Commandments are those revered principles that guide us on to
the right path, nudge us back into action and advise us on the universally
respected do’s and don’ts. Every time we
hit a roadblock – the external ravages on our time or the internal gnawing that
end up being so detrimental to our productivity, it makes sense to reflect on
the professional commandments to be the guiding light in times of professional
overcast-ness.
Here is a quick list of Top Ten Commandments to breathe new
energy into your work lives and to help you revisit your work practices in
order to make your professional ride less bumpy and more rewarding. One wise
tip – this is a list that we should be sensible and astute enough to keep.
Pic. courtesy - Armene
SMILE WHEN SPEAKING ON THE
PHONE
We, as hoteliers, have been told the importance of the above
innumerable times. And this does not just hold good for Guest Relations or
Sales staff. It applies to all – whether you open doors, carry luggage, devise
strategies, cook award winning meals, pour the glass of expensive wine or sit
in the corner office managing the entire show.
It is a proven fact and a golden rule of training that people
can ‘see’ you smile over a telephonic conversation. And smiling when speaking
on the phone (and in these times on Skype, chats, Vimeo or what have you) is a
surefire clincher for a deal and the super glue that has the propensity to seal
your business relationship.
Whether you are a PR person, a journalist, a service
provider, a client, a telecaller, a smile is the perfect bridge over which you
should lug your professional wares; even when dishing out something that may
not be too palatable.
REPLY / RESPOND / REVERT
No matter how busy you are and which chair you fill up, there
is just no excuse for you not to reply to anything addressed to you. In fact,
it is plain bad manners if you don’t.
I once had a boss who would respond to everybody on every
message that he received – himself and not through his secretary – even as he
ran one hell of a busy show at work. One great lesson I learned from him – as
long as you respond, even with a word or a line you have covered a lot of
ground.
And today, with all those smart phones, palm tops,
voice-controlled software occupying our communication space, there is just no
getting away from minding this facet of our professional p’s and q’s.
BE COURTEOUS
Actually, what triggered the thought process for this piece
was a brief and hugely curt (impinging on rude) exchange with a career
consultant. Yes, you heard me right! A consultant who earns his bread and
butter from dealing with clients in an extremely people-centric job profile!
The person on the other side had given out her name as the contact person to a
job posted out; which means that she was willing to receive queries or had been
put in this role by her superior – in both cases it was her job to handle such
queries. Our conversation started with an abrupt verbal whack of a crude ‘Yes’
as the manner of addressing a phone call and stayed largely monosyllabic in
content and monotonic in character. The result of this acerbic dialogue was, as
expected, unpleasant – the lady with her un-lady like and unprofessional
behaviour teased out the aggressive side of me, put herself in a spot where she
could have been flagellated, set the unfriendly tone for the conversation which
she would have difficulty in retracting, formed an image of her in my mind that
told me that either she was not happy with her job or with what she was asked
to do or simply that she was not a happy and pleasant person in the first
place.
In the area of hospitality, we are ladies and gentlemen
serving ladies and gentlemen; as the Ritz Carlton Hotel Company so beautifully
describes. And this holds true for every service sector; actually to the non-service
ones too. I am reminded of the patriarch of the Indian hotel industry, who I
have had the pleasure and privilege to work with and who would always address
me in his rich baritone as ‘Ms. Dhir’ – an employee on some rung on the
executive ladder in one of his hotels. He set a fine example and chalked out a
wonderful template to be emulated by all his employees, whichever of his hotels
they worked in, in whatever country.
If you are taking the trouble to step out from the cozy
comfort of your hearth and go out into the big bad and competitive world of
work – to make a name or living or moolah or all – you owe it to the world and
your professional persona to be courteous, always, even when your patience,
intellect, wit and wisdom are sorely tried. There is just no other way, buddy.
BE GRATEFUL
In the professional cosmos, attitude enjoys the same pride of
place as does aptitude. And your attitude will be defined to a large extent by
this basic approach to life. You have a job, a good job that pays you well,
recognizes your contribution and allows you to grow; then there is a lot going
for you to be grateful for. In the cosmic sphere of work and in life itself, it
pays to be karmic and somewhat spiritual about the station you are placed in
and the destination you are driving towards.
What the heck, in today’s times of global recession and
retrenchment, just having a job that pays is one hell of a reason to be
grateful for.
A sense of gratitude will keep you grounded and help you not be a stuffed shirt that nobody ever likes. Besides, the attitude you throw into the Universe always comes back to haunt or enchant you, as the case may be.
