Imagine what the Result would be if There is no Pride

I have always wanted to reflect on the subject of “pride.”   As I look back on my professional career in hospitality and tourism which spans over 40 years, being proud of what I did and of myself was never a question.   Being proud of the product and the service provided was always a priority every single day.   That pride never subsided and only grew stronger as my career advanced.   

Whether it was the hotel or the theme park, my pride in the product and my actions pushed me onwards day after day, year after year.  

It was easy to take pride in a deluxe 5-star hotel and I was fortunate to have been in that world throughout my hotel career.   Selling was all I ever wanted to do and while there were times over the years when I would hear this criticism, “Oh, he’s just a salesman,” that never bothered me.   Sales make the world go round and without it, there would be no need for anything else.   I took great pride in my sales ability and never stopped nurturing this to drive business for the company but more importantly to satisfy my sense of accomplishment.

I remember a lunch gathering early in my career with a group of Punahou high school alums in Hawaii shortly after starting my hotel sales career.   Ironically, of all the people around the table, I was the only salesman.   The others were all lawyers (our high school turned out a lot of lawyers).   I was silent during lunch because I was not well-versed in legal topics, and it was difficult to join in the conversation.  As the discussions over lunch progressed, one of the lawyers quipped, “It’s people like me that keep salespeople in check.”  I was somewhat surprised but because I was very proud to be a salesman, I quickly replied, “It’s because of people like me that you have a job.”

Pride is a feeling that drives all of us.  It is powerful and vital. 

You can see it on the faces of the staff.  If they are PROUD of their job, the company, its product, vision, and mission, they will perform beyond 100%.    If they have this pride, they will want to come to work.  During my hotel years and certainly the 15 years at Ocean Park, there was never a day I did not want to go to work.  I was always there.  I loved the hotel, and I loved the Park.  I went to sleep each night anxiously anticipating the morning when I would be greeting guests again.

I was eager to instill this pride into the team and inspire them to feel the same way I felt.  During walks around Ocean Park with the CEO, we would pick up rubbish on the ground.  Why?  It is because the Park is our home, and we are proud of our home.   Certainly, we picked up rubbish in our homes.  One of our very successful advertising campaigns at Ocean Park used a tagline, “Wow, It’s my Park!”  I remember encouraging the advertising agency to develop this campaign to show the spirit and pride in the park.

Imagine what the result would be if this pride did not exist