January 22, 2016

Bartenders

Working at the YMCA is a lot like being a bartender. Don’t roll your eyes at that premise because I came to that conclusion while doing some very thorough research. Recently I sat at the bar at a very prestigious hotel and I struck up a conversation with Sam the bar tender. And yes that was his name and no I did not see Cliff, Norm or Carla.

I watched Sam in amazement as he completely and totally overwhelmed the dozen or so patrons in this very upscale hotel bar. I stopped him after observing him for a while and told him I was in the customer service business and I asked him what his secret was. He humbly professed, “I just do what every bar tender does, I try and remember a little bit about every person.” That comment made me smile but his follow up gave me goose bumps. “I just come to work every day and hope everyone that I meet leaves this place going, ‘wow, this is a great place.’ “

Our best staff have that in their DNA. They easily learn the stories of the members that walk through our doors and they connect in a way that makes those members feel like the Y is more than just another gym, they make it feel like home.

Sam commented that a few of the regular patrons often have to be run out of the bar at closing time. “We treat everyone like family by just knowing everyone. This place has become part of their identity,” added Sam. I could tell that Sam has spent decades connecting people; introducing one traveling business man to the next. Often times he says, helping broker a high powered deal.

Sam shared that he regularly interacts with very rich businessmen, influential politicians, athletes and entertainers. “I try and treat everyone the same regardless of who they are. A job well done is making them feel like they are ALL part of my family.”

He is like the stereo typical bar tender in that people share with them their hard luck stories. Even while serving people he can over hear some very private information. He shared one story about serving a couple that was in town because a close family member had died, Sam’s eyes watered as he shared their story. His interest was not just hawking tips. Sam’s secret was he was genuinely investing himself in their lives and in their stories.

I asked Sam, what was the best day on the job. He quickly added that he has had too many to pick a BEST. “This job allows me to do so many favors for people and seeing the joy on their faces is incredible.” He quickly discussed arranging theater tickets for a father and daughter, introducing a patron to a famed college basketball coach for an autograph for his son and also connecting a recently unemployed patron with a business owner who quickly offered a job. “If you keep your eyes and ears open, it becomes fairly easy to connect dots. Life is like a puzzle and I get unbelievable joy in getting the pieces to fit together.”

“The number one thing for a bartender is listening,” Sam laughed. I felt like he could spend all day sharing stories. I wanted to hear the stories of the famous people but the truly heartwarming stories were the interactions with just the every-day traveler. I think being a story teller has to be a trait that bartenders and Y Directors must have!

Watching Sam that night was like watching a conductor handle an orchestra. He easily moves from the group of four businessmen, to the couple having the romantic getaway and back across to the few of us sitting randomly at the bar. Sam is not just a bartender, he’s an ambassador. He and this hotel are linked in mutual service. The affection so many have for this place is due much to the ambassador behind the bar. The man that welcomed me into his family, left me going, “wow, this is an awesome place.”

January 17, 2016

Refrigerator Rights

As a kid, I had refrigerator rights at a few of my neighbor’s houses. That is the ability to get food out of the fridge without asking permission. Lock myself out of the house, I could walk over to the neighbors. Get a flat tire on my bike and someone would drive me home. The 70’s for me was truly that anecdote of a neighbor getting on me when I did something wrong and then calling my parents afterward.

I don’t want to romanticize it too much. My mom wasn’t June Cleaver, but there was more stay at home moms, no video games or cable TV and my bike was the mode of transportation. I had to make my bed every day, mow the yard once a week and we typically played outside until someone’s mom screamed for them to come in and then whatever game we were playing under the street lights ended.

Reflecting on Martin Luther King this weekend made me reflect on my old neighborhood. MLK often shared a sermon theme on “love your neighbor as yourself.” King’s version of neighbor was much bigger than just the person next door and the group of people who look and act like you. MLK’s version of love your neighbor emphasized compassion. He stressed a biblical view of the neighborhood.

Culturally we have lost that connection with our neighbors and our community. We will pack a room to hear a political candidate, but do we show up to help revitalize a neighborhood or school? We will be first in line to see the newest movie but do we volunteer for local agencies?

Courage is required to help others. If we are to honor MLK’s message today, we have to move away from the “what’s in it for me?” mentality to a movement of compassion and mercy. We should treat with compassion the neighbors we encounter who are in need. They may be the kid next door with the flat tire or the family you read about in the paper. Your neighbor in need may be that third world kid on the late night commercials or a co-worker in the cubicle down the hall. Your neighbor may only need a shoulder to cry on or a consoling hug.


Martin Luther King may say to us today, just unplug, look around and see what good we can do.