Inner Turmoil, Outer Peace

Appearances, Facades, WYSIATI, Presentation

This past week I was eating at a restaurant in Las Vegas. The food was high quality, and the service was calm and professional. While waiting for the elevator on the way out, guests are treated to a view of the kitchen. I was struck by the kitchen’s chaotic nature. Bussers running one way, chefs yelling out orders, others plating a dozen dishes at once. It reminded me of a Hell’s Kitchen episode. None of this franticness came across to the diner’s while they were eating though. The next day while eating dinner with a client, a similar topic arose. I mentioned how one thing I like about my job is how it stays fresh since something new comes up every day and there is always a new issue to address. His response was “do you guys have a lot to deal with in the office? It doesn’t seem that way in the field, your service seems very organized.” I immediately drew a parallel to my experience the previous night observing the kitchen. In the service industry, a business can have the most hectic inner workings, but the customer only sees the final product. The presentation is what matters. I believe this is a two-way street. The customer doesn’t see all the work that goes into the delivery process, and the supplier doesn’t realize that 99% of what it does isn’t apparent to the purchaser. The audience doesn’t see the nervous stage performer throwing up in the bathroom beforehand, only the masterful presentation in the moment.

This also brought me back to the concept of What You See Is All There Is (WYSIATI) from Thinking, Fast and Slow. When processing information, our brains are great at analyzing what is directly in front of us, but terrible at acknowledging what is not presented to us. These are our cognitive blind spots. This phenomenon is why what goes on behind the scenes of any production goes unrecognized. When purchasing an item, we only see the final product, not all the iterations, sweat, and manpower that went into developing it. When watching a singer perform, we only see a well-rehearsed professional show. We don’t see the years spent in the studio perfecting vocals, writing lyrics, tweaking instrumentals, etc. I think this concept can also be applied to one’s mental framework. We can never know what someone is truly thinking. Sometimes the most professional, outgoing people actually have crippling insecurity and an inferiority complex. Someone who we rely on as a voice of reason can have the most stressful self-talk. The surface does not always reflect the nature of the pond.

There is a clear divide between the presentation of something and the factors that lead up to it. For the short-term satisfaction of a customer or individual, the presentation is all that matters. You can put up a facade to mask all the inner turmoil. For the long-term lifespan of the company or individual, the inner workings are what really matter. An environment can only deal with so much pressure before something implodes. In both your self-talk and office operations, look to identify fountains of repeated stress. Find ways to cut that stress off at the source. The facade can only last for so long. Be masterful both in preparation and presentation.

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Thomas