While there was some fear in making the call, I mustered enough courage to pick up the phone. After all, it had been over 2 years since we met, and we had no contact since. Would he remember me? Would he remember what he said to me? Was the offer to call genuine or just talk by the pool? If I continued to doubt myself, I would never make the call.
I remember the anticipation when I dialed the phone, it was scary for a young 20-year-old. It was a very foreign feeling, and yet, exciting in a way. Whatever the outcome, I can say that I was brave enough to try. That is a huge learning experience, developing the courage to act.
Throughout one’s career, there would be many opportunities to find the courage to act.
When the secretary finally put the call through, I hesitated a little but regained my composure. Here is the exchange that took place which I will remember forever:
“Hi, Stan, it’s Paul Pei from Hawaii, we met at the Kahala Hilton Hotel two summers ago, I was the beach boy.”
“Paul, good to hear from you. Have you graduated from university?”
“Yes, our commencement ceremonies were held two days ago.”
“Great, give me your mailing address. There will be a plane ticket in your mailbox in a few days. Meet me in San Francisco to talk about your career.”
The conversation did not provide details, but it thrilled me with anticipation. He is sending me a plane ticket, to meet in San Francisco, and to talk about my career? Can this be correct? Sure enough, two days later, an envelope arrived via courier service with a plane ticket to San Francisco. Next thing I knew, I was on a flight from Denver to San Francisco.
We met for lunch at the Plantation Beef Steak House on the third floor of the old chocolate building at Ghirardelli Square. During and after lunch, Stan talked about his desire to have me working for their hotel, the Hawaiian Regent which had just opened. He was impressed with my attitude, hospitality, personality, smile, courtesies, and willingness to serve. Stan stated many times that afternoon, “you belong in the hotel business.” I was pleasantly surprised and remember remarking, “you saw all this when I handed you a beach towel?” The rest of the afternoon was to map out my interview with the General Manager of the hotel.
First Impressions mean so much and I wrote about this also in one of my earlier articles. It is amazing to think that handing out a beach towel would launch my career in hotel and hospitality. The lesson to learn here is that we are always on stage performing and “you are only as good as your last performance.” There is a First Impression every day. This has guided me throughout my professional and personal life. Let’s make sure that everyone sees us all the time as who we are and the way we want to be seen.
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