Hope is nice, but loyalty grows when people see you grab take control and adjust where things are going. That’s when I learned that 70% of people — applicants and employees — have a spark of optimism that can be developed.
When I proposed Hiring for Attitude to Wynn for The Mirage opening, I argued that the right attitude for service employees wasn’t just friendliness — it was being okay with interruptions. After all, customers interrupt us all day long. They ask for directions, explanations, help, reassurance. If you see interruptions as a nuisance, you’re in the wrong business. If you see them as opportunities, you’re exactly who we want. So, I built what became known as the Handshake Test.
Applicants entered the Recruitment Center and walked down a hallway toward a left turn marked by an arrow. I stood just out of sight and the moment they turned the corner, I stepped forward, stuck out my hand, introduced myself, and — yes — interrupted them on their way to fill out an application.
If they stopped, smiled, and responded positively, I marked them as optimistic. As someone we wanted working for us. Everything after was designed to affirm or contradict that initial observation.
Here’s the part that surprises people: 27% of the 55,000 applicants did not respond positively. Similar percentages occurred at the opening of Bellagio and Wynn Las Vegas. That’s more than one in four people who couldn’t handle a simple, human interruption — and that told us everything we needed to know about how they’d treat guests.
This wasn’t a trick. It was a truth: Optimism shows up in the first five seconds. And it allows us to adjust to changing circumstances. Since then, I’ve refined the Handshake to a simple written test that’s been used by dozens of companies to hire better people, to improve teamwork and service; and to foster retention.
That initial handshake was the genesis of Hiring for Attitude and Training for Skills. It wasn’t perfect, but then it wasn’t intended to be. It was our way of designing a course correction for hiring. And it started us on a path towards creating a Culture of Excellence around people who weren’t afraid to try.
There’s a point in every life, in every company, in every project, where thinking outside the box creates an opportunity to positively strike out in a different direct. Keep your eyes peeled for such an opportunity today.
William Arthur Ward (1921 – 1994): American motivational writer. His sayings have been published extensively in inspirational posters, greeting cards, diaries, and wall plaques, and have appeared in commercials.
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