I worked at TGI Friday’s for nearly 8 years – after Tom Cruise helped make it famous by flipping bottles in the movie Cocktail but before the cool Guy Fieri commercials. Remember the creative genius who came up with the “In here, it’s always Friday” slogan? That was the era of my employment.
Starting at TGIF meant you had to go through weeks of training, both on the floor and in a classroom. The class was accompanied by a thick workbook with the company history, food and drink menu descriptions and theories.
Duck Pond Theory
My workbook is long gone but I remember the concept of this theory quite clearly. When you see a duck swimming in a pond it appears smooth and graceful, but looking under the surface you’ll see it’s feet paddling away like crazy. In the restaurant biz this means that when you’re out on the floor you want to look as calm and collected as possible at all times. Back in the kitchen is when you can flip out about how long the food is taking or complain about a bad customer. See the movie Waiting for a good example, parts of which are very accurate..
The duck pond theory applies to real estate the same way. At the office it’s easy to be hectic with scheduling appointments, calling inspectors and dealing with clients. But when you’re out showing houses or at the closing table it’s usually best to be calm and professional.
