Mastering the art of building an “a” team, by tom conran
- 1. 3/24/14 8:51 AMMastering the Art of Building an “A” Team, by Tom Conran Page 1 of 4http://www.hotelexecutive.com/business_review/3780/mastering-the-art-of-building-an-a-team Login Editorial Board Editorial Calendar Advertise About Us Home Mr. Conran Human Resources, Recruitment & Training Mastering the Art of Building an “A” Team By Tom Conran, Principal, Greenwood Hospitality Group Recent financial and industry-specific performance indicators, as well as general economic forecasts, suggest that 2014 will sustain positive trends in overall performance. During the improvement cycle, hotel owners and managers alike have been in an enviable position. Net profits have increased substantially to support capital improvements and much needed property upgrades. However, no matter the increased thread count of linens or a savvy design scheme, the delivery of service remains the cornerstone of a positive hospitality experience. This experience must be embedded in the culture of the hotel and the team members who live it. The building of the “A” team is an art and, when executed well, will pay significant dividends in gaining and retaining valued customers. In this article, we will discuss strategies and programs to accomplish this core responsibility of hotel executives. Attracting the “A” Team Fundamental to selecting quality team members is understanding, at all skill levels, the prevailing local marketplace for labor. Market surveys will reveal what the hospitality industry in general is paying for comparable positions. We must remember however that we are also competing with other local employers for skilled people. They might be local restaurants or retail stores, corporate offices or sales and service organizations and as such, our market survey should include them. Avoid being penny wise and pound-foolish. Paying slightly more than the market rate to attract quality candidates can pay dividends in hotel performance, reputation and profitability. At the managerial level, it is beneficial to provide a summary of incentive programs that are in place, about which candidates are informed before selection. This can be an important point of difference in the recruitment process. There are many ways in which to advertise for positions. Certainly, digital and social media are increasingly important tools. Hotel entities should use their organization’s home web site and individual property web sites as recruiting agents, to include distinct Job Opportunity tabs and postings. These posting must be accurate, current and follow all applicable employment laws. We must also occupy the social space and be conversant in appropriate portals, to include Linked In, Facebook and Twitter. Our own web sites and Facebook pages must reinforce our culture proposition and what we represent. Receive our daily newsletter with the latest breaking news and hotel management best practices. Hotel Business Review on Facebook You, Andrew Gorman and 5,855 others like this.Like RESOURCE CENTER - SEARCH ARCHIVES Select a topic... Select an author... Select a Feature Focus... General Search: Search Using Technology to Market Your Spa By Elaine Fenard, Partner & Chief Operating Officer, Europe and U.S., Spatality Revenue Management: Things to Know to Really Maximize Revenues By Brenda Fields, Founder, Fields & Company Credit Card Security: Update on Securing Payments/Cardholder Data By Bob Carr, Chairman & CEO, Heartland Payment Systems Managing the Mass Exodus: Strategies for securing top talent in the midst of a labor shortage By Jason Ferrara, Vice President, Corporate Marketing, CareerBuilder Do 'High Tech' and Hospitality Belong in the Same Sentence? By Rob Rush, CEO, LRA Worldwide As 'AIG Effect' Lingers, Resorts Must Spell Out Value of Face-to-Face Meetings for Businesses By Robert Gilbert, President & CEO, Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association Int. (HSMAI) Avian Flu: What we have learned from SARS Home Feature Focus Hotel NewswireShareShareShare
- 2. 3/24/14 8:51 AMMastering the Art of Building an “A” Team, by Tom Conran Page 2 of 4http://www.hotelexecutive.com/business_review/3780/mastering-the-art-of-building-an-a-team Our greatest recruiting tool however remains our reputation in the community, and within our industry. How we care for guests. How we respect our industry colleagues. How we motivate, train, reward and advance our team members. These are all key factors that define who we are as an organization and employer. Be a leader in all of these areas and you will attract the best people. A Supply Line for Talent Companies in the hospitality industry can also take the initiative in developing their own internal and external talent supply lines. Today, there are many fine programs in hospitality and culinary arts at both the university and community college levels. They can be outstanding sources for excellent associate candidates. This can be accomplished by getting to know the faculty of these programs so that they can refer candidates and post openings with their respective departments. Formal relationships can also be established with individual programs. Examples of this can include having members of the hotel entity’s staff teach on the adjunct faculty of a program or by offering on-site, “for credit” internships and other programs for students at a specific property. This allows an organization to pre-select and pre-qualify students for positions within their organization. A seriously engaged internal talent supply line should supplement external ones. Career retention begins on Day One. Explaining during the interview process that the company will have identified a career progression for its associates will provide the new team member a pathway for future growth. Referral tracking systems also work well when supported by incentive programs for bringing new talent to the organization. Referring employees should be kept regularly informed about the status of their recommendations, whether the candidate was hired, and, if so, how they are doing in their new career. A monetary award for the referral is appropriate after the new team member reaches an ample period of time, i.e. 90 days. Well-defined job descriptions presented to and reviewed with each candidate for any opening, support these attraction strategies. By doing this there are fewer misconceptions or misunderstandings after being hired. Assembling the “A” Team The foundations of team building are defined expectations, quality mentoring and regular evaluation of the associate by an organization, and vice versa. This stage of building an “A” team can start with “shadow” programs. They allow a candidate to spend a day “on the job” before formally accepting a position. They help the individual decide whether he or she is a good fit for the position. Are you a candidate for a house attendant? Spend a day with a housekeeper and learn the job responsibilities, daily routine and workload. Want to be a sous chef in our kitchen? Experience the activity and competencies required during a busy meal period. Are you anxious to shine in sales? Follow one of our sales executives for a day in order to see what the position demands. Once selected, each new associate can be assigned a