Add text on professionalism

README.md

@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@
       - [Principles for success and teamwork philosophy](#principles-for-success-and-teamwork-philosophy)
       - [Your relationship with others and work hierarchy](#your-relationship-with-others-and-work-hierarchy)
         - [Working on client projects](#working-on-client-projects)
-      - [Ethics](#ethics)
+      - [Professionalism and Ethics](#professionalism-and-ethics)
     - [Practices at Lambda](#practices-at-lambda)
       - [Development processes and workflows](#development-processes-and-workflows)
       - [Design and coding standards](#design-and-coding-standards)
@@ -128,7 +128,19 @@ LambdaClass is a company with high technical content, but this knowledge must be
 While this document aims to be useful, organized, and verified, it is important to note that knowledge and wisdom must be challenged, evaluated, and modified over time. 
 The ideas in these pages are not set in stone but are constantly being assessed and seeking to be refuted or improved.
 
-c.f. [The Hacker Manifesto](http://phrack.org/issues/7/3.html). 
+> c.f. [The Hacker Manifesto](http://phrack.org/issues/7/3.html). 
+
+Many of the values we elaborate on stem from a central truth: our work only matters if it can be trusted.
+
+We are part of a global effort to build open, secure, and equitable digital infrastructure—systems that may outlast us and serve people we'll never meet. That reach gives us both influence and responsibility: every decision we make must reflect precision, respect, and honesty.
+
+We work on technologies that manage sensitive data, financial transactions, and trustless environments—tools that are redefining how information, value, and identity are handled worldwide. The choices we make ripple far beyond LambdaClass, directly affecting security, privacy, and access to information.
+
+In the fields of blockchain, cryptography, and decentralized systems, maintaing trust is a foundational and non-negotiable principle. 
+A single careless action can erode confidence not just in one project, but in the entire ecosystem that depends on it.
+
+When we ask people to trust the systems we create, we are also asking them to trust us. 
+That trust is earned only when every member of our team acts with integrity, safeguards information, and approaches their work with professionalism.
 
 #### Attitude
 Attitude is how you feel, think, and what you believe regarding something, in other words, these things determine how you approach it.
@@ -258,11 +270,42 @@ If you're in that situation you should always remember a few key things:
 - Your work relation is with Lambda, not with the client so expect to get feedback from your Lambda's Tech Lead and Project Manager and not from the client, don't ask for it either.
 - The relationship between Lambda and the client is managed by the Tech Leads and Project Managers. If someone from the client side makes a request to you personally via DM please contact your Tech Lead and Project Manager about it. Make sure your Teach Lead and Project Manager are in the loop for all relevant information.
 
-#### Ethics
-A lot can be said about ethics, both in general terms and as applied to computer science, engineering, and their industrial applications, but a few basic things must be spelled out:
+#### Professionalism and Ethics
+Just reading this subsection title, you can feel your eyes rolling back into your head. What does an attitude of "hack the planet" have to do with the words "professionalism" and "ethics"?
+
+Well, the lone hacker may be romantic, but great things only come from working together. At Lambda, we foster a youthful, relaxed, and collaborative environment to make sure that we _can_ work together, and _because_ of this professionalism and ethics are non-negotiable, whether you're 18 or 40. 
+
+We'll elaborate, but a tl;dr boils down to:
+
+- Work towards making your environment better than the way you found it. This ranges from cleaning tableware used at the office to helping others with your strengths.
+- Deliver high-quality work and taking ownership of responsibilities.
+- Safeguard confidential information — never share or sell it to competitors. If you're unsure whether something can be disclosed, always check with your manager first.
+- Respecting intellectual property, crediting others' contributions, and protecting confidential information—never sharing or selling it to competitors.
 - Stealing, in any way, is explicitly forbidden and is grounds for immediate dismissal. This include stealing software from other projects, open source or not, without attribution or credit.
 - Times are changing fast, and we always encourage trying out new tools, but at Lambda, using code provided by AI or LLMs is stricly forbidden. You can still use LLMs for other purposes, but copilot-style integrations which write code for you are a net loss, as they are not accountable regarding where they get their inspiration from and do not understand code licensing issues.
-- Work towards making your environment better than the way you found it. This ranges from cleaning tableware used at the office to helping others with your strengths.
+
+As all things, this is learned over time, with experience, and from others.
+If you are ever in doubt, ask your managers, tech leads, and mentors.
+
+So what _is_ professionalism?
+
+Professional behavior is being considerate, formal and focused. In other words, putting constraints on behavior to enable something else. What exactly?
+A professional attitude makes you trustworthy and reliable. Clients and colleagues prefer to work with people who are polite and dependable.
+When you are known as somebody who is reliable, you’re more likely to be given added responsibilities and opportunities, and can make faster progress in your career. 
+
+Some of the most professional traits:
+
+- Self-awareness of your behavior: the most important part of creating a professional reputation is showing you behave well when at work. Every workplace has different rules, guidelines and culture, and may be more or less relaxed, but some tips that are universally applicable are:
+  - Be aware of others' personal boundaries.
+  - Remain calm and unemotional. 
+  - Be punctual when coming to work, arriving at meetings or joining calls, to respect other's time. 
+- Excellent communication: misunderstandings lead to lost productivity, so a professional always makes the effort to be understood.
+- Honesty: Be open and honest, even during difficult conversations. Being able to confront people directly, rather than share your grievances about them with other people, is important in maintaining a professional attitude. 
+- Integrity: Always tell the truth. Personal accountability is owning the outcomes of your decisions, and closely related to honesty and integrity. Although you should try to do your best, everyone makes mistakes. When you do, taking responsibility and offering ways to fix errors and prevent them in the future will help colleagues and supervisors maintain their trust in you. 
+- Be respectful to others: treating others with respect and kindness is part of getting your ideas across, regardless of who you are interacting with. You don't have to like everyone, or be liked by everyone, but you do have to treat them well, no matter what their role is. Respecting others also includes supporting them when they need it and being generally helpful, since this furthers the group's goals, not individuals'. 
+- Be a dependable team player: Come prepared and plan ahead. Build a reputation as someone who keeps their word and can be trusted to deliver on commitments and deadlines. Failing to follow through can have serious consequences for those who depend on your work. When things don’t go as planned, don’t make excuses—take responsibility, do your best to get tasks back on track, and communicate early if you need additional support or resources.
+- Flexibility: Commitment to your role also means being adaptable when circumstances change. As projects move forward, plans, goals, and requirements may shift, and you are expected to maintain professionalism throughout. At times, this may require adjusting your schedule—such as staying late to ensure a task or deadline is met.
+- Competency and a strong work ethic: Being highly skilled may be the first thing one thinks of a professional. To be dependable one first needs to be capable, so as not to leave others picking up the slack or doing more than their share of the work. Over time, keeping knowledge and skill up to date is also expected of a professional. No amount of highly specialized knowledge will compensate for this. Check your work for any errors before submitting it.
 
 ### Practices at Lambda