Companies That Win are Companies that Teach.
Winning organizations seem to have a knack for leadership development throughout their organization; one key principle that I have found present in this type of organization is the fact that they hire well and they fire better |
Why Company Team Meetings are Critical This Year.
Hotel company team meetings are especially critical this year as we are emerging from the recession into a fragile recovery |
Cutting the Cost of Training.
I read the other day that nearly 50% of hospitality businesses have cut back on their staff training during the recession - If a football team, or a cricket team or a golfer dropped their level of performance, would they stop training? O... |
Bad Workmen or Poor Tools?
The saying goes 'a bad workman always blames his tools', but is it always the workmen that are at fault? Today I had a delivery, and the poor driver was getting extremely frustrated with his hand held scanner |
Three Value Disciplines - Which One Defines Your Company?
The selection of a value discipline is a central act that shapes every subsequent plan and decision a company makes, combing the entire organization, from its competencies to its culture |
Failure to Launch: Don't Blame the Rocket, Blame the Pad.
Here we go again - Just read another article pointing out how Gen Y young adults are moving back home in droves to live with mom and dad |
Average Performance Isn't Good Enough?
We have experienced one of the worst recessions since the recession in the early eighties when the interest rates exceeded twenty percent |
Examining the Learning Options Available in the Hospitality Field.
Serving as a corporate educator in CHRIE (the Council for Hotel, Restaurant and, Institutional Educators) for six years, I had the opportunity to interact with many committed and caring professionals at a wide range of programs |
Structure a New Success Environment with Risk Takers and Mavericks.
Getting your employees to work with you and join in the search for better ideas, new methodology and higher profitability will transform your company from passive individualists to intelligent action takers and change agents |
The Sky Is Not The Limit.
Motivating teams through balancing competition and cooperation - 'A hundred years ago, as the nineteenth century drew to a close, scientists around the world were satisfied that they had arrived at an accurate picture of the physical worl... |
China's continued Hotel Boom and the Shortage of Qualified Staff.
While the rest of the world is still licking its wounds from the International Financial Crisis, China seems to be the least effected and the development of new hotels as part of urban redevelopment plans, tourism development in various reg... |
An End to Difficult Owners in China?
A most often reported issue and frustration by hotel managers in China is their relation with the hotel owner and to streamline their needs, desires and targets with the other needs of the hotel management company, the staff and the guests |
The Best Employees Make it Happen.
What sort of response do you get from service providers when you share a preference that’s outside of the norm? Perhaps you prefer to have your bagel sliced and then cut in half |
As Recover Begins, Pay Attention to your Employees.
It’s always wise to pay attention to the needs, ideas, suggestions and communication of your employees |
Summer's Here And Dress Codes Are Feeling The Heat.
Now that summer is upon us, you may be getting added pressure to relax your dress standards; do you give in, or hold the line? Managers and HR practitioners are increasingly going with the latter approach, and here's why |
Don't Recruit People Based on Experience.
What do you look for when you’re interviewing someone for a job? I’m sure there are many factors that are important to you, and probably experience is one of them |
The Truth About Intelligence and Recruiting People.
One of the programs that was installed in my brain as I grew up was that ‘intelligent’ people could do almost anything due to the fact that they had the capacity to learn |
Cooking And Cleaning May Be 'Essential Job Functions' Even For Managers.
A federal appeals court decision provides some significant insight into what courts may consider to be 'essential functions' of restaurant managers, in a case that arose under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) |
How to Get Your Staff Upselling.
Upselling is something we are all exposed to from time to time and whether you sell meals, bedrooms or widgets, it's technique that can not only help your bottom line, but done well can give your customers an all round better experience if ... |
As Hiring Gets Harder, Think Soft.
Try this sixty second experiment before reading on: Using a blank sheet of paper and a pen, make a list of the adjectives that you would include if you were to post a job description for an entry level position in your company or organizati... |
Building Better Businesses with Strategic Employee Reviews
The recession has motivated organizations to refocus on the critical issue of professional development for employees who have survived downsizing |
Keep Your Top Talent from Defecting.
Featured Guests: Jean Martin and Conrad Schmidt, executive directors of the Corporate Executive Board's Corporate Learning Council based in Washington, DC |
Empowering Your Employees to Empower Themselves
As a manager or leader, do you let your people assume more responsibility when they are able? Do you know when that is, or do you keep telling yourself that they aren't ready yet? In my travels from organization to organization, I talk wi... |
Creating Personal Success.
