What I learned as a bartender

 

From my first day on the staff of a well-known cruise line, I loved it. Elegant surroundings, excellent food, infectious excitement, round-the-clock entertainment––all buoyed my spirits, even after I had logged an exhausting twelve-hour shift.

So I made it my business to spoil shamelessly all vacationing guests. I darted around like the Energizer Bunny, refilling cocktail glasses and beer mugs, answering endless questions about the ship’s offerings before anyone could get confused. All with a smile.

There were probably a few teasing remarks from fellow servers behind my back, but I didn’t care. My purpose in life was to provide an over-the-top pleasurable experience. I quickly spotted the carrot at the end of the stick, the warm feeling that comes from pampering others far beyond their expectations. And the tips weren’t bad, either!

Of course I’ve observed employees in other fields as well who do not do this. They think they’re “winning” by expending as little energy as possible. They stroll from place to place with zero urgency, complete every task with snails’-paced vigor and then moan about how difficult it is. (Insight: Talented, dedicated people, whether they’re hairdressers, dentists, pizza deliverers or figure skaters, always make their jobs look easy.)

Although I stayed in the hospitality industry for only a few months, it taught me a valuable lesson that I’ve retained to this day. Every successful marketplace is in some way about hospitality. Spoiling customers guarantees that they’ll return. No corporation in this economy can afford to retain someone who mocks or gives people a hard time––and sadly, the horrifying stories these days seem endless. What the snarly and unmotivated don’t realize is that they aren’t cheating those whom they “serve;” they’re cheating themselves of the positive vibes that selflessness and serving bring.

How to make an instant impression on any boss, client or shopper? Knock yourself out. Be thoroughly pumped by the act of making someone’s day better. And be sure that smile is genuine. Remember, your best moments arrive after you’ve happily given them away to somebody else.

 

 


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