Carlos Garcia and his Cobb Saladby Bob Shaff I September 8, 2014
I attended a beautiful wedding recently at the Loews Coronado Bay Resort near San Diego.
At the reception, as we were waiting for the bridal party to arrive, my wife and I enjoyed cocktails served from a well-stocked open bar.
I noticed how friendly one of the bartenders was, and found myself periodically watching him do his job with true enthusiasm over the next couple of hours.
He was always smiling, engaging his “customers” in conversation, and looked as if he was having a great time.
I couldn’t resist going up to him….I introduced myself. He smiled and told me that his name was Carlos Garcia. I asked him, “Do you ever get bored at these weddings?”
Carlos replied….”Bored? Are you kidding me? I have the best job in the world. My job is like a Cobb Salad….there are so many things to enjoy about it!! I work an average of 5 days a week, typically from 4 – midnight. This is a high-end, classy resort, and they host the best weddings…and I’m invited to every one. I meet great people, I enjoy terrific bands, and I get to hear some of the best and funniest “toasts” from the best men and the maids of honor. Tonight…..this is a great band….notice how they involve and engage the crowd….notice how they pace their music, alternating between slow and fast, between old standards and rock and roll. They are great at keeping the crowd with them. And….I can tell….the guests are really enjoying themselves. It’s not always this way with every band, but it is tonight, and it sure is fun to watch. I make great money, I look forward to coming to work every night, and I have lots of fun. What could be better?”
Carlos Garcia is one of those employees you love to have….he “gets it”. He loves his job and it shows. His customers are well served, and they enjoy their time with Carlos. His employer, Loews Coronado Bay Resort, has an employee they can count upon, and he represents them well.
Carlos’s attitude probably began with his parents, but it must be nourished by Loews. Loews saw Carlos’s attitude when they hired him, but his attitude must have been renewed with the satisfaction, the recognition, and the appreciation that Carlos finds in his job everyday.
Martin Luther King knew people like Carlos….Dr. King said…
”If a man is called to be a street sweeper, he should sweep streets even as Michelangelo painted, or as Beethoven composed music or as Shakespeare wrote poetry. He should sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will pause to say, here lived a great street sweeper who did his job well.” – Martin Luther King, Jr.
Carlos is a Shakespeare of his profession…he is a great bartender, who does his job well. He has taken his job….one that many do not do as well as he does….and turned it into a Cobb Salad…to his benefit and to the benefit of all who connect with him.