Oh The Shame of it!

Me, the Manager, ask for advice?! No way!

‘Noun’

‘Guidance or recommendations offered with regard to prudent action.’

Stephen W. Ayers, CEO, STAY Ahead Hospitality.

I am sitting in my office and wondering what the real and true amount of money that has been wasted by managers NOT asking for advice on a subject that they are not sufficiently informed about when making a decision.

Throughout my career I have learned how to become a better manager by learning from the examples of ‘how not to do it’ that I experienced under the various managers I worked for.

Since these uninformed decisions take place every minute of every workday across the globe in hotels, the total sum of ‘wastage’ must be mind boggling, into the millions and millions on a daily basis! Can you imagine the improved ROI on financials everywhere if managers just thought to ask for advice and guidance BEFORE they made these wrong decisions? Or perhaps how much more funding they could use for employees, or badly needed equipment?

So why do so many managers dismiss this fundamental opportunity to get it right by asking for informed opinions from people that know the answer?

The answer:  SHAME of being perceived as weak and lacking in knowledge.

In order to be a great manager you need to know, understand and admit that you do not know everything about your operations.  Sure, you are there to take the decisions that need taking, but you should do this only after collecting all the relevant facts about the dilemma. The answer to every problem cannot be found in books, it cannot be found on financial sheets or on Google.

So where can logical, sensible and creative answers be found? Take a look around you! Your hotel is full of experienced staff who knows so much about their specific tasks, from your management team right down to the amazing dishwashers, room attendants, the wonderful front line staff and the back of house people.

I was very lucky at the beginning of my management career by being taught a great lesson in learning by the owner of The King Solomon’s Palace which I helped open as Executive assistant and F&B Manager. I wrote an article about this:  http://www.stayaheadhospitality.com/a-very-valuable-lesson  which taught me early on that I had a goldmine of information and creative suggestions everywhere around me and all I had to do was tap into it. I encourage you to read it.

Your frontline staff is so much more important to your guests than you are, and you should make it known to them. I remember when starting out in the business how overjoyed I was when the manager spoke to me, said hi or asked me how I was doing. Can you imagine their sense of satisfaction and self worth if they are asked how they might solve a problem? Can you understand the example that gives to your staff, and the fact that it strengthens you as a leader?

So when you next have an operational problem, try going to the source. Ask the staff that work every day on the frontlines what they think, what they might do to solve the problem. More often than not they will come up with ideas that only someone who works in the specific area can come up with. More than that, you will be amazed at the money you can save, the good feelings you invest in your staff and the satisfaction you will get from asking their advice. You will gain respect and be seen in a different light.

So go on, throw shame out of the window and go ask your staff for advice next time you have a problem!

Settled in as the new GM? Some next steps tips……..

Part 2 of 2: Taking a new position as GM?......

Stephen W. Ayers, CEO STAY Ahead Hospitality

You’re settled in as the new General Manager at your hotel. You feel that you are on solid ground with your department heads and the staff is getting to know and respect you.  You have met each of your executives for an in depth discussion and you are getting to know their strengths and weaknesses. You are familiar with the financials, have ‘soaked up’ the prevailing atmosphere in the hotel and know the physical layout of the building well.

You are ‘up to speed’ as they say.

So what are next steps?

You have taken the time necessary to learn and settle in and show the staff, including your department heads, that you have ‘learned’ the hotel and have not been the ‘Bull in the china shop’ that many perhaps expected.

You have succeeded in building your ‘initial phase’ reputation.

It is time to start putting your own GM ‘stamp’ into the operation, time to get active and taking over the navigation of your establishment.

Here are some tips that may be helpful in going forward at this critical point in your stewardship:

1.      Have a second meeting and discussion with each head of department. This should be held in the more official surroundings of your office. Point out what you have seen, good and bad, in his/her department. Ask them to put down on paper what they believe is the current state of their department and what their plan is for the next year to improve, with ‘hard’ targets. Ask them to include what they might need in resources and what you can do to help them achieve the targets.

2.      Request an all encompassing plan for the treatment of the staff from your HR head. This plan must include all that is done for staff on a daily/monthly and yearly basis. If a staff satisfaction survey has been achieved then request a plan for improving the weaknesses. If a survey has not been done, ask to plan one. Either way you will have a benchmark on which to compare in the future.

The HR plan must also include ways of lowering grievances that are costly, and also exit interviews to learn from mistakes.

3.      Spend more time with your sales and marketing team. Ask for their strategy in attaining higher ADR’s and occupancy from the more valuable segments and sub segments. Look at future bookings for ‘holes’ and request action to fill them. Hold a weekly meeting for updating and minute the meetings.

