632 - Is being polite fake or professional?

When I first lived in Germany many years ago, the people were cold and impolite.

They would tell me that American politeness was fake.

In a German restaurant, the server might ask, "What do you want?", as if you were inconveniencing them.

American servers would smile and say, "My name is ______, how can I help you?"

That's so FAKE, they said.

Germans seemed to think that a server with an attitude was normal and you had to accept it.

I said, "I would rather have a server be pleasant than rude", period.

Their mood is none of my business.

I'm in the restaurant to enjoy a nice meal, not be subject to a server's bad attitude.

Please, fake it so that I can enjoy my meal in peace.

Fast forward to today's world of business.

Remember when we used to "leave our problems at the door", knowing they would still be there when we got off work?

That is precisely the way it should be.

Is that fake, or is it professional?

What does that even mean in today's world to be professional?

Do you leave your problems at the office door or do you let the whole office know what mood you are in?

#business#entrepreneur#bestadvice#attitude#professional