Headhunters and the case for ‘Local experience’ in a GM.

Stephen W. Ayers, CEO STAY Ahead Hospitality

This is something that has been on my mind as I talk to many colleagues and think about my career and interactions with headhunters.

The one common thread in all my conversations about the Headhunters reactions is their answer “You don’t have local experience”. It happened to me ten years ago and has happened countless times to other, experienced managers who have come to Canada (and other countries) in search of a better life. These are people with international experience who could bring a breath of fresh, creative air to our industry, but…..they don’t have ‘local experience!’

So I thought to try and think the way the headhunters do and came up with the following line of reasoning:

First, I thought about hotels in Canada (and other cities around the world):

“Do they have rooms? Do they have restaurant(s) and bars? Do they have receptions? Do they have F&B departments, housekeeping, Maintenance, security and the others found in ‘local’ hotels across the world?”

“Do the engage their guests? Do they have an HR department to take care of the staff?”

The answer is yes, yes, yes to all those questions and so many more. So what is it with this ‘local experience’ bee that they have in their bonnets?

The answer I came up with is to be found in Sales and Marketing. The new comers do not know the ‘local’ marketing and connected sales strategies. This does not mean that the newcomers do not know marketing and sales, and that is vastly different. Every hotel has a different marketing and sales strategy set out by owners, management and the M&S Director.

I suggest to you that an experienced general manager can learn the M&S department and its targets and operational methods in about three months or less. The newcomer could even bring some new ideas and angles learned not from ‘local experience’ but from abroad. This is called ‘innovation’ and ‘creative’ and could perhaps ‘revitalize’ the department in many ways.

I can say that only a few headhunters actually make the effort to meet and try to get to know the newcomers, get to know their strengths and experience. They would much rather get a ‘local’ fit quick and collect their commission…….it’s all about money there too.

How come the big brands move their general managers across the globe at will? It is not only a question of promotion but rather also a ‘revitalization’ of the hotels when a new guy arrives for ‘out of town’!

So next time you come across a ‘newcomer’ general manager, take a minute to read and take in his/her experience and see if it would reward your organization with a ‘new broom’. Perhaps even go so far as to invite him/her for a chat and get to know the candidate……you might be blown away! 

Why didn’t we think of that?

Stephen W. Ayers, CEO STAY Ahead Hospitality

What a powerful cartoon statement in the Toronto Star today!

If indeed the Canadian First Nations had had any say whatsoever about who came to live and stay on their lands the outlook may have been very different than today.

Being a hotel guy, it got me thinking about how relevant the cartoon is for our industry. You just have to replace ‘immigrant’ with ‘new employee’.

The costs of recruiting, training and integration of a new hire can run into thousands of dollars, with a very conservative estimate putting the figure at no less than $4,500. In many hotels the staff turnover is high, so why don’t we get it right the first time?

As a general manager I always wanted to know what we were doing WRONG. I knew what we were good at, I read about it in the comments, in the staff and guest surveys. We needed to continue doing what we did right, but more importantly we needed to correct what was wrong.

The largest single cost in a hotel is the cost of the human resources.  In a high staff turnover hotel those costs are considerably inflated by the costs of integration of new staff into many different departments.

Staff surveys, a critical yearly ‘check up’ on the ‘health’ of your employees in the workplace will tell you a lot about what can be improved.

Unfair treatment by peers or superiors, complaints about lower wages, staff cafeteria food offerings, uniforms, long hours, equipment, materials, travel, unnecessary grievances, they will all be in there, and more.

But surely they are indicative of the overall hotel culture? Does the hotel actually have a culture that nurtures the employees, that answers their expectations? The days of just paying a fair wage for fair work are over. Employees expect different, and so do the guests of today and tomorrow.

Admittedly, recruiting or even finding new staff these days can be very difficult in a market where demand outstrips supply. That makes good recruiting even more important. A good choice of employee, coupled with a great hotel culture will not only make for happy staff but for long term staff.

It has been proven time and again that salary is the second most important thing in an employee’s life at work. The first is happiness at the workplace, and only a great hotel culture can give him or her that.

Good recruiting is a first step in trying to ensure that the right person is considered for the position. Try not to run and take the first candidate just because of pressure. Check background and experience. Have an extended conversation to see what personal values the candidate may have, and whether they fit in with the hotel culture. How have they turned up for the interview? Personal hygiene and grooming are important. Try and get an insight into the personality sitting in front of you and whether there may be future room for self improvement.

There is nothing like a face to face interview. Sure, the candidate may bring letters of reference and praise, but did his ex employers give those out to get rid of them? It happens! They must be followed up, but the interview is the important part of the new hire.

So now you have decided on the new hire, and believe that given the right opportunities he or she will do a good job, assimilate well into the staff complement and stay for a long time.

That will not happen unless the hotel has a culture that takes care of the staff. Whether good food (an army marches on a full stomach), fair wages, appreciation, sufficient equipment and materials, clean and good fit uniforms, in hotel promotion, staff events and more, these are some of the things that make for a great workplace. Creating a hotel culture that understands and nurtures and takes care of our diversity is one of the major and most important factors in the success of today’s hotels.

Happy staff makes for happy guests who are looking for hotels with culture. In addition, think of the considerable costs savings to be had by lowering the turnover. As we said, at the minimum, each staff kept in your employ will save $4,500 in new hire integration and will eliminate quite a few operational headaches!

So, is it not worth the while to correctly interview candidates and invest in a great hotel culture to welcome them into?

