Your personality can make up for lack of skills.

A couple of hours ago, I arrived at Chennai airport. The guy from the hotel who came to pick me up took more than 15 minutes to tell me where he was, even though I was standing right in front of the airport exit gate the entire time! I was surprised by the lack of skills from someone who has been doing this job for four years.

Once we got into the car, I started a conversation with him. Despite being almost illiterate, he has worked hard to learn English and Hindi. He was confident enough to say that he didn’t like Rajinikanth and eloquently explained why he liked as well as disliked Hitler. He said that someone was helping him secure a job in the Middle East because he impressed him with his "good character." A short conversation is not enough to fully assess someone’s character, but I can confirm that he is an interesting person. Before saying bye, I told him to be cautious, as many people get cheated with the promise of foreign jobs.

By the end, I had completely forgotten about the initial 15 minutes of inconvenience I had with him.

(Posted on LinkedIn, December 2024)