4.      Request a monthly forecast by the 25^th of the month for the next month. The accounting department will create this with the full input of the department heads. This is no substitute for the yearly budget, but as the year gets older the budget is less effective and needs updating for effectiveness. This will allow all departments to rethink scheduling if necessary and be more compatible with current business demands.

5.      Make sure to try and keep significant presence in the building and not hunker down in your office. Staff likes to see an active GM who is present, asks them how they are doing and is seen as taking a keen interest in their work.

6.      Look into guest satisfaction parameters. Gather the information necessary on which to gauge the weaknesses that lead to complaints and plan action to correct them. I always knew the strengths of my hotels, but what I always wanted more than that was to know what was wrong. Instill in the staff a sense of competition to always better guest ratings whether on social media or within the brand.

7.      When drawing up the points for heads of department meetings, ask your executive team for their items for the agenda. Don’t forget that the best way to have your team adopt any plans of action is to have them involved in the decisions.

8.      Let your team know that you are their ‘support system’ and that you are there to advise them when they feel they need it. They must also know that, while they do have freedom to lead their department under your guidance, they will be judged by the yearly plan and targets you set together.

9.      Staff needs to feel appreciated, and that goes for your executive team as well. Don’t save on the ‘thank yous’ you dish out daily, and acknowledge good deeds and decisions made during the days’ hard work by all. You will feel good too.

I firmly believe that while you as General Manager make the final decisions, it is best to have a democratic system whereby all involved ‘stakeholders’ have their say and ideas. You may very well be surprised that there are many interesting ideas and suggestions worthy of adoption in your team.

I have always gone to the source to get my most valuable advice and it has paid off handsomely!

Taking a new position as GM? Here are some tips….

Stephen W. Ayers, CEO STAY Ahead Hospitality

Over the course of my career I have had the good fortune and privilege to open and manage hotels in city, resort and spa locations. While they are so different in terms of operation, they are all very similar in terms of their greatest asset, the team of staff under you. Of special importance are your cadre of executives that are so crucial to your and the hotels’ success.

Starting a new position as General Manager is a daunting task but one that can determine the future relationships with both your management team and the staff working so hard on the front lines and in the back of house. However, this does depend a great deal on how you act and behave during your initial period as GM.

So here are some tips that I have found invaluable when assuming a new GM position in the hotels I have managed:

1. Do not, at least initially, bring in staff that has been loyal to you in your past position without reviewing your management team and taking the time to get to know each of them. You may find the best team ever! Bringing in an outsider without reviewing the staff in current positions will engender distrust.
2. While you have to lead the crew from the first day, try to be ‘silent’ for at least one month, keeping your eyes and ears open but your mouth shut. Walk around, get a feeling for both the hotel and the different departments, how they operate and get to know some of the staff that work in them.
3. Take the time to eat in the staff dining room, invite staff randomly to eat with you and chat with them. You will learn a great deal about the atmosphere of the hotel.
4. Review the financials of the hotel and departments over the past year(s). Note down items to be discussed with each department head, whether good or disappointing.
5. Schedule meetings with each of your department heads to get to know them. Allow for at least half a day each to learn about them, what makes them tick, their beliefs, what they think about the strengths and weaknesses of the hotel. Discuss the points you noted in your financial review and discuss these. You may be surprised by the volume of data you learn and their drive to lead. You will learn what may be holding them back from a great performance! Perhaps the last GM stifled their freedom? Perhaps he gave them too much leeway? You will learn also how to lead your executives by getting to know each of them. We are all different but we ALL need direction. These meetings should be held in a relaxed atmosphere, and if possible in the executive lounge if there is one, or a ‘lounge’ atmosphere if possible.
6. Encourage different points of view in head of department meetings. It is important not only to let each member present his point of view, but for you to hear the ideas and advice before making a decision. Sometimes, as I have found, they may differ radically from your own, and you may decide to go with consensus given their arguments. It is no shame to admit that their way may be better, and a good leader will gain respect by this demonstration of trust in the team.
7. Take the time to learn what the hotel policies are towards the staff. How are they celebrated on birthdays, weddings? What are the bonus systems in place? Are long term staff appreciated and promoted first if suitable? Is staff encouraged to take courses that may be subsidized by the hotel and self better themselves? Are the different cultures represented in food served in the staff dining room, and what about the vegetarians and vegans? What is done to bond the executive team on a monthly/yearly basis? Once you have gathered this vital information you can then ask your HR Manager to express his/her opinion and plot a policy that will encompass all your staff.
8. Do not forget that each and every one of your staff is an integral part of your success as their GM and leader, and each one should command the same respect. In many ways they will define you as GM and may even decide your future. Treating your staff correctly is one sure way to get on the road to success.

