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.
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