Serving At My Best

March 8, 2010

I went to Jakarta and Surabaya in Indonesia to speak to different groups of investors about a property project. During the fourth session, I felt I was not getting through to the participants.

My well-prepared words were falling on the ground before reaching their ears, let alone their hearts. Towards the end, I was tired, hungry and emotionally drained.

During the question-and-answer session, a badly-dressed lady asked a series of downrightly rude questions. She had a look on her that I, frankly, cannot stand. I had hoped I would never have to see her again.

However, long ago, I realized as a professional, I should never lose my cool. I should never utter a single negative word.

In fact, I should always put on my best self. I was not only representing myself but also my team, my company and my industry.

So, I patiently answered her questions. I conveyed to her my essence of care and concern.

I did everything I could to make her happy and comfortable about the investment even though I did not believe for a moment she will invest in the property.

I was wrong.

She signed the contract and gave me a cash deposit on the spot. One week later, she bought another two properties.

The moral of the story? Anything worth doing is worth doing with passion and excellence (My HSR Code of Honour #4).