Taking the time as you ease into your new position and not acting impulsively is not a sign of weakness. If you get to know your management team, get to know the staff, get to know the weaknesses and strengths of the financials, it will allow you to be on solid ground when you become more actively involved. You will have a wealth of knowledge about your hotel on which to base wise decisions.

More importantly, you will have a team backing you that are not afraid to give their honest advice!

The Three Golden Pillars

  Stephen W. Ayers, CEO, STAY Ahead Hospitality

Imagine just for a moment that your hotel or restaurant is held up by three golden pillars. Without all three it would surely collapse.

The two most important pillars are the guests and the employee’s pillars, followed closely by the management pillar. It may sound strange and many may disagree with me and say that the management makes the rules, makes the operational decisions and is therefore the most important. Indulge me for a moment.

I suggest that while management is indeed very important and perhaps the ‘glue’ that keeps it all together, it is in my mind not the ‘all important’ pillar as many in our industry believe them to be. The pillars did not start as golden pillars but rather as ordinary concrete pillars. Strong pillars but still concrete. All the pillars will become golden and benefit greatly from each other if all pillars are kept consistently satisfied and in unison over time. They will keep your business on solid foundations.

The employee pillar is perhaps the most important of all three pillars. To keep a cadre of happy and satisfied employees is a hard task. In today’s industry employees hail from many different backgrounds and cultures. Each comes with their own expectations from their workplace. It is neither wise nor clever to ignore the different demands and expectations, and operators dismiss them at their peril. It is much more rewarding to recognize these differences, to learn from them and use them as a way of bringing the staff together in common purpose. It is so worthwhile and educational to learn and experience firsthand different customs from around the world, different foods, and to hear different languages. It enriches the hotel and allows for a much higher standard of service to the diverse clientele of today.

While many cultures make up your staff, they are all ‘one family’ during the day. As with all families, it takes time and hard work to keep them happy. There are many well known ways to do this that will bring huge benefit to that management pillar and the resulting benefits to the bottom line.

The steps to achieve this with the staff pillar can include setting up a system that celebrates important events in the staff lives such as birthdays, wedding anniversaries and even National days, and which can be done in the staff dining room as an example. Attending funerals of immediate family shows caring and show that staff are indeed ‘ hotel family’.

Long time employees should be rewarded, and hotel events held that bring all the staff together ‘outside’ of the work atmosphere. Outstanding employees should be singled out for promotion and supported in courses that further their knowledge and experience. They are the future of the hotel, and therefore priceless.

Of course all the above is well known as are bonus systems, appreciation letters, meals taken by management in the staff dining room as policy, barter agreements for staff stays at other hotels, greater responsibility and authorization to solve complaint. Rewarding employee suggestions that work or save money and a multitude of other ways both small and large that will have a unifying effect on your staff are all well known and time tested. These and more are the many parts that make up a whole.

Educate your staff to understand each other’s important role in the puzzle that results in a hugely satisfactory stay for a guest. Believe me; they will have newfound respect for their colleagues, and cooperation between departments will benefit.

If the staff pillar stands firm and golden, this will have the greatest impact on the guest pillar. The guests generally do not come into frequent contact with management but rather interact with your staff. If your staff is treated well and their expectations met, this interaction with guests will be very beneficial to the overall guest satisfaction, and it will trickle down into the results. The reputation of the hotel will grow, the social media will be overflowing with compliments and this will drive more business to your hotel in a positive ‘vicious circle’. All other facets of the hotel being equal, your staff will, if happy, drive your business to greater heights, your ADR higher and increase your profits.

So now you have two pillars that are golden, and we turn to the management pillar. Having started the important process by which the staff and then guest pillars became golden, the management pillar will now turn to gold also. What we understand is that by its’ hard work, correct decisions and nurturing the staff, the management pillar turned to gold by affecting the other pillars positively. 

That is the perfect job description of management!

The good guidance offered by management turned the staff into a unified and satisfied team who in turn caused guests to enjoy their stay and enhance the hotel reputation. This in turn brought greater occupancies and higher ADR’s. The pillars, acting for and benefitting off each other, are the best way to increased profits and a better ROI.

Sound simple? If hard work at getting it right, if making it part of your hotel identity and culture is what you do, then yes, it is simple.  

When is the last time you had a chat with a member of your staff? When did you last check your rating on Trip advisor and read guest comments?  When did you last attend an event honoring staff? When did you last have a meal with staff in the staff dining room? When was the last staff satisfaction survey performed? When did you last have a meeting with all your staff and answer their questions?

Ask yourself these and many more piercing questions, and if you do not know or do not you’re your answers, then maybe the gold on your pillars is rusting away!

For more information and tips please go to www.stayaheadhospitality.com

STAY Ahead Hospitality ‘The go to company for independents’