Posted by Tina_MA on 5/27/06 2:09pm
Msg #122702

Rant -- Professionalism and Responsibility

I want to address the issue of Notaries and their attitude of not being perfect.

No one is perfect. However, you can make it seem as though you are perfect ***by thoroughly checking your work***. This will lead to ***you finding your own mistakes and fixing them yourself***.

No one needs to know that you are not perfect, other than yourself.

I am amazed that, rather than taking responsibility for their own work, Notaries would rather point the finger at SS, TC, and lenders, stating that they make mistakes all the time, therefore, it is okay if we notaries make mistakes.

It does not matter who else makes mistakes. It only matters that you make absolutely certain that your work is error free.

This means that you must check your work at least twice, or more, to make certain that YOU CATCH ALL OF YOUR OWN ERRORS and YOU FIX THESE ERRORS BEFORE SENDING YOUR PACKAGE OFF.

This is not about being a perfect person; this is about making certain that your work is error free.

The reason there is so much handholding and babysitting in this industry, is because NOTARIES DO NOT CHECK THEIR WORK TO MAKE CERTAIN THAT IT IS COMPLETELY ERROR FREE.

Act like a professional and check your work. Stop bringing this industry down with your laziness and excuses about “not being perfect”. Take responsibility for your own work product.

I just got the ignition coil fixed on my car earlier in the week. I know my mechanic is not perfect, but he damn well have better checked his work thoroughly before giving the car back to me. That’s called being a professional – checking your work to make certain it is error free.

Reply by LkArrowhd/CA on 5/27/06 2:20pm
Msg #122704

Re: HELLO Tina this goes without saying if indeed you are a

true professional.......

Reply by BrendaTx on 5/27/06 2:21pm
Msg #122705

Your point is well-taken, Tina. I think I'll put this over my desk and add to #33325.

We should do all that we can to be error free. My errors have occurred seldom. If it does occur, my work is guaranteed to be free and I take responsibility for it. I believe this is one way to handle it.

Reply by Anonymous on 5/27/06 6:20pm
Msg #122756

The very nature of professionalism IS a higher standard of accountability. It involves a lot of self monitoring and interaction with other professionals (not necessarily in your particular field) to establish mechanisms as a means of improving your performance and accountability. In this case checking your work several times. However you do that is up to you...check once, check 10x's. What ever it takes.

You have to be honest with yourself on what you need to do to to ensure your professionalism and ethical behavior. Notary's are public servants first. That is a LOT of responsibility and accountability. It has nothing to do with stuffing your wallet. The earning a living as a professional comes when you have established your professionalism and have the ability to constantly monitor your performance. You also need to have those mechanisms in place and be willing and able to evaluate and tweak them as needed. An error is an accountability issue and you better address why it occured. Thats where the honesty comes in. To yourself first and to those you serve.

It is not a matter of "being perfect". That is the worst impression you can give others, especially those starting out in any profession. Its a matter of knowing your materials, addressing your weak points and the professional service to your clients at the most basic level. Forums such as this are good places to get ideas of the mechanisms you personally need to implement. So is talking to other small business owners. Draw your information from where ever you can find it.

Reply by Stamper_WI on 5/27/06 6:21pm
Msg #122757

Sorry the above posted annon for some reason- StamperWI

Reply by Nicole_NCali on 5/27/06 11:00pm
Msg #122804

Overall Accountability is lacking..

I am amazed at how many people who are notarizing documents do not act as if they are accountable. I think that perfection is a loose term, it gives an individual too much subjective wiggle room, due diligence is a better term.

My philosopy is "try to be thorough in handling and notarizing documents, understand the the laws that are applicable to executing a notarization and ensure that if an error has been found, take responsiblilty and correct the error"

I keep my ego in check and try to learn and listen to more experienced individuals.

Reply by Stamper_WI on 5/28/06 1:35pm
Msg #122865

Re: Overall Accountability is lacking..

Perhaps its the "I am just the Notary" mind set. We need to keep in mind "I am a Notary" and be pay attention to that.

Reply by Missy_Lulu on 5/28/06 9:40pm
Msg #122914

Awesome post!