Wait Tables, Gain Valuable Skills

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Well it's Valentine's Day and couples everywhere will be celebrating their relationships and the deep, endless love that exists within them.

Okay, maybe that won't be the case for every couple today, but nonetheless there will be money spent on the occasion.  The commercialized holiday influences lovers to buy gifts for each other, and one of the more classic ones, besides little stuffed teddy bears and heart shaped candies, is dinner out on the town.

Over the past week I have been seeing an increased number of Facebook posts from the small restaurant I worked at this past summer, Questa Lasagna.  Check it out.  It is a wonderful place to dine.  The restaurant has been trying to attract all of the lovebirds to enjoy a fresh Italian cuisine on the most romantic day of the year.

Seeing the increased number of advertising messages had me thinking about my summer working as a waiter from May until August.  Considering the small size of the staff, yet large customer base, I was required to perform a multitude of tasks.  I thought about the wonderful experience I had, and the challenges that I overcame.  I believe that the demanding job helped me develop all of the skills necessary to be successful in nearly any position I will hold in the future.         

As I head into the "real-world," after securing my Bachelor's Degree, I find myself thinking about the experiences that have best suited me for making my pursuits in business that much easier.  My time spent in the restaurant tops the list of those experiences.


I highly recommend anyone looking to go into business, and not already too far into their career path, to consider a position waiting tables.

These are some of the skills I know I developed, and think anyone would in this position:

Communication
Working as a waiter forces you to constantly interact with customers.  You have to maintain a friendly atmosphere, listen to and understand customer needs, verbally explain the menu and specials, answer questions, and provide solutions.  On the other side of this is communication with the restaurant staff.  You need to be able to clearly tell the chef and cooking staff what the customer needs; you also need to listen to them regarding their needs from you.  A restaurant is an environment with endless communication, and the waitstaff holds much of the responsibility for understanding and acting on any given message.  It is like a game of telephone; you are communicating with two different parties, and are also the link between them.

Multitasking 
As a waiter or waitress you need to be able to do two things at once, maybe even three or four.  When you have four or five tables that you are responsible for, a lot comes with it.  With a full restaurant you are constantly greeting, seating, reciting specials, slightly socializing with customers, taking orders, bringing meals, answering phones, clearing dishes, asking questions, answering questions, watching, preparing checks, cashing out, and bussing and setting tables.  WOAH!  Your mind must always be working to think of the next thing to be done, with an ever changing list of priorities.  Very often the waitstaff needs to coordinate their efforts as well to make sure that the restaurant as a whole is served well.  You not only worry about your own responsibilities, but those of your co-workers too.

Stress Management
While you multitask like crazy it's not uncommon for some stress to set in.  Scratch that, a lot of stress sets in.  Since there is so much to do and so many people counting on you there is a lot of pressure.  You learn to take deep breaths and focus on the tasks one at a time while still being cognizant of everything else that needs to be done.  On one extremely busy, stress filled night I remember asking myself, "What's the worst that could happen if I just left right now?"  Don't worry, I didn't!  It was stressful, but I stuck with it and worked through with focus.

Preparation
My particular position required me to prepare some of the dishes, especially salads.  I had to "prepare for the apocalypse" if I wanted to make it through the night.  A good waiter or waitress will quickly learn that when they have time to prepare, they should prepare because it makes life a lot easier in the future, or in less than an hour when people start flooding through the door.  Also if you know that a large table of customers is coming in, you have to strategically plan their dining experience ahead of time to make it run smoothly.

Teamwork
In a restaurant, you work as part of a team with the other waitstaff and the kitchen.  Everyone counts on everyone else to complete their respective tasks, and pick up the slack when someone needs it.  Everyone has to be on the same page and know what is going on.  You have to be able to understand the others' needs, and communicate yours.  There are a lot of moving parts and you are one of them.

Sales
The best part about being part of the waitstaff is that you are working for tips.  The higher the bill, and the better the service, the higher the tip.  You have to treat each and every customer uniquely, and cater to their needs in a specific way.  You also try to add items on, by suggesting appetizers before their meals, or desserts after.  It is all about treating the customer well, and gaining their desire for certain dishes.  After a while, you begin to understand what works and how to approach different situations.  You foster a sales mindset.

