By Larry Mogelonsky, MBA, P. Eng. (www.hotelmogel.com)
Can you change a hotel’s culture without a change at the top? Think about this long and hard as it is very rare that the answer is a ‘yes’.
Instead, my hope is to present four potential pratfalls to avoid so as to offer some perspective on how these senior executive behaviors may trickle down to hinder your hotel’s culture from achieving maximum productivity. In many ways, it’s a process of elimination, but that doesn’t mean we can’t have a bit of fun in the process!
The General Numbers Manager
These individual bases everything that he or she does off of data and concentrates on the minutia of what these figures may infer. In this day and age, it is all too easy to fall back on the numbers because they can be directly quantified to project cost savings or potential revenue increases.
The first and most obvious step here is to look at the overall trends and what they mean in a broader sense rather than immediately drilling down to each minuscule data point in search of correlations. Along these lines, do not react on a whim to what may or may not be revealed by these numbers. Hospitality is, and will always be, about the people.
The Budgeteer
Closely related to the data-centric individual, everything for this hotelier is based upon whether or not the budget is achieved. All line items must be trimmed and there’s always a cheaper way to accomplish a given task, such as frequently changing suppliers or bidding them against one other for the lowest price and replacing long-term staff with temporary labor.
While slashing costs is commendable, a critical drawback is that the guest experience suffers. In a people-oriented business, growth is dependent on the relationships you build – those with your guests as well as those with your suppliers and your team. Don’t focus on pennies; this will only make you pound-foolish, as they say. Instead, strike from your thoughts those operations that are working and focus on correcting only one task at a time.
Prim and Proper
Such an individual has his or her airs. That is, this person doesn’t like to get his or her hands dirty and has no genuine interest in the rest of the frontline team.
To correct this, start by eliminating the very thought that you are better or more deserving. The more you come to know and empathize with every employee, the more likely your team will be to perform at its best and also to bring forward their ideas which may help keep your organization one step ahead.
The Desk Master
As a team leader and manager, there will always be another reason to stay put behind your desk with your office door closed. What tends to follow, though, is that we become overly structured and by the books, seeking verbatim guidance from brand manuals and unable to think independently.
The general manager position at any hotel is not a desk job. In fact, administrating everything from your office is a surefire way to become out of touch with your operations and all the other quotidian happenings at your property. Eliminating the need to accomplish everything yourself through delegation to help free your schedule so you can walk the hotel and give guests a bit of personal attention which may end up elucidating problems you never knew you had.
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Editor’s note: To discuss business challenges or speaking engagements please contact Larry directly.
