Below is an Autogenerated Transcript

This is the lobby of the Four Seasons Hotel in Paris, General Manager manager, Jean-Claude. He is a very sophisticated man. He wears a beautiful suit, he knows elegant wine, he knows art, he knows music, he knows architecture. He is the general manager of this beautiful hotel, but four times a year, he comes to work and he doesn’t go in the lobby, he walks all the way around the backside a block behind and he goes in through the staff entrance when you go into the staff entrance in the hotel What’s the first thing you have to submit yourself to? Security screening. Then he goes in down, down, down basement three men’s locker room opens up a locker, inside the locker what’s there? A bellman’s uniform fits him, takes off the suit, puts on the little cap, and goes upstairs all day long every quarter one day four times a year. He’s not the general manager;  Jean-Claude is a bellman. What does he do? “

Taxi, let me carry that bag for you sir, umbrella.. Oh tip thank you.”

Do the other people in the hotel know that that’s really the general manager? 

Do they know? Of course they do.

Do the customers know? 

Will customers say things to a bellman that they would never say to a general manager?

Do you think he takes advantage of that all day long? 

Of course, he does.

Where does he have lunch? Staff cafeteria. So when he’s sitting there having his McDonald’s lunch with his little hat on the table next to him do you think that the staff inside the hotel feel like they can talk to him?  Do you think that they feel like he understands what’s going on for them? Do you think they think more of him or less of him because he plays the role of bellman?

More.

Now Mr.Tan said something that I need to dispute, I have to disagree he said that because his position up here was between Caleb Choi and Ron Kaufman, he had a tough act to follow. 

I need to tell you something, your chief executive officer is not an act, you’ve got the real thing this is not someone who’s talking about revving up because it’s a nice thing to say he believes in it. This is not a CEO of NTUC who says I think we can become an icon but yes I mean he absolutely means it!

Which means he’s absolutely counting on you to understand it, commit to it,  learn about it and take responsibility and ownership, put it into action.

Question- Are you willing to do it?

Don’t tell me turn to the person next to you and if they do you know if you look at them “Yeah, yeah, okay when they said me the class I’ll go” then by right you’re part of the problem but if you turn to your partner right now say “Send me to the course I’m ready and I’ll put it into action” then you are the right person, at the right time, in the right company to become an icon of superior service in this country. Turn to your person right next to you and let them know how committed you are.

So I have one more thing to do because I told you I’m probably the most passionate person you’re ever gonna meet about uplifting service, but when I see other people who are as committed I like to recognize them I like to give them the pat on the back they deserve, if I could be behind you right now I’d give you 1300 pats on the back but in your place please allow me to give a pat on the back and a recognition, uplifting service award to the chief executive officer of your company, Mr. Tan suee Chiee.

Mr. Tan, I give you this as the recipient for every person in this room and all the actions that they will take in the days, months and years ahead to make this organization the icon of service you believe and you know it can be.

Thank you sir, thank you ladies and gentlemen, god bless you, good luck dive into the courses!