Every restaurant is different, and this one required a lot from its waitstaff.

Work in a demanding atmosphere and you will see yourself adapting and growing to accomplish everything.  The skills you gain in this setting are so useful.

On a side note, having experience in the service industry at this level is great for those who want to explore related career options, or want to always have something to fall back on if need be.

Wait some tables!  

To All The Perfectionists

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What is one of your weaknesses?

I wouldn't advise answering "perfectionism" if you are asked this in a job interview; interviewers hear it all the time, like an overplayed Gaga song.  Nonetheless, perfectionism is a weakness, and if it is one of yours I hope you'd like to move past it.  

I have been a self-proclaimed perfectionist, and have heard others say the same about me.  Time after time I put forth great amounts of time and energy to complete tasks with a high level of quality.  Sometimes this strategy works, but other times it limits me.  I tend to take more time than necessary to do certain things, and often decide not to take on tasks because I know that even with the the time and energy I would put into them there stands a great chance that they might not end up the exact way that I'd like them to. 

When you move past the need to consistently perform at high levels and meet ridiculous standards you become more productive and will most likely produce higher quality work.  

I have outlined three strategies that I believe are helpful in breaking from the limitations of perfectionism.  

Prioritize your tasks

When it comes down to it, 80% of the things that you do during the day don't matter.  Okay, they matter in the sense that you do them, but regarding the quality by which you accomplish these tasks it makes very little difference.  The other 20% are things that require an extra amount of effort.  The next time you are doing something, categorize it into either the 80% or the 20% to know how much time it really needs; when actively categorizing the tasks it should be apparent which belong where, and if it requires more than 10 seconds to decide then it should be part of the 80%.

Go!  Forget about "ready" and "set"

Start something.  Make mistakes.  Deal with them.  Don't let the perfectionist mentality keep you from doing difficult things that you know will not end perfectly.  You wouldn't slowly creep into a freezing body of water if you wanted to get in; you would do a cannonball straight in.  My post on failure builds upon this idea.

View everything as a work in progress

When you begin looking at large tasks or sets of tasks, think of them as works in progress.  This takes your mind off of the end result, and gives you more motivation to put work in and you'll become more able to complete tasks.  With less pressure put on final outcomes you will do more work, and with a higher quality in the long run because you'll consistently be working on improvements as opposed to trying to be perfect the first time.

A great example of my effort to move past perfectionism was a few days ago when I set out to make my first video blog post, about perfectionism (foreshadowing).  I haven't had much experience with video, and I knew the end result would not meet my usual standards yet I set out to do it anyway.  After a few hours of hard work, due to some technical problems, the program wouldn't respond and everything had been lost.   I saw the video production as part of the 20%, began working on it right away without too much concern for the end result, and viewed it as something I would get better at with time and work.  I moved past the limitations of perfectionism.  I think it is definitely a lesson.  I could have not tried the video, and learned nothing, but instead I tried, and even though nothing resulted I was able to learn from it to do better in the future.  

There will be a video post eventually!  It won't be perfect either!

I Know You, Online

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As we go through our daily lives we encounter many individuals.  Some individuals we know very well, some we slightly know, and others we don't know at all.

Within the category of individuals we slightly know is a subgroup of people that we are connected with through social media platforms.  Out of the individuals in this subgroup I would say that for at least 80% of them, more than half of your knowledge about them and interactions with them come from, and occur online via social media.  


There are people that you know about, and interact with that you rarely see in person, or perhaps have never even met.  Kind of mind-blowing, right?

This creates a social problem of sorts.

What do you do when you see these individuals in the physical world?


