“It takes more than talent to become a leader”
When “leadership” was goggled 130,000,000 results threw up in .27 seconds! There are as many books written on the subject and every MBA course and management seminars focus on this aspect often.
In the course of the history of mankind there have been several evolution’s and concepts of leadership. Leading a hospitality company requires a unique set of leadership skills. ‘The New Gold standard- The Ritz Carlton Hotel Company’ authored by Joseph A. Michelli had a great impact on me and influenced my leadership to a large extent.
In my experience in leading hotels there are a few core skills and beliefs which the 5 star leaders should hone:
- Communicate a clear vision and paint an ‘accurate future’ understood by the entire team
- High expectations of the employees promotes high performance
- Believe that each person on their team knows that they are a critical part of delivering the service experience
- Never allow a team member to give less than 100% effort ever. 5-star leaders should know that one under-performing team member can ruin the entire team’s momentum
- Talk ‘excellence’ everyday in every effort
- Recognize and Reward excellent performance on a regular basis and celebrate achievements in public
- Be involved in the hiring, induction and orientation of all employees from dish washers to senior managers
- Invest time and resources on employee development and learning
- Be ‘hands on’ and ready to ‘roll up your sleeves’ to help. This inspires employees and earns respect.
- Hone your listening skill and persuasion skills
- Personal Character and values define leaders
- The ability to lead by example makes a leader
The 5-star leaders know that the delivery of exceptional customer service is only about 20% of the formula. The other 80% is to create an environment of engaged employees which in turn is what that truly builds a sustainable culture of service excellence.
This post originally appeared on guestsaregods.com and can be read here.