04-26-2015, 04:06 AM
People with real smiles are much happier first, and the real smiles naturally follow.
I have been in the service industry. I find that you don't need to smile, but you do have to have the right mindset, and that will result in a demeanor and body language that naturally follows. The mindset that I found worked best for me was to take pride in my position as a server, and to consider good service a point of pride for me. I put myself in the mindset that it was my honor to serve those who had the good taste to dine where I worked, and I was never without positive feedback because of that, in spite of the fact that I rarely smiled while I was working. Taking pride in oneself and one's job, and one's employer, and expressing the naturally resulting gratitude as a sense of "I am honored to serve you" made a huge difference.
Naturally there were those people and those days... but the majority of my time was spent quite happily employed there, and I got a lot of requests for me by name when people saw how I worked. Naturally, that depends on how well you get along with your superiors. When my floor manager was changed and the new one was for some unknown reason antagonistic toward me, my employment there ended because she made one too many impossible demands too quickly and I could not fulfill them all. (Themed shirt? Ok. New pants? Ok. New theme shirt again? Ok. New shoes? Sure, give me enough hours to pay my bills AND buy all these stupid unnecessary uniform changes you keep telling me to buy, and I'll be glad to buy new shoes. No? Well then no new shoes for you.) It was pretty obvious to all that she just had it in for me, and that was her excuse to try to push me out. I walked out in the shoes she told me to replace. Which, amusingly, were exactly as well polished as her own.
Anyway... maybe that will help.
I have been in the service industry. I find that you don't need to smile, but you do have to have the right mindset, and that will result in a demeanor and body language that naturally follows. The mindset that I found worked best for me was to take pride in my position as a server, and to consider good service a point of pride for me. I put myself in the mindset that it was my honor to serve those who had the good taste to dine where I worked, and I was never without positive feedback because of that, in spite of the fact that I rarely smiled while I was working. Taking pride in oneself and one's job, and one's employer, and expressing the naturally resulting gratitude as a sense of "I am honored to serve you" made a huge difference.
Naturally there were those people and those days... but the majority of my time was spent quite happily employed there, and I got a lot of requests for me by name when people saw how I worked. Naturally, that depends on how well you get along with your superiors. When my floor manager was changed and the new one was for some unknown reason antagonistic toward me, my employment there ended because she made one too many impossible demands too quickly and I could not fulfill them all. (Themed shirt? Ok. New pants? Ok. New theme shirt again? Ok. New shoes? Sure, give me enough hours to pay my bills AND buy all these stupid unnecessary uniform changes you keep telling me to buy, and I'll be glad to buy new shoes. No? Well then no new shoes for you.) It was pretty obvious to all that she just had it in for me, and that was her excuse to try to push me out. I walked out in the shoes she told me to replace. Which, amusingly, were exactly as well polished as her own.
Anyway... maybe that will help.
Subliminal Audio Specialist & Administrator
The scientist has a question to find an answer for. The pseudo-scientist has an answer to find a question for. ~ "Failure is the path of least persistence." - Chinese Fortune Cookie ~ Logic left. Emotion right. But thinking, straight ahead. ~ Sperate supra omnia in valorem. (The value of trust is above all else.) ~ Meowsomeness!
The scientist has a question to find an answer for. The pseudo-scientist has an answer to find a question for. ~ "Failure is the path of least persistence." - Chinese Fortune Cookie ~ Logic left. Emotion right. But thinking, straight ahead. ~ Sperate supra omnia in valorem. (The value of trust is above all else.) ~ Meowsomeness!