The best way to answer this question is to play out a scenario.  All scenarios will be different, but I find it useful to tell a story like this:

     Paul attends a North Eastern university with about 5,000 undergraduate students.  He is very attuned to the technology trends of today.  He's all over social media; he blows up news feeds like there is no tomorrow.  On a Thursday last month Paul went out to The Social Suite, a local college bar.  He spent most of the night catching up with some of his closer friends.  Later in the evening he saw his lab partner, Bill, at a table at the other side of the bar; he went over and greeted him.  At the table were five of Bill's close friends, deeply involved in a drinking game.  As Paul arrived, Bill introduced him by saying, "Hey everyone, this is Paul."  He was welcomed with smiles and a "hey" or two.  Paul stayed around for 15 or 20 minutes talking to Bill and watching the group compete against each other for what I like to call Drinking Game Fame or DGF for short.  The night continued and Paul went on his way home.
     The next day Paul decided to look Bill up on Facebook.  He friended him when they first became lab partners, but didn't really take a look at his profile.  After five to ten minutes on Bill's profile, Paul recognized a girl, Leslie, that had commented on Bill's timeline; she had been at the table at the bar last night.  Paul saw that she had jokingly posted about what artist she thought would play at the university's spring concert.  It was a singer that Paul very much disliked.  He immediately friended her, and she accepted.  Over the course of the next few days Paul had "liked" a few of her statuses, and posted a YouTube video on her timeline.  She did much of the same.  Throughout the next month Paul and Leslie saw each other's statuses and posts in their news feeds and began to learn things about each other without much effort.
     Recently Paul went to a large party at a friend's place.  There were many different people there.  One of the attendees happened to be Leslie.  At one point, Leslie and Paul made eye contact across the room.  Bam!

What to do?  What to do?

They technically had never met other than the night at the bar, but had some correspondence through social media.  Paul knew that he could easily divert his eyes the other way, and pretend to have never seen her.  Would it be weird if he went up to her and used the online interaction as a means to officially meet her?  Would she want to even talk, or was the social media interaction all that she wanted to result from their connection?

I have been in similar situations, and I have come to the conclusion that the best thing to do is acknowledge the other person and use the social media connection as a starting point for real interaction.  Bring up the topic of social media, or even mention something you saw related to the other person's social media presence.  Just because you've only interacted online doesn't mean you can't in real life.

Doing this will immediately break any social tension.  If you find someone interesting, but for the most part only know them through the internet, leverage the social media connection to form a foundation on which a relationship has the opportunity to form.

If you're interesting online, I'll take the initiative to find out if you're interesting in real life if the opportunity presents itself.

Come out from behind the screen and be social the old fashioned way.

Plant Some Seeds, Grow Your Network

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A strong social network brings much happiness with it.  If you have friends that you can have fun with, individuals you enjoy supporting, and people that can help you in the right direction, you'll have a wonderful time making your way through this crazy party we call life.

To cultivate this network I suggest visualizing it in a certain way.  Your social network is similar to a garden.

One of the keys in gardening is to plant many seeds so that you maximize your chance of having plants grow in the future.  The same is true with creating and expanding your network.  You must make many initial contacts with individuals to see any relationships develop as time goes on.  The more people you meet, the more likely something will result in the future.

So what exactly is "planting a seed" in the context of your social network?

Truly connect with individuals upon first meeting them.  Make a strong impression, and make sure they have the opportunity to make an impression on you as well.  You'll know if the seed was successfully planted if the following interactions with the person in question are more involved and comfortable.

On a fairly consistent basis I hear one of my friends tell me, "Steve, I planted some seeds today."  I love his mindset.

So, in order to build a solid network for yourself you need to get out there, and in all of your interactions, plant some seeds!

Eventually you'll see a flower bloom.

Boom!

Be A Game Changer

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Do you want to be a superhero?

Taking into account the nature of reality, that's not a feasible option.  Something that is a close alternative though is being a game changer.

What exactly is a game changer?

A game changer is a person that enters a given situation and has the potential to turn everything on its head.  The game changer effortlessly takes a power position.  The entire environment takes on a new look and feel when this person is present.  They are on the mind of everyone that encounters them.  Their abilities are assumed to be great and respected like no other.

Trust me, this is something you want to be.

There are a few rules to follow in order to become a GC:

Exude confidence
You need to believe that you are a game changer.  Your positive mindset, and drive should be evident in the way that you carry yourself.  People should look at you and think to themselves, "This person means business."

