to help each and every individual to learn and to grow.

The professional franchisee will strive to help each of their staff members to become the best possible person that that person can become. This means that that professional franchisee will help train and develop their staff so that they may be the best possible persons. In addition, the professional franchisee will reach out and help other businesses and other business people. They will help others to become better and will help others to improve their position in life. The true professional has outgrown the sense of greed and selfishness. The true professional helps others.