Ms. Gioia

Executive Leadership

A Tale of Two GMs: How Leadership Makes the Difference

By Joyce Gioia, CEO, Employer of Choice, Inc

While this story happens to be about a hotel in a developing nation, the story is seen in many hotels in many countries, even those in developed nations.

Last October, in my global travels, I traveled to a developing country to spread the word about the value of becoming certified as an Employer of Choice®. Though my sponsors wanted me to stay in a local, well-respected, three-star hotel, when I visited it to take a look, there were no Westerners, and I asked to see an alternative four-star property.

My Auspicious Arrival

The minute I set foot in the lobby of the other hotel, I felt a difference. Seeing the well-maintained marble floors and columns, the better furniture, the uniformed staff, and of course, the presence of Westerners, all contributed to my feeling much more at home. Not only that, but as we were in the check-in process, we were approached by the GM who welcomed me to his property and when I told him of the decision I had to make, he suggested that we talk in his office, which was right on of the main lobby.

I explained that I would be in the city for a week, and that I was the author of a bestselling business book. I immediately autographed a copy for him. In return for a lower room rate, I offered to be a mystery guest, providing a detailed written report of what was working and what could use some improvement. Since I travel so much, you can imagine that my perspectives are valuable.

A Beloved Leader

As I watched him work with his people over the course of my week's stay, I became more and more impressed by his leadership style. His people really loved him. They felt a pride in their work and seemed to serve guests not only for themselves, but to please him. He acknowledged (and I saw) that every employee felt like they were part of the family.

Irrespective of my views at the time, for this particular country, the service levels at the property were very high. When he walked around - and he did that a lot - it was actually heart-warming to see his interactions with the staff. They really loved him and obviously enjoyed being part of his team. He would give spot bonuses for employees who could recite the values of the property and invested time and effort in developing his people.

Not surprisingly, the food was excellent, the service good, and if you asked for something, you got it. As a guest, you can feel a good culture, and best of all, everything works! Well, almost everything, anyway.

Before I left, we talked about working with his leadership team on my next visit. He was very receptive and we agreed to keep in touch.

Arranging My Return Visit

Almost six months later, I returned to this developing nation to present another two-day workshop. In advance of my visit, I attempted to contact my friend, the GM and quickly discovered that he was gone. He had an opportunity to transfer to a five-star hotel in a larger city and had taken advantage of that opportunity. Because I was traveling and their email was down, I had been unable to contact the new GM until just before my arrival.

He explained that he had been there for only four months and that his predecessor was now working elsewhere. He also proudly shared that his property has the highest occupancy rate in the city - an accomplishment that clearly belongs to the previous GM.

Same Location, Different Property

The moment I walked in the door, I had a different sense about the property. Many of the people were the same, but their attitudes were at least slightly different. It was the difference between serving guests because you have to, versus serving guests because you want to. Some of the employees still felt the pride of ownership; other clearly did not.

I could write a full page of stories about the lack of service, but I will just share one. It is not uncommon for "executive rooms" in properties like this one to have very few electrical outlets. Because there was only one chair in the room, I had to sit on the bed to work. After working this way for more than three hours, I decided to go get a chair. Any chair would do, I just needed someplace to sit, so that I could stay connected. I found a security person and asked for a chair.

"No problem" was her reply "We will have it brought to your room". After about an hour and half, no chair had arrived. I stormed out of my room and encountered a housekeeper cleaning the room next door. And lo and behold, there was an extra chair. I guess I was not the only one to have encountered this challenge.

This lack of follow-through was fairly consistent throughout many aspects of the property. The quality of the food was not nearly as good as it had been in the past - both my husband and I got sick. The F and B staff passed coffee very infrequently, and with the exception of the two restaurant managers and a few members of their staff, the employees seemed somewhat disengaged.

One of my colleagues overheard one employee talking with another about this GM who had just asked them to do something. He said, "Who does he think he is?"