Pic. Courtesy - Godfrey Phillips India
BE A CORPORATE SOCIAL CITIZEN
With the shrunk global boundaries and innumerable bridges
built on the information superhighway and business networks, you cannot just
keep yourself isolated in your corner of the office in that part of the world.
With protests playing out on Twitter, causes finding windows
of visibility on Facebook, issues being thrashed out in intellectually stimulated
forums on LinkedIn, stay aloof at your own risk.
Now, much more than before, there is enough opportunity for
us to align ourselves with causes that speak to us and in the process get our
organizations involved. Being responsible and conscientious as an individual
paves the way; and getting all that corporate muscle of your organization
behind you provides a remarkable fillip to the causes espoused.
NO WATER COOLER MOMENTS OF ADDING TO THE GRAPEVINE
We have been told by our mothers first and then by our
bosses, that what goes around comes around. If you dish the muck out, it is
bound to splatter on you.
No matter how much relief, momentary pleasure or feeling of
getting back to somebody this nasty habit brings, we should resist this sordid
escape route from stress and look out for brighter, more positive and fruitful
avenues to make it a win-win situation.
I cherish the reputation I have built on honesty, integrity,
hard and clean work. I am not willing to compromise that and I am, certain, no
well-bred professional worth his salt would wish to.
When we have so many positive and exciting choices available to vent out our ire – social media for one; when there are discussion forums where we can share our feedback and learn from others’ experiences in a positively motivated manner away from the pettiness; then why would I want to be known as the person who cannot be trusted, who has a weak mouth and a weaker gut.
My behavior is a reflection of my personality. My behavior is
a wholesome whole of the subsets of my thoughts, prejudices and beliefs. With
this monumental legacy straddling on my behavior, I cannot afford to
shortchange it for something less exemplary. Besides, I can only control my
actions guided by my behavior and cannot be held responsible for other’s
reactions. Hence, I better learn to keep my yard clean first.
Here’s my crisp ABC -
Enthusiasm in my Attitude
– as it helps me be more productive, is infectious, assists me in sailing
through choppy seas at work and rise and shine even when it’s overcast.
Buddy Up with the team
and bulldoze to tease out the best
talent in all so that the common pool of excellence always strives to create,
innovate and perform remarkably.
Compassion in my Character
– It is an age old Tao that I have no business to judge others unless and until
I have walked their unique paths. Just as in life, in the sanitized sanctum of
office too, we need to show compassion to our peers, our subordinates and yes
to our bosses as well.
BE RESPONSIBLE
For my words, for my actions, for my portfolio, for my team
and its actions. And never think of passing the buck. With responsibility come
great rewards, greater recognition and a far bigger sense of accomplishment.
When we get into our careers, we always anticipate an upward
growing graph which is the barometer of what we learn along the way and more
importantly, how much and of what value we contribute back. It is being
responsible that puts us in a happily receptive place for greater heights and
hurrahs.
BE CLEAR IN MY COMMUNICATION
No adding to the confusion. No being verbose, needlessly. No
increasing the information overload without the gravitas. No using unnecessary
jargon.
Whatever be your line of expertise and choice of vocation,
clarity in communication is one of your biggest assets. It helps you be
unambiguous and be clearly understood. Plus all that headache and loss of time
you save yourself from when something is said and something completely else is
unwittingly grasped. What a nightmare of an office situation that is!
BE A SOLUTION SEEKER TO THE PROBLEM AND NOT BE THE PART OF THE PROBLEM
There are enough of us releasing hot air in meetings, raking
up issues on email, taking to the equivalent of temper tantrums at work;
instead of bringing calm to a turbulent situation, soothing out frayed nerves,
bringing sense to the table, giving solace to team members and generally being
the ‘sweep soul staff’ who could endeavour to keep the place clean, harmonious
and balanced on an even keel.
There will always be problems at work – personnel-related,
business-centric, performance (or the lack thereof) – led, market-induced,
competition-created, economic, political, even ethnic or religiously motivated.
What will make you stand out as a leader will be your accent on these
situations, the ability to right the wrong, the perspicacity to influence
others, to assist the management to steer to more stable waters and above-all
to add to the bottomline as problems unhandled or mishandled are directly
proportional to business adversely affected.
Have a wonderful journey on your careerway and continue to be
the star, both as a person and a professional!
Picture courtesy - Google Images and www.deviantart.com
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