…on attitude
Hanging out in the lobby of a good friend’s downtown condo, I’m struck by how happy and genuinely cheerful the front desk concierge is. I’ve seen a number of concierges that share the front desk over the time my friend has lived here and none of them have half the enthusiasm and positive attitude that Charlie has. They all get the same paycheck, have the same job description and work for the same company.
From 4pm to Midnight, Charlie greets everyone by name. He gets up from his desk and opens the door. He knows who’s looking for wedding rings, who makes good steak and who is having trouble with their satellite service. He answers the phone on the first ring. Success to him is ensuring that everyone leaves that lobby with a laugh or a smile. And he achieved this no less than 10 times in the 5 minutes I was waiting for my friend to show up.
What’s his secret? “You’ve got to fake it till you make it,” he says.
A great attitude can make all the difference. When I worked at Apple my manager always used to remind us to “check it at the door” - which was some of the best advice I ever received on the employee end. Seems that doorman has the right idea.