HOTELS

Bart Berkey

Staying In Character
October 14, 2008

This past weekend my family and I had a chance to visit my relatives in Pittsburgh and attend Fort Ligonier Days in a small historic town about one hour from the city. The premise is to commemorate the 1758 battle between British and French forces during the French and Indian War, while promoting local craftsman and culinary delights (Gobs, Pierogies, and Funnel Cakes).

When we toured the fort, there were many actors and historians representing both sides of the war. We had a chance to speak to many of them and I was most intrigued by this group of people that volunteered their time to sleep in tents, cook over wood fires and tend to duties as though they were in the army.

I stumbled upon the cabin of the general to find another historian in the group bringing him his dinner. Comments were made to the general regarding the safety of the meal, as the deliverer had actually tasted it to make sure it was not poisoned by the enemy. I was curious to learn what it took to become a general in this club that obviously was having a terrific time reliving history.

I asked, "How many men report to you here?"  The answer was, "We have about 2,000 men here today to fight." I had toured the entire fort and could count maybe 60 total. I restated my question, "How many re-enactment participants are here today?" A lengthier answer was produced that talked about his recruitment attempts to get more men as several were lost in the last battle.
 


It took about 20 minutes to produce the 2008 answer. I was careful not to offend his passion but wanted to learn more about the men and women that made up this group. The lesson that I learned is that when someone is passionate about what they do, it is easy to "stay in character."

When I first joined my current company, I noticed how kind everyone was to one another. There was so much respect and politeness that I came home after orientation to tell my wife and kids. My children said, "Daddy, sounds like you work with the most polite people in the world. Maybe we can try to be more polite at home, too!"

After two weeks of working at our hotel, I found myself picking up trash and pieces of paper--even when it wasn't in my lobby. I had the tendency to hold open doors more often for others. I smiled and said hello to strangers. My professional work had begun to influence my personal actions in a positive manner.

As many of us will spend over 2,000 hours a year at work, make sure your job is something that will make you a better person outside of work, too.

Posted by Bart Berkey on October 14, 2008 | Comments (2)