Behind the Curtains
April 28, 2006 by haziamyperspective
"The world is a stage, but the play is badly cast." - Oscar Wilde
PROFESSIONALISM! I first heard this word when I started working in 1996. It’s a huge word but what does it mean? I shall define it simply as ‘removing emotions from the equation’. NO MATTER WHAT HAPPENS BEHIND THE CURTAINS, ON THE STAGE, THE SHOW MUST GO ON…
Oh yes, I’ve had my share of professionalism, such as …delivering a kick-ass new client presentation in the morning after spending the whole night crying my heart out because my love life had fallen apart…or giving my fullest concentration at the management meeting while having a huge crush on a colleague seated across the table…or not calling my short arrogant Caucasian colleague an idiot (though he was one) and putting up with his extremely annoying ways because we were in a discussion with a celebrity guest chef from the UK.
I’ve had the word inscribed deeper within me from the people that I met over the years. Not too long ago, I had a tough German colleague who was sort of a mentor, some said he was comparable to Hitler, heheh…He once left for a launch event without me because I was less than 5 minutes late - Hence, the lesson of punctuality… Interestingly, he thought that one should know one’s own strenghts and weaknesses & ignore all the gossips and bitching - Thus, the lesson of expanding one’s circle of influence. After all, a person is disliked for his qualities, not for his faults.
During my years in the hotel industry, I’ve seen one’s professionalism put to the ultimate test…memorable scenarios that are still fresh on my mind: 
SCENE 1: Once, there was a black-out in the hotel. In the midst of the commotion, the new F&B Director absent-mindedly asked the Sales Managers in their suits to carry trays of complimentary orange juice to the guests. And they went on doing that so pleasantly:)
SCENE 2: Try witnessing the Duty Manager, with a straight face, taking down the details of a complaint on bikini waxing gone awry from a dissatisfied lady guest who patronised the salon at the hotel.
SCENE 3: Watch the big boss putting on his sweetest smile and charmingly gliding through an 8-course meal with a person whom nobody in the world could stand (he just happened to be one of the judges for a prestigious award that we were competing for).
So, the next time you catch a play, you may want to check out the drama behind the curtains, rather than focusing your eyes only on the stage;)