Every manager, every employee and every leader that has any drive at all strive to be successful |
What's in a (Last) Name? A Bigger Paycheck, Maybe.
It isn't news that men get paid more than women for the same work; even among employees just starting their careers |
Manage your Assets but Lead your People.
I have had suggestions made to me by owners, presidents and CEOs that would baffle the mind of most professionals that have integrity |
Maximizing Labor Productivity.
It may be that the current economic situation will not change as quickly as one would hope, particularly for the hospitality industry |
Strengthened HR Policies Help Offset Recession's Negative Effects.
Participants at the recent Cornell HR Executive Roundtable focused on how to generate light for employees in the midst of economic gloom |
Future Leadership.
This isn’t just about succession in the family business; of course, that in itself is quite a challenge |
Off-Duty Discussion Groups Can Be Off-Limits to Employers.
There is an inherent tension between an employee's right to privacy and an employer's right to monitor an employee's conduct – especially where the employer believes that the conduct may harm its business or otherwise subject it to liabilit... |
Hotel Maintenance Staff Can Be Ambassadors of Hotel Hospitality.
When we as hotel managers picture hospitality superstars, we tend to envision the 'traditional' ambassadors of hotel guest service excellence, which are the smiling faces behind the front desk, bell stand, guest services/concierge, housekee... |
Sales Training Tips from the Trenches.
If recruiting is considered the lifeblood of an organization, then training must certainly be its pulse |
Training Needs of the Hospitality Industry.
Research on training needs is important, especially in the hospitality industry, which is known for its traditional approach in terms of human resource management |
Worker (Mis)classification Can Lead To Trouble.
Over the past year, federal and state governmental agencies have signaled their intent to more seriously investigate the misclassification of employees as independent contractors |
Motivation.
The employee issue cannot be emphasized enough, tough times weigh heavy on employees and they know when a company is not performing without seeing the profit and loss statement |
Does an MBA Make You a Better CEO?
Are CEOs with MBAs actually stronger leaders? The answer might depend on the age of the CEO |
Survey: Why Don't More Women Rise to the Top?
The quest for gender parity in the workforce might be the least understood obstacle facing business now |
Successful Leaders Will Adapt.
The economic crisis has brought about new norms, affecting hospitality organizations in countless ways, large and small |
Salary Trends for Expatriates in China.
Expatriate salaries and packages in Mainland China have been more or less stagnant in the past 10 years, but are today still higher than in most South-East Asian countries, or other typical countries where expatriates are needed |
Create a Dynamic Workplace.
Three things you can do immediately to create the dynamic workplace where employees love to go, and customers love to buy |
Bad Management Traits.
UK employers may have the will to provide good jobs, but they don’t know the way – and claim bad management’s a major obstacle in improving work |
Differences in Work Attitudes - and What They Really Mean.
The findings of a recently released large-scale study of workplace and development attitudes reveals that contrary to what many believe, minority employees are just as engaged (or disengaged) at work as their white colleagues |
Now is the Time to Invest in Your People.
For much of the past two years, many industries faced serious economic challenges, including dramatic erosion of revenue and profitability, as well as the loss of long-term customers and loyal staff |
Building the Right Culture is Key to Retention.
Almost every Human Resource expert will tell you that employees must enjoy their work to be effective doing it |
When Being Positive Is Positively Meaningless.
As a teacher, I know how vital positive feedback is for keeping students motivated, productive, and satisfied |
When to Confront Someone: The Rule of Three.
'Should I bother to have the conversation with her? What do you think?' Mike, a marketing director, was telling me about Anne, one of his employees, who had done a few things to frustrate him |
Is It Time For You To Adopt An Arbitration Policy?
When you fire an employee, there is always the concern that your termination decision will end up under the microscope of litigation – the human resources equivalent of Monday-morning quarterbacking |
Training Tips in the Era of Social Networking.
Remember in 'the good old days' when all we had to worry about from a negative guest was that they would tell their family, friends, and co-workers? Most seasoned hoteliers will recall being told in training classes that “a happy guest te... |
Let's Talk recruitment & Retention.
Recruitment consists of knowing exactly what you are looking for, determining how to know when you’ve found it and making employment offers that get accepted |
It's Time to Revisit Strategy.
This year has been a tough year and even the most respected economists can’t say for sure when we will see the real recovery; The good news is that there are positive signs |
Closing the Circle in Measuring Performance - Understanding 360° Feedback.
My last two columns have addressed the evaluation and measuring performance process for hotel staff and I appreciate reader comments, questions and the opportunity to support hospitality and hotel companies |
