Here’s a thoughtfrom James Reason (the guy who developed the Swiss Cheese accident model) in his latestbook “The Human Contribution” (2008) on page 161:
“Let me begin by teasing out what I understand by’professionalism’. It is a fuzzy-edgedterm embracing a number of different qualities. Aviators call it airmanship; mariners call it seamanship. These labels describe abilities that go wellbeyond the competent deployment of technical skill. They imply a capacity to see the broaderpicture, to think ahead and to draw upon a wide range of knowledge andexperience so as to perform demanding work safely, elegantly andeffectively. It means having a deepunderstanding of all the various factors that can impact upon task performancefor good or ill. It also entails awillingness to engage in all aspects of the job - tedious or otherwise - to thebest of one’s ability.”
He then goes on to describe the next higherlevel beyond mere professionalism: “I have reserved the phrase 'sheer unadulterated professionalism’for circumstances in which the qualities described above are combined withskill, experience, courage, a cool head and ‘grace under fire’. In short, it involves coping with crises andemergencies.”