Know your stuff
You can be as confident as you want, but if there is nothing to back it up then you are out of luck.  Work to understand the situations that you will, or may potentially be in.  Equip yourself with the knowledge necessary to be a step ahead of everyone else.  Cultivate the skills that will allow you to take control of the situation.  You need to have the means to make the moves.

Be different and bold
You need to stand out from the crowd.  Go against the grain and be unique.  Figure out what you can do differently and follow through with it boldly.  You can't blend in; your presence needs to be felt.

Take action
When the time is right you must take action.  You have the tools to create the outcome you want, so when those critical moments arise you have to perform.


Regardless of what type of work you do, or activities you participate in, you should strive to be a game changer.

It not only gives you the upper hand, it gives you a second deck of cards to play with.

Do it.

The Flow

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You've heard people say it.  Sometimes it's the best advice.

Go with the flow.

I am the type of person that likes to have things done a certain way.  I consider myself to be decisive, and I take initiative to execute plans that I have set forth.  I find myself following schedules, and making certain aspects of my life routinized to ensure productivity.  

Sometimes this approach becomes restrictive though, denying freedom of experience.

For this reason, I have recently begun embracing the aforementioned phrase with new vigor.

Going with the flow means taking both hands off the steering wheel. By minimizing your control over direction, "the flow" takes over.  The flow is a combination of the efforts of those around you, the impact of situational variables, and your own desire to explore the unknown.  It is the driving force behind great experiences.

Going with the flow allows you gain new perspectives.  It exposes you to new things.  It encourages you to adapt to, and understand the unfamiliar or step outside of your comfort zone. You become enlightened and grow as an individual.  

I am definitely an advocate of productivity and working toward something that you love.  Sometimes we become rigid in our pursuits though.  We focus on what we become accustomed to without much thought of our alternatives, but the world is full of possibilities!  There is so much to experience, and without allowing for those opportunities to occur we miss out on some wondrous things.  Perhaps there is something out there that will spark a burning passion within each of us; going with the flow provides the chance to discover it.

You can immerse yourself in the flow by:

• Opting not to create detailed plans
• Letting others take the lead 
• Choosing to do what the moment calls for even if it's something you normally wouldn't do 

I'm not saying that we should blow freely wherever the wind takes us.  I think that there should be a balance; we need to have solid direction yet be open to the world around us.

Foster the flow, and go with it!

Success From Failure: 3 Key Points

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The new year is here.  Blow 2011 a kiss goodbye, and slip 2012 your phone number.  Start working your game.  There is a lot to accomplish.

I have already begun taking this year by storm; I wrote "1/1/12" on a check yesterday without any mistake.  If I can continue the streak of not writing the wrong year I think that's a sure sign of good things to come.

As I crossed the threshold into the new year I decided I want to have more successes.  Being a member of Club 4.0 isn't satisfying enough!  I thought about how to make this happen, and decided that truly embracing the risk of failure is the only way.  Here are three points to remember in the quest for success.

You'll only achieve what you reach for
Far too often we tend to forgo certain demanding tasks because we know that there is a great probability for failure.  Without exerting the extra effort toward your desired goal, you will never achieve it.  If you have your eyes set on something great, the risk of failure will probably be great too.  Face it.

Failures are lessons that give you an edge
Every time you fail, you learn something.  You learn what worked, and you learn what didn't work.  You begin to understand the best way to approach the problem, and start to map your path to success.  Don't be afraid to place yourself in situations where you have the potential to fail.  You either succeed, or fail and gain more knowledge and experience to eventually succeed.  It's a win-win situation.  Believe it.

Failures are motivating events
The times when I have performed my best have been when I had something to prove.  I love the feeling of being the underdog.  When you experience failure, you become eager to regroup and approach the situation again with new strength.  I like to win and succeed, so losing or failing makes me hungrier for what I was close to achieving.  Risk the chance of failure, knowing that you'll just be given more motivation if you don't succeed.  Do it.

Have no fear of failure and Success will be your middle name.

Best wishes as the new year begins!