The weather on Sunday morning was perfect — breezy and a bit cloudy. Just the right day to head to the beach with family. Instead, executives of Le Royal Meridien Hotel, Chennai, were learning how to be on their best behaviour. As part of the hotel's executive development training programme, 30-odd executives, including general managers, were participating in a motivational workshop conducted by Ashok Bala Rajanan, an international corporate image consultant. The workshop on business etiquette and image building focussedon how executives could become high achievers without compromising on good manners.

Rajanan says people in the hospitality industry encounter customers with varying moods and issues. "The hotel industry is highly competitive. One mishap or bad-mannered instance can stop a customer from visiting a hotel," he warns the participants. Statistics show that it takes 12 repeated efforts to set one mistake right, he adds.

As the audience tries to grasp the import of those words , he comes up with a winner — something that business executives can relate to easily. Good manners earn you goodwill, he says. And goodwill is deposited directly into your savings bank account. At this, the executives sit up. The more goodwill you earn, the bigger your account grows. This is converted into a self-esteem bond and no misfortune can shake you. "Not even GTB's fall," he laughs.

Joshuva Benjamin, the hotel's outlet manager, asks, "But what if I am taken for a softie? It happens to me all the time." Good manners are no sign of weakness, assures Rajanan. It is possible to be good mannered, yet firm. "One doesn't need a big ego, like a blown balloon, to command respect. Such people are actually hiding their flaws. A smart person can easily prick the balloon," he adds.

More questions follow. Nalina Saravanan, Manager (operations), wants to know whether subordinates have to be given the push when they perform below par. The trainer, also a corporate filmmaker, relies on his rich repertoire of stories for the answer.

An eagle's egg found its way to a hen's nest. When the eggs hatched, the eaglet began playing with the chicks, unaware of its true identity. . The mother hen knew the eaglet did not belong there. She had to teach it to fly. But how could the hen do it when she couldn't fly herself? The hen then hit upon a plan. She began to run across the tomcat's house. The chicks and the eaglet ran after her. As the cat began to chase them, the eaglet's wings opened and it soared into the air.

"What the mother hen did was to give the eaglet a shove. As superiors, you must give your subordinates a shove to wake them up from their comfort zone. It is worth it."

The next session involves lessons on personal grooming. And Rajanan does not leave anything out — right from hair, dental and nail care to conservative business dressing such as tying the perfect half-Windsor knot, wearing the appropriate suit for different occasions to choosing the right spectacle frame.

The executives are a bit uneasy when he talks about personal hygiene and manners, but Rajanan continues unperturbed. Like a man on a mission - unmindful of the squirming or the occasional frown. "Certain things I say may be explosive. But record these and let them work for you. Never assume that no one would notice how you are. Everyone notices everything — right from body odour to repetitive socks."

Telephone and office etiquette form the rest of the session. Details like how to receive a guest, offer the perfect handshake, introduce guests and offer business cards are effectively covered.

"You can't control what people think of you. But you can control that image and project what you want to convey of yourself. Aspects like what you wear, your personal possessions, the way you carry yourself can make or break your image. . The real shifthappens inside you, not outside," stresses Rajanan, who is an avid student of Zen principles and meditation.

As for the executives, who have been exposed to training programmes earlier too, this day-long session was a revelation. "Sometimes, even what we already know gains a new reinforcing perspective when an outsider explains it," says Nalina.

Amjad Hussain, the hotel's training officer, adds, "Besides, Ashok had a lot of innovative suggestions, which I am sure will benefit us. But the workshop's success lies in all these ideas percolating to the lower-level staff as well."

Later, speaking to Life, Rajanan talked about the need for motivational training in high-stress jobs. "If the mind is not motivated, it can plateau out. I am not a teacher, but a coach. A coach has no other motive other than making the person he is coaching win in life."