When I sat with the GM to give him my brief report we were both on limited time schedules. That day, he and his wife were moving to their home near-by. (His predecessor lived on property for his entire tenure.) He acknowledged that he knew he had a problem. I don't think he had a clue the magnitude of the issues. I think he took credit for the current occupancy rate, when in fact, it is a function of his predecessor's performance and the lack of real competition in the marketplace. The minute that one of the chains builds here, these independents are in for a rude awakening.

Leadership Defines Culture

As a consultant, I often talk with organizations that know they need to change their culture, but do not know where to start. If you are having service challenges with your property, the place to start the transformation process is with you. That is because leadership defines culture. The culture of an organization begins with its leadership. If leaders are making promises and not keeping them, they should not be surprised when their people do the same.

Just as children "learn what they live" so do staff watch their leaders and model those behaviors. On our first day at the property, the GM promised us a power strip so that we would not have a problem staying connected. He also said he would arrange for an additional key. We never received either. Apparently, he was good at holding other people accountable, just not himself.

To his credit, one of the phrases the new GM used often, after asking his people to do things was, ". . .and please confirm back to me that it is done ". In the brief time we had together, I urged him to teach his people how to always use this tactic.

Transforming a culture - where to start
Transforming a culture may seem as difficult as changing the course of a river. However, it can be as easy as creating another path for the river to take:

- Attitude is Everything

The first place to start is with yourself, your own attitude. Are you demanding performance from your people or facilitating their wanting to perform at a high level? Do you feel like your job is one of dictating or guiding and leading? Are you a task master or a coach? If you think that you must be authoritarian, think again. Even in developing nations where hierarchical systems have existed forever, employees appreciate being treated as family, more than they appreciate being treated as "help". If necessary, hire a coach to help you change your attitude.

- Acknowledge you have a problem

Get your leadership team together and acknowledge you have a problem. You don't want to micromanage them. Ask for their help in addressing your service issues. Then have at least (depends on the size of the property) a couple of all-staff meetings and ask for their help. Have one of your leadership team members facilitate the discussion about what needs to be done. If necessary, allow people to vent their grievances; however they must also be prepared to give you solutions to these problems. This facilitation must not be allowed to turn into a gripe session.

- People support what they help to create

Tap into the tremendous wealth of knowledge and experience your staff possesses. Empower them to create and implement action plans to improve the situation by creating cross-functional teams of people from different departments who will work together.

- Recognize you won't be perfect

If you are like most executives attempting this type of transformation, you will probably make some mistakes; the key is to admit your missteps and ask your employees for their help and support in being the kind of leader your want to be.

When asked why they are not doing a good job, many employees will reply, "My boss won't let me." The key is not to micromanage, but to empower your people to step up and do their jobs well. Of course, you must hold them accountable or better yet, get their peers to do it. And yes, there should be consequences for non-performance; otherwise, mediocrity may become very common in your culture.

Important Caveat

If you have ever instituted a program like this initiative and not followed through, your people may be very skeptical. Sometimes, the presence of a consultant who can guide you through the process and inspire confidence in your people that it's not just lip service can be very helpful.

Worth the investment of time and energy

What's it worth to increase your occupancy rate or you average bill in your hotel restaurant? You will be literally amazed when you observe the difference in the levels of people's engagement, their morale, and their desire to help their aspect of your property be more profitable.

Joyce Gioia is a workforce futurist concentrating on relationship aspects of the future. This arena includes workforce and workplace trends, as well as consumer, education, and business-to-business trends. Ms. Gioia is also CEO of Employer of Choice, Inc, a distinction earned only by companies whose leadership, culture, and best practices attract, optimize, and hold top talent. Employers of Choice® enjoy "a higher level of performance, greater workforce stability, and the level of continuity that assures preservation of the knowledge base, customer loyalty, employee satisfaction, and stronger profits". Ms. Gioia can be contacted at 336-210-3548 or joyce@hermangroup.com Extended Bio...

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