One way of looking at gracious professionalism is... behaving as if your grandmother is always watching.
Woodie Flowers
M.I.T. Professor, FIRST National Advisor
The term was coined by Professor Woodie Flowers for the FIRST robotics competition. The definition has never been precisely outlined, but it's connotation is widely understood and may be summarized as this: "Competition for the sake not of destroying one another, but for the sake of bettering and improving both competitors as a result of the competition."
"Lending a spare part to an opponent in order to keep them from forfeiting a match is a prime example of gracious professionalism."
If Woodie Flowers gets his way, students will have the vision and initiative to change the world.
Dr. Flowers notes engineering students who typically ask, "Why don't you just give us something to analyze?" should instead demand, "Show us someone who needs help."
© The Cat Attack 2011
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