Tournament Directors Put on an Act

I think one of the things that players may not realize is, is that a Tournament Director of a Tour has to always be their best, no matter what.

I'm not talking about doing things right or good during a stop, I'm talking about "acting" our best, no matter what is going on in our personal lives.

You see - we really have to act like things are great and be a good leader for the players so they have a great experience, even if in our personal lives something might be going on.

They say good leaders are the pulse of their employees.  If the boss comes in upset, usually their employees aren't jumping around for joy - instead they are not smiling, staying out of the way, being quiet, worried about upsetting the boss more, etc.  So, good leaders are aware that their actions and demeanor can directly affect the productiveness of their employees and also their mood.

During the last Omega stop, I had to put my work issues aside and show up with a big smile on my face and simply get my ass to work for the 123 players.  I had no time to sulk or be upset about my job situation, because the players needed me; because running the Tour is important; because the players' experience is important.

Can you imagine if I was to show up upset and in a bad mood?  That would be terrible for the players!

The same goes for our love life.  If a TD is going through a bad break up, divorce, whatever, we still have to show up and run the tournament smoothly - not cry in the corner and do a haphazard job because our hearts are broken.  Sure, when we leave the event we may cry all the way home (or celebrate, lol) but during the tournament, TDs put their personal lives and emotions on hold to run a smooth event for the players.

It's what all good TD's do.