The LLOD and The Mountain of work that goes into serving a meal

Stephen W. Ayers, CEO STAY Ahead Hospitality

Sometimes I wonder if a guest, or even the hotel manager, has thought of all the work and human interaction that it takes to serve a great meal in the restaurant. However, that certainly does not excuse bad service, less than perfect taste or horrible plate presentation. As I have written, the absolute last line of defense (LLOD) is the waiter, but there are many other stages in the production ‘line’ where mistakes can and should be caught before the meal is presented to the diner.

Diners reserve tables, march in, order drinks and food from beautiful menus and sit happily for an hour or more during their restaurant experience. They know that work goes into their meal production and service, but do they really realize what exactly went on behind the scenes to get that plate in front of them? Have you stopped to think about where it can all go wrong?

LOD1: It all starts with procurement. Here the meal either starts off well or not. Whether perishable or not, the best product must be bought for the best price. No compromise. The end game depends on the quality of ingredients, and if that is less than perfect the meal will be too. Here it is up to the Chef to ascertain on arrival that all the products are indeed what he ordered. Products must be bought so that turnover means that they are all fresh all of the time.

LOD 2: Now comes a very important part. Storage. We all know FIFO, but is it practiced in every kitchen? You all know the answer. All it takes is for a lazy kitchen attendant (Commis) to arrange the storage by just loading the new onto the old in the refrigerators. At some stage the older products will be used, but by then they will be far from their freshest. So make sure that all products are stored with availability of the first in first out.

LOD3: Preparation. It is hugely important that the Chef oversees the preparation of all the dishes he has planned and written recipes for. All too often the kitchen brigade will prepare food according to the recipes, but if a certain ingredient is missing….well, they don’t really care, just get the cooking done. Cooks cutting corners can be the death of a good meal!

LOD4: The taste test. Qualified cooks must taste ALL food before it is served to the diners. Sure, it has been produced according to the standard recipe, but that is not enough. Take a standard recipe from a cook book and give it to ten different cooks to make and there will be differences in taste. Guaranteed. The Executive Chef or Sous Chef must taste in order to give the thumbs up for the particular dish.

LOD5: The meal service. This stage is where all the careful work and production of the perfect meal can be undone in a second. A hot meal must be served on a hot plate, the food hot and the presentation perfect……don’t forget that we eat with our eyes first. All plates for the same table should be ready at the same time if all diners are to enjoy their meal together. The Chef that is on the issue line must take care to satisfy these rules.

LLOD: There is one and only one Last Line of Defense. The server. The restaurant manager must instill in the servers their inalienable right and confidence to return dishes that they suspect are less than perfect to the eye, not hot (or cold) enough, or look or smell strangely. A server who either could not care or is frightened (yes, frightened!) to return or question food that he/she must serve may mean at best a dissatisfied customer, at worst a case of food poisoning. Your server is your last Firewall!

There are of course many other events and interactions that go into a daily routine in the kitchens across the world. Training, friendly service, creativity, hygiene, cleanliness, good refrigeration and air conditioning, and so many more, but the LOD’s above illustrate what main points must be followed consistently to be able to keep diners satisfied and keep them coming back.

The LOD and LLOD rules are an open secret, but how many restaurants and dining establishments follow them consistently?

Do you?

A thought for Saturday!

Stephen W. Ayers

President and CEO at STAY Ahead Hospitality

Stephen W. Ayers, CEO STAY Ahead Hospitality

I always start my Saturday paper by looking at my favorite cartoons. It's a good thing to do with my first sips of a good cuppa tea, and always brings a smile to my face!

I had to laugh at the 'six-chix' cartoon today that I have attached above. But it also got me thinking about what I have always told my 'last line of defense' in the food facilities in the hotels I have managed. By 'last line of defense' I mean all the wonderful servers that work so hard every day to deliver good, tasty food to your tables.

While the Chefs are responsible for not only making the food perfect in taste, they must of course present it perfectly as we all know that we eat with our eyes first!

So, if the food looks cold, off, wrongly presented, or anything else but perfect, we must rely on our last line of defense to return it to the kitchens and give them our wholehearted backing when the cooks push back.

It is only by working together and having each others' backs that we will be able to deliver that perfect product!

So, have a laugh at the cartoon, and then reflect on whether your establishment delivers a great meal, great food served looking perfect!

Have a great weekend everyone!

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International Women’s Day..........my thoughts

International Women’s Day

Stephen W. Ayers, CEO, STAY Ahead Hospitality. My thoughts…………

I celebrate International Women’s Day along with all of you ladies all around the world.

I do not want to make any political statement about what I feel regarding the current status except to say that in a good, kind and real world all of us are equal in every aspect of the word. There is still a lot of work to do and ground to cover but I believe that real progress is being made, and much more will be made in the coming years, pushed by the core values of the millennial generation.

Today American women are ‘striking’ in the USA to illustrate what a day without women looks like. That may be wrong depending on your point of view, but take a minute to imagine what the atmosphere must be like in all the workplaces without the ladies today!

How dull and boring! Just guy talk and stories? Even more seriousness at work than normal? No smiles or creative advice and guidance? No ladies laughing to make you smile and enjoy the day more? No real balance to meetings, alternative points of view?

So take a ‘woman free’ minute to consider all that women across the world do to make it a much more enjoyable place to be. Take a minute to think of just how much women in your life accomplish each and every day, wherever they may be, the home or work or wherever. Think of the positive impact on family, work and politics. It is beyond awesome!

It has been said that if women ruled there would be no wars, well ….probably true.

So, as women celebrate International Women’s Day, we must work harder for total equality and remember to show appreciation for all they do for us day in and day out.

HAPPY INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY!