Monthly Archives: February 2019

A Different Type of Recommended Reading!

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Younger Next Week: Your Ultimate Rx to Reverse the Clock, Boost Energy and Look and Feel Younger in 7 Days

 

This book is written by someone who has a different focus on diet, attitude and health. The author, Elisa Zied, MS, RD, CDN seems to target those of us over 40 who are looking to address their fitness, weight and approaches to health.

Younger Next Week: Your Ultimate Rx to Reverse the Clock, Boost Energy and Look and Feel Younger in 7 Days

The book is in 3 main sections:

1. 2 chapters of “check your vital signs”

2. 8 chapters of “the vitality program, with common sense answers and approaches on items from fats to vitamins to caffeine

3. 3 chapters of “vitality for life” that offer a weekly plan, recipes and menu ideas

There is a glossary and four appendixes that offer additional specific insights, mainly aimed at women.

My bride and partner called this a “solid reference book” that uses a point system for different food groups. Zied is a Registered Dietitian, and her book provides a resource of nutritional information. Rather than a system that counts calories in diets that seldom have lasting stamina, this approach tackles more on the values and results.

To the point and logical!

As always, feedback is appreciated.

John J Hogan, CHA CMHS CHE CHO

John@Hoganhospitality.com    Office 480-436-0283   Cell 602-799-5375

Hotelier, Speaker, Educator, Author, Expert Witness

7 Practical Steps on MBWA

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                           7 Practical Steps on MBWA:  Hotel Common Sense 
I was looking at some of my earlier articles written for hospitality publications and realized how well this one was received. Interesting to me that while so much in our businesses has changed, so much remains within our control to influence.

An earlier article used one of Tom Peters and Robert Waterman’s fundamentals from their groundbreaking book on changing the ways we do business.  IN SEARCH OF EXCELLENCE introduced a formal name for what the more successful hospitality managers already knew about motivating their staff. The phrase “Management by Walking Around” was based on Hewlett-Packard’s commitment to their staff with interaction – not micromanagement, but ongoing listening and responding to staff ideas.

Hotel Common Sense – Philosophy #2 , Or, why the Open Door policy no longer works… article outlined how today’s workforce wants and needs to be considered as individuals who can contribute to the success of their organization.

Reader feedback showed the growing awareness to that need for additional management and leadership “active listening” and this follow-up message on MBWA offers some concrete ways to notch up that effort of positive involvement.

1. Allow your staff to share complete stories and messages.  Many hospitality companies are trying to improve their customer care programs, yet how often do leaders and managers actually ask an hourly staff member to share a story about either an unhappy or very satisfied guest? Listening to the entire story could provide best practices that might be substantially more effective and less expensive than hiring a consultant.

2. Avoid the tendency to interrupt.   General Managers are results oriented people who are looking for the bottom line.  I know from personal experience the tendency to “hurry” people along is there, but allowing people to share the entire experience will encourage them to be more open.

3. Remember eye contact in conversations.  One of my first mentors taught me a great deal about hospitality, but his habit of looking over my shoulder when we were talking always made me feel I was missing something. Give confidence to people with your eyes.

4. Collect and communicate these stories of success (and failures). Sharing these stories (appropriately) at meetings of all staff, at training sessions, in newsletters and more provides an incentive to people to want to contribute because they have learned that you really do care. I have seen some outstanding examples of “you tube” like testimonials from a number of hospitality companies of all sizes.

5. Remember this is not a game of “one-up.”  As General Managers, we have likely been in the business longer or heard more stories and it is important to recognize that we should not try to offer one “better” story than the one we are hearing. Remember, MBWA is about “active listening.”

6. Credit the source.  When we add a new resource, form or best practice to our hospitality membership site, we obtain permission first and then always make certain we credit them fully. Each of us has unique approaches, messages and talents and sharing the credit with our associates and guests is essential to moving forward.

7. Build trust by honestly listening.  Some (correction, many) of the best suggestions I have ever heard as a manager or executive came from the people who are performing the job. I learned more about laundry sorting, washing pots and up-selling from people who were proud to be successful at what they were doing. Some of those suggestions needed clarification and some were not told as quickly as I might have preferred, but building teams means using all the team members’ strengths.

HOTEL COMMON SENSE was a phrase I learned from a great independent Vermont hotelier a generation ago,

Keys to Success Hospitality  Tip of the Week:

Focus on MBWA 

A challenge to every manager who is responsible for 5 or more people: measure your in and out of the office time and at the end of the week, see how much time you spent ACTIVELY INTERACTING with your team.

The goal is 70% of your time out of the office – how did you do?

What will you do next week?

As always, feedback is appreciated.

John J Hogan, CHA CMHS CHE CHO

John@Hoganhospitality.com    Office 480-436-0283   Cell 602-799-5375

Hotelier, Speaker, Educator, Author, Expert Witness

For your reading consideration: Thoughtful and a Bit of Business History

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For your reading consideration: Thoughtful and a Bit of Business History –             MAKING THE WORLD BETTER -the ideas that shaped a company & a century

I was surprised to see so many IBM retired and former employees reviewing and quoted in this book, but on reflection that makes sense. IBM for the past 100 years now has played a major role in the evolution of both US and global business history.

The book at times is a bit too anecdotal for the person who may not be a techie or who may not care about the details of some of the IBM story but overall it hits the mark.

In the three major sections, they cover:

1. The science – this is the pioneering segment of how to move from the incredible basics to the foundations of meaningful technology for the every day person.

2. Thomas Watson Sr had adopted the slogan “THINK” in 1911 and section 2 addresses the evolution of creating economic value from knowledge. IBM did not do everything “right” but they did help to create the concept of the modern corporation.

3.Making the World Better completes the circle and shares global stories of balancing business, values, ethics and profitability while dealing with governments and greed.

Regardless of how one feels about certain kinds of computers or high tech, this is worth the read.

As always, feedback is appreciated.

John J Hogan, CHA CMHS CHE CHO

John@Hoganhospitality.com    Office 480-436-0283   Cell 602-799-5375

Hotelier, Speaker, Educator, Author, Expert Witness