“You can’t have everything. Where would you put it?”— Steven Wright
The other day to fit in with my surroundings, I wore jeans to a construction site. Things were going well until I heard that a bank we have been speaking with about financing said they had a cancellation and were able to “pop by” to discuss our financing needs for Phase 2. This was an opportunity we couldn’t pass up, but I was wearing jeans and felt like I looked unprofessional for the meeting. There I was facing a decision to join the professionals in my jeans and be forced to make an excuse for my appearance or find a reason to drive back to my downtown office. I stayed.
I am a parent of two young children, and I am constantly searching for ways to teach them about life and what to expect as they get older. The feeling of independence and confidence are two attributes I want them to attain and sustain throughout their life. So, I struggle with telling them about one fact of life. Particularly in our culture, the fact is that we are judged by our appearance. If I wear jeans to a bank meeting to discuss financing, I will be judged. Is it right? No. Is it true? Yes.
I don’t know if I was judged negatively at the meeting, but I felt like I was being judged. Therefore, my confidence level dropped. Our conference room was in a perfect location so we could show anyone the construction work going on outside. When asked to where our hotel was to be located, I didn’t feel confident standing up and directing them to the exact location. The pride and confidence that should have been there was stripped away. I am a professional so I “didn’t let them see me sweat,” and I was effective in presenting our project to the banking professionals. Though I will remember how I felt inside, and that is a feeling I don’t want to experience again.
So I did what I always do. I researched. I was curious why I was feeling that way and discovered a message all hoteliers, especially those at the beginning of their careers, need to hear.
I read about the broken windows theory. The theory was introduced in 1982 by social scientists James Wilson and George Kelling to analyze the crime statistics and patterns in New York City. The initial 1982 crime study took its title from the theory that a building in disrepair with multiple broken windows was more likely to be vandalized than buildings without broken windows and otherwise in good repair. One of the authors states, “(The vandals)….may even break into the building, and if it's unoccupied, perhaps become squatters or light fires inside. Or consider a sidewalk, some litter accumulates. Soon, more litter accumulates. Eventually, people even start leaving bags of trash from take-out restaurants there or even break into cars.”
My interpretation is that the building is being treated in direct proportion to how it appears to others. People are the same.
Like actors in a movie, we service professionals at a hotel are on stage. We need to exude confidence in who we are and how we are planning to serve our guests and keep them safe. We live in a highly judgmental society. People judge out of a natural desire for self preservation. For example, it’s 8 a.m. and a guest witnesses a hotel breakfast attendant make a seriously long yawn. Then, he leans down over the server’s station and rubs his eyes and displays an apathetic posture, looking like he doesn’t want to be there. The guest will judge that person who will then become a negative force on the hotel and might cause the guest to write a negative comment about the hotel because of it. At the core, the server had no direct negative effect on the guest’s stay, but the server was judged because the guest wants to be protected from harm (or apathy), ultimately leaving the hotel and never coming back.
This message is for everyone, in all industries, but especially for our industry. Whether you are at the corporate office in the payroll department or an assistant GM running the hotel in the GM’s absence, you are being judged. You are being judged by those you report to, those that report to you, your peers, the guests, everyone. So, the message is not only dress to impress, but make your presence known and remembered for good reasons, not negative ones.
Don’t be a house with broken windows and don’t create the need for anyone to judge you by your appearance. It’s too easy for them to do so and too easy for you to avoid. Lastly, confidence and a positive, empowering attitude are the best things to put on when you wake up. Wear them proudly.
Adam Zembruski is the president of Pharos Hospitality, a Charlotte, NC-based hotel investment platform explicitly designed to acquire, own and operate franchised upscale select service hotels. Adam oversees all operating entities at Pharos, including Property Assessments and Takeover, Sales and Marketing, Revenue Management, Human Resources and Culture Development, System Implementation, Financial Analysis, and Talent/Performance Tracking. Adam can be reached at 704-333-1818, ext. 12, or via email at azembruski@pharoshospitality.com
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