The Sparkle of Markle

We are all pretty patriotic here at LJ Headquarters so could not be happier and quite frankly, we're all fans. Meghan appears relaxed, engaging, positive and pretty confident in what we have seen so far.

Whilst the nation jokes about how 'the red head did so well'... our thoughts are with Meghan who no doubt is going to be put through her paces as she prepares to go from Actress to Duchess.

Her every movement will be documented, outfit choice, stance and what she says scrutinised severely and no doubt she will receive an equal dose of negative and positive opinions. So aside from the romantic love story, to be part of the Royal family requires certain personality traits.  From demure to confident, sympathetic, compassionate and of course a demonstrable humanitarian...with a touch of tolerance (or a lot!) - Meghan needs to display them all. 

This got us thinking to how personality traits you possess are pretty important in the working environment. Of course you must have the technical skills or qualifications, but employers seek more than that to ensure you fit into their culture and exceed customer expectations. 

First rule of thumb is that the 'customer is always right'. These below personality traits may help you achieve this general thought process. 

Polite and Personable
This may seem a little basic, but you would be surprised at the number of surly staff out there. You simply can't be in the people business if you don't have a certain je ne said pas!!! To face the public daily, you need to be personable and possess a little sparkle! If you don't like conversing with people, a behind the scenes, back office job may be more suitable. 

Adaptable
Life is only interesting because of the wonderful and diverse different personality traits that exist worldwide. You need to be in tune with where your customers sit in the giant spectrum. You may work in a bar, pub or restaurant where you are hosting or waiting on tables. It is very clever indeed to be able to identify what sort of 'person' your customers desire. Some love a chatty hostess whilst others want their dinner served by a more subtle and quiet Waiter/ Waitress. It's for you to identify which!. This also comes down to where you are working. If you are in a high street, young and noisy establishment, the more American 'How are you today?' manner is probably much more welcome. If you are however in a sophisticated, fine dining establishment, a more demure server is probably more apt. 

Engaging Motivator
To shout instructions at the front of a busy gym class takes confidence, a smile and an engaging, motivating personality. You are there to lead by example and motivate. Gyms can be intimidating places for the best of us and to get the most out of your class, a certain personality type is certainly required. No one should ever regret a fitness class and they won't if you have the energy and panache to encourage all, and demonstrate empathy for those that may at first struggle. 

Patience
Dealing with all types of personalities and where every day is different may come with its frustrations, least forgetting a whole heap of job satisfaction! A majority of jobs within leisure and hospitality are customer facing so you are there to assist, inform, support and/ or mentor.  Customers change minds, complain or take a while to simply know what they want. Don't be pushy and aggressive, it serves no purpose. Be accommodating, polite, informative and most of all patient. You are there to help them get what they want. 

Honesty 
Don't know the answer to a question.... be it, 'How long will it be for a table?' or 'How much is this product?' - rule no 1, don't lie or embellish the truth.  Nobody can ever argue with clear honesty that perhaps you don't know the answer to that right now but will seek the answer and come back to them. Articulate, polite (once again!) and responding to your customers needs. 

The list may seem endless but you get the gist. Amongst all of these are of course; team building, problem solving, interpersonal and communication skills, positivity and the ability to be flexible. These are great traits that will serve you well in every career choice. Your personality is a huge driving factor to how successful you can be in your job. Understand yours and where it can fit and you are on the way to a truly remarkable career. Let's all sparkle and love what we do.