I, me, myself: Signposts of success

His ambition even in childhood was to follow in his father's footsteps - a man who successfully worked his way up from an electrical technician to setting up his own electrical export-import business and then went on to a lucrative career in real estate in his native Tehran, Iran. He also, in earnest, wanted to fulfil his father's dream for him - of seeing him as an engineer - that made Mahdi Eftekari go to the US in 1975 at the age of 19.

The eldest of six siblings, he was entrusted with a major responsibility in his formative years. "You are the oldest, and will be the trendsetter of the family," his father told him. "If you do well, the others will follow."

He took this advice to heart although it meant he was far more under scrutiny than his siblings to ensure that he always did the right thing and pursued his studies in earnest. But he did not mind the extra attention. "My parents provided a very supportive environment and I always wanted to do my best to please them," he says. After completing high school at the elite Alborz School in Tehran, he moved on to study at the University of Louisville in the US. This move however sprung a surprise on him - engineering, he soon discovered, was not what he wanted to do in life. So he changed to business management and marketing with the aim of developing a career in information technology.

Just as he was about to complete his education, the global political landscape underwent a change that dictated the course of his ambition. The Iranian revolution in 1979 and the subsequent diplomatic crisis between Tehran and Washington made it difficult for him to find a job in the US. As his search lengthened, he found an adviser in a Greek-American who told him: "My suggestion is that you go into the hospitality industry as Iranians seem to have a natural flair for it."

Mahdi decided to heed his advice. "I had married while in college and knew that going back to Iran with an American wife at that point in time wasn't exactly prudent," he says. "I had to stay on in the US to support my family.

"I started out as waiter at a local restaurant," says Mahdi. "It wasn't easy... but I knew this was not where I would let myself remain. I will soon get to where I want to be, I told myself repeatedly."

A year and a half later, he became floor supervisor and then assistant manager in the restaurant of the Hyatt Regency Louisville. Over the next eight years, he climbed his way up to become the regional food and beverage director for 13 Hyatt hotels in southern California.

"I had high ambitions. I always believed the sky was the limit," says Mahdi.

In 1988, Mahdi joined the Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills in 1988 as food and beverage director and it wasn't long before he took over as general manager.

"I have been with the Four Seasons for 22 years now and have been its general manager for the past 15 years," says Mahdi. "Currently I have 620 employees who report to me including 80 managers and seven senior managers."

I would describe myself as a very driven person who expects a lot out of myself. I don't believe in short cuts to achieve goals. I am of the view that each person makes his/her own destiny. I've tried to inculcate this value in my kids. I also believe that hard work should be combined with fun - you have to make sure you enjoy every moment of your life while giving your best to your work.

I am a believer in the society that I live in. I want to make sure that I do the best I can for it.

I also believe that if you have been blessed by good fortune, you must reach out and help others.

I am grateful to a fellow American student at Georgetown University. Despite having tuition to pass the tests to move to the US, it was only when I landed in America that I realised I didn't know enough English. Then I met this boy in the dormitory who was interested in Middle East culture. Realising that I was not very fluent in the English language, he began to teach me. So I became his roommate. The deal was that he would teach me the language while I ensured he received a kilo of Iranian pistachios every month!

He had an interesting way of teaching me English. I had to watch a particular movie each day and narrate the story to him. He had a significant influence on my life and I learned English a lot quicker than any other foreign student on the campus.

I didn't know at the time I entered the hospitality industry that I was essentially a service-oriented, people person. These qualities are what help you last in this industry.

I believe hospitality is about building relationships with guests to understand their needs and exceed their expectations. Hospitality also encompasses taking care of our employees to nurture loyalty and longevity.

The culture in our company centres around the golden rule: treat people as you want to be treated; work with people as you would like them to work with you; talk to people the way you want to be talked to.

I work in a profession that is open 24/7. Unlike other jobs, we cannot merely pick up from where we left off the previous day. Each morning brings with it new opportunities, responsibilities, and just as many challenges.

I believe leadership starts from within. You cannot force people to respect or trust you. You have to earn your trust and respect. Being a good leader is not only about focusing on work. You have to learn to look at an employee as a human being - not as a number or as someone who is there to do the work. Do not pass by them without acknowledging them; the least you can do is smile at them. A good leader understands that the more you make people feel good, the harder they work and the more committed they become. I therefore look at my employees as internal customers. I believe that if we take good care of them, our guests or external customers will be happy.

I am passionate about life. I get up in the morning with a smile because every day is a new day and you cannot take it for granted.

