Developing People - The Main Ingredient in Hospitality

A hotel in Devon requested that I develop teams with a quick-thinking mindset. Digging deeper into the request revealed a desire for hotel teams to be more proactive and aligned with the business plan. The goal was to trust them to solve guest challenges in a manner consistent with expectations.

Drawing from my experience managing hotels, I fully understood his intent. I have successfully cultivated staff engagement and alignment in my own hotel. I replicated the same level of performance across this client’s hotel and other establishments. 

It begins by clearly defining the desired outcome and conditions of satisfaction.

I refer to this process as CultureWork rather than teamwork, as it involves creating an environment for a culture of active participation and contribution in line with the business vision to emerge. This approach focuses on creating conditions alongside team members rather than trying to alter the individuals themselves. Together, we cultivate the conditions necessary for the desired culture to flourish.

As a hotel owner or general manager, you have a clear vision of how you want your property to look, feel, and be perceived. However, effectively communicating this vision to your staff can be challenging. Through a discovery process, I guide owners in translating their vision into simple statements that can be easily communicated to the team. 

This process involves refining the vision with a select group of staff, such as department heads or entire departments, depending on the size of the team. It's remarkable how staff contributions enhance the richness of the vision beyond what was initially conceived.

Once the staff clearly understands the desired outcome and vision, I challenge them to create the rules for achieving it collaboratively. This participatory approach fosters greater buy-in and understanding among team members.

The outcome of CultureWork is a set of standards, or a Social Contract agreed upon by the staff, providing a powerful management tool for continuous staff development and effective administration. Tony Byrne, General Manager of The Royal Castle, Dartmouth, attests to the effectiveness of this approach: "This is the most powerful management tool I have ever encountered."