Nicknames: Are they professional?

“Nicknames” are very important for high performance and high values teams. They can be terms of endearment, morale makers and coping mechanisms. I would argue they are in fact a very insightful indicator as to the way an individual is viewed or accepted as a member of the team and team culture. The way the individual reacts and responds to finding out their nicknames, good or bad, is also an indicator of the individual’s professionalism.

Ah. And here I though you meant actual nicknames...because in my community, that's almost all we use. There are times when I struggle to remember someone's actual first name.

I think using nicknames is unprofessional unless you know for sure, they have given you permission to call them that. I've always stayed with proper etiquette and rank. I have seen and heard, soldiers of lower rank than me, call First Sergeant Top...that soldier was probably working directly for First Sergeant.