I am also passionate about my daughters who mean the world to me, and also about my partner Jolene who has stood by me since my divorce ten years ago. She has been a great support.

I value honesty, trust, relationships and the opportunities provided to me.

I enjoy life, making people happy, and travelling. I love to have people around, especially friends. I enjoy the experience of new cultures - I don't go to a new country and judge their culture; I go to learn.

I cannot imagine life without my children, my family.

I am inspired by inventors and other creativity. I took a tour of the Burj Khalifa, went up 124 floors and am inspired by how it was built. It makes me think.

I am nostalgic about my culture.

Me and my Iranian roots:I've lived in the US for 35 years now but I will always be an Iranian American and I am very proud of that. My roots are in my home country; it is in my blood.

I believe one of the reasons why I could embrace the hospitality business so effortlessly is because Iranians are very hospitable by nature. I remember as a kid I would watch my mother in the kitchen and wonder why she had to cook so much food. Even if there were just four of us at home, she would be cooking for about 12. Her response was: "You never know who may drop by."

Me and my family: My eldest daughter, Leila, is 27 years old and practising law and my younger daughter, Roya, is 18 and has just started attending her first year of college.

One brother lives in California while the rest of my siblings including my parents live in Tehran. Each time I visit them, I can't wait for the airplane doors to open so I can smell the air. There is something about it that reminds me of my childhood.

Me and my strengths:I am very detail-oriented (for a newly opened restaurant in the hotel my team and I tried around 35 olive oils before we finally found one that was right); a stickler for follow-ups and follow-throughs.

Me and my limitations: My insistence on attention to detail can often take much out of my personal time.

Me and dealing with strange guest requests:People ask for a lot of odd things - a new passport within two hours, a visa for a pet dog or to arrange a Roll-Royce in two hours. There was a guest who would mark what sort of eggs and meat she wanted for her dog each morning; another who wanted to go to a shopping district and asked us to ensure that the stores remain open for her after visiting hours.

We don't really look at these requests as odd - it's all part of the service at the Four Seasons.

Me and the art of making guests happy:

Once a little boy who was our guest lost his kitten and was inconsolable. Despite our best efforts, we couldn't trace it before he and his family checked out. But the following day, a guest in the adjacent room found the kitten on the balcony below. What we did was send the kitten to his home. In a limousine!

Another time, a kid had misplaced his ‘security' toy bear and his parents were distraught as they left the hotel. When we found the toy bear, we had it dry cleaned and couriered it to the family before they reached home.

Me and my idea of adventure: I love the ocean; the water. Water gives me energy. I like to kayak in the ocean.

What is the hardest part about being a general manager?

A general manager's job is a lot like a mayor's. People trust your opinions and ask for your recommendations. You have to know everything about our city; and have to be a great resource.

What is the buzz at the Four Seasons during Oscar week?

We call our hotel ‘Hollywood's living room'; it's the place to see and be seen. Oscar winners, Oscar nominees, Oscar parties and soirees - it is celebrity overdrive at the hotel.

On any day throughout the year, we host a handful of Hollywood's A-list celebrities but during Oscars, the number rises five-fold. Therefore, the Academy Awards are a huge responsibility.

Celebrities, however, like us to respect their privacy. We train our staff to ‘Be friendly, not familiar'. They are instructed not to invade their guest's space. We are there only to provide a service to the best of our ability.

Our security department also does not allow anyone to come in and take pictures. No staff member can pose for pictures, ask for autographs, concert tickets, or provide information to the media. We have a zero tolerance policy in such matters. Discretion is our strong selling point and celebrities love to be here as they feel secure and protected.

What is your favourite Oscar story?

One morning at 5.30am, I received a call from Terrence Howard who kept screaming into my ears that he had been nominated for his roles in Hustle & Flow and Crash. We had struck up a friendship during his stay at the hotel, and later I was pleased to read in People magazine his reaction to the thrill of earning a nomination: "I called my mom first. Then I called my dad. Then I called the general manager of the Four Seasons in LA because he's been such a great supporter."

What is it about your job you like best?

I get to meet plenty of people from all walks of life - showbiz, business, media, you name it. And all this in a glamorous, trendsetting destination! Most people have to take a holiday to enjoy this kind of luxury; fortunately for me I get to enjoy it every day. Often I have to pinch myself to say, ‘You work here!'

Being in the service industry means you need to be polite and well-mannered at all times. How do you let off steam?

I don't take work home and I don't carry my domestic issues to work.