ken greger
Take A Chance
Ken Greger | May 23, 2018
By: Ken Greger Now and then, when hiring people, we as leaders are heard to say, "I'll take a chance on this person." That all seems simple enough, but it is only half the story. In fact, every time an employee joins your organization – whether or not you feel you are "taking a chance" – the truth is that every employee is taking a chance on you, on your company. They are proceeding in good faith. Have you ever considered this? Because, with this, comes a responsibility to deliver on the promise, in a fashion just as committed as your expectation of the employee. And, now that you are thinking about this perspective, ask you...
Are Robots and Artificial Intelligence Real-Life Threats to Humans and Their Jobs?
Ken Greger | March 21, 2017
By Ken Greger A robot first appeared in a motion picture in 1919, The Master Mystery. The machine was called "the Automaton," as the term robot would not be used until 1920. Since then our imaginations have been led by humanoid machines capable of capturing our hearts (R2D2) to threatening our very destruction (Westworld, The Terminator). A common theme among these robots was an intelligence, sometimes sinister and sometimes benevolent, but always present. The movies implanted a mental image of a robot, but don't be unduly alarmed – C3P0 is not yet on the horizon. Robots have reshaped manufacturing, technology, aerospace and onlin...
Leadership; “Debunking a Myth” & “The Importance of Communication”
Ken Greger | February 23, 2017
By: Ken Greger Wow – with digital and other technology colliding with nearly every aspect of hospitality, it not only makes one's head spin, but it pushes our industry to speed way the heck up, which is new to the hotel business, versus the tech world where it's all about speed. Now, we are used to electronic communication and instant gratification via email, texting, Instagram, Skype and a host of other mobile and Web applications that have become fully integrated into our work and personal lives. In fact, these things have become dominant to the degree that some of us in leadership may be forgetting about a long-standing system ...
What If…
Ken Greger | February 1, 2017
By: Ken Greger What if we could truly achieve understanding, unity and enhanced communication within our organizations, particularly the larger corporate environments? Anything is possible if we can start to think differently. One of my pet peeves is when I hear a C-suite executive refer to the employees as "them." I just cringe. What happened to "Us?" Conversely, too many employees head to coffee or lunch and throw endless jabs at the C-suite. This is inherent in a disconnected company, and hardly productive. To make it worse, the C-suite implements "policy" so that everyone fits. But, we all know that everyone doesn't fit, and that im...
Are You Honestly Willing To Hire Out-Of-The-Box?
Ken Greger | December 27, 2016
By Ken Greger One of our clients, which owns and operates prestigious luxury resorts, recently defied 'gravity.' The company was seeking a top human resources executive and considered a number of well-qualified, 'obvious' candidates. In the end, the C-suite decided to promote from within, and tapped the head of security for the top HR job! Yes, you read that correctly – the head of security was promoted to oversee the entire human resources function! No, his resume didn't make sense for that job. However, he – the person – made total sense. The thinking was quite simple – the human resources team consisted of str...
Note to the C-Suite: Do You Encourage or Discourage?
Ken Greger | July 1, 2016
By Ken Greger I was originally going to title this article: Leaders: Do You Encourage or Discourage? Sadly, I instantly realized the title was wrong and will share my reason for that later, so read on. First, let's take a quick look at the C-Suite. As we know, the 'C' stands for 'Chief,' as in Chief Executive Officer, Chief Marketing Officer, Chief Financial Officer, Chief Information Officer, Chief Human Resources Officer, etc. Some of you reading this article hold such titles. While one can easily look up the Latin origin of 'Chief' or Webster's definition, let's see what the good ol' Thesaurus has to offer as synonyms for this noun: ...
A Word to the Wise Regarding Asset Management
Ken Greger | March 23, 2016
By: Ken Greger How to Avoid Sticking that Sharp Pencil in Your Eye As an industry advisor and in a position to see all components of the hotel world – the property, the team, the guests, the brand, the management company, the ownership and capital partners – it's amazing how a group of very smart people seem to regularly overlook key fundamentals, and that is the Asset Managers. Of course, this doesn't pertain to all Asset Managers, but those of you reading this article will know if you're being described. Before presenting the issue, first a review of the business. It's not rocket science. There is a point to made, so pleas...
