Two bellmen. Same shift. Same union rotation. Same random assignment of guests.
I watched them both during my time as a greeter at a flagship resort. Every morning I’d ask the same question: “Hey, how’s your day going?”
The first bellman: “Rough day. Guests have been demanding, tips are low, nothing’s going right.”
The second bellman: “What a great day! I’ve had the best guests.”
Same guests. Exactly the same job description. Completely different experiences.
Here’s what fascinated me: the guests could tell the difference instantly. Not because of anything the bellmen said or did wrong. The service was technically correct in both cases. But one interaction felt like a gift. The other felt like a transaction.
Guests may not consciously recognize energy levels, but they respond to them immediately.
What Guests Feel About Team Energy But Can’t Name
You’ve experienced this yourself. You walk into a business and something feels off. The person helping you says all the right words, follows all the right steps, but you leave feeling like you interrupted their day.
Now think about the opposite. You walk in and immediately feel at ease. Someone helps you and you walk away feeling genuinely cared for. Not because they did anything extraordinary. Because they were fully present. Because their energy was different.
Your team members are broadcasting their internal state in every interaction. Guests pick up on it before a single word is spoken. A short response here, a minimal smile there. The small signals that say “I’m just getting through this shift.”
This isn’t about customer service skills. It’s about something deeper.
The Question Leadership Rarely Asks
When a team member shows up flat, some leaders jump to assumptions: bad attitude, wrong fit, needs more training, doesn’t care about the job.
But what if the person you hired, the one who lit up in the interview and genuinely wanted to connect with people, is still in there? What if they’re just running on empty?
Consider what might be happening before they even clock in: a car that barely starts, a sick child who kept them up all night, a text from a family member that set their morning spinning. They arrive already depleted, and then the shift demands everything they have left.
Or consider what’s happening during the shift: a manager too stressed to notice anything going right, a system that makes simple tasks complicated, a colleague who poisons every interaction with cynicism.
Energy drains come from everywhere. And when leaders miss this, they misdiagnose the problem entirely.
Two Different Mindsets
Here’s what made this so striking: it wasn’t a one-time observation. Day after day, the pattern held. The first bellman consistently found something wrong. The second consistently found something right.
Same job. Same guest rotation. Same union rules. But two completely different experiences of work, playing out shift after shift.
Was the first bellman actually getting more difficult guests and lower tips? Maybe sometimes. But here’s what I noticed: guests respond to energy. The bellman who showed up depleted and frustrated likely received exactly what he expected. The one who showed up energized and engaged created a different dynamic entirely and received exactly what he expected.
Over time, these patterns compound. One bellman’s experience confirmed his belief that the job was hard and guests were demanding. The other’s experience confirmed that the work was enjoyable and people were wonderful.
Neither was making it up. But one was caught in a cycle that drained him further, while the other had found something sustainable.
The Real Cost of Low Team Energy
When team members operate from depleted energy, they default to mechanical service because it’s all they can manage. The warmth disappears. The authentic connections that create memorable experiences become impossible.
We explored this concept of energy and what drains it in our earlier article on Energy Vampires in the Workplace. The short version: your team members carry an internal energy reserve that either fuels genuine connection or forces them into survival mode.
What Changes Everything
I know that in the second bellman’s story the thing that made the difference was gratitude.
He was grateful for his position. Grateful for the opportunity to work at such an amazing place. Grateful for the gifts in his life. He operated from “get to” rather than “have to.”
The first bellman had no gratitude. He complained about everything. He “had to” go to work.
What I do know is this: I’ve seen that same difference play out across teams for decades. And the team members who sustain that kind of energy aren’t just lucky. Something is working for them internally that others haven’t found yet.
The question for leadership is whether you notice the difference, and whether you’re curious about what’s behind it.
Questions Worth Sitting With
If you’re noticing team members who seem checked out, consider:
- What might be draining their energy before they arrive?
- What systems or dynamics might be draining them during their shift?
- When was the last time someone asked how they were doing and actually meant it?
- Are we treating this as a performance problem when it’s actually an energy problem?
Building Teams That Show Up Fully
Sometimes the moment a guest senses something is off has nothing to do with whether a team member wants to be there. Sometimes it’s about what they have left to give. And that’s worth paying attention to.
This is the work we explore in depth in our upcoming book, where we dive into the energy dynamics that determine whether your team creates magic or just gets through the day.
WORTH@WORK partners with hospitality organizations to build cultures where energy is protected, not just expected. Where leaders learn to see beneath the surface. Where team members develop the internal resources to bring their best, even on hard days.
If you’re curious about what becomes possible when you address energy at its root, let’s talk.
