Make It Invisible
I’ve mentioned here before that I’m a fan of Joseph Michelli’s podcast, The Starbucks Experience (he’s also the author of a best-selling book by the same title). On a recent episode, he talked about the concept of keeping our personal problems out of our professional (or ministry) lives. It’s the principle of “making it invisible.”
Making it invisible is a constant discipline for me on Sunday mornings. Regardless of what volunteer doesn’t show up or what task didn’t get completed or what ball got dropped, I have a responsibility to our guests and my team to make all of those things invisible. When I’m prone to complain or talk about what a rough morning it’s been or how busy I am (and believe me, I can complain about that stuff a lot), I have to remind myself that my momentary problems are not the problems of other people.
In the guest services realm, we have the responsibility of making it invisible. When we bemoan our tasks or our job or our lives in front of guests, we chip away at their “wow!” experience. This Sunday, do a mental inventory of the things that you’re talking about, and ask: can I make it invisible?
I hope this doesn’t sound too fake, but I’ve learned to put on my “church smile” when I go into Kidslife. So even if I’m having a rough morning, I still put on my church smile. And then after a few minutes, I usually forget whatever was bugging me and I start enjoying being around the kids and the smile isn’t fake anymore.
I do the same thing as Lauren. I can’t recall the amount drama that follows my life (whether intentionally, or otherwise), but, particularly in a leadership position, slapping on the awesome smile and making sure everyone feels at home is priority one. Behind closed doors is an entirely different issue.
* Personal note: I do find it more draining to have to put on the church face when personal life is in the pits. But, Franks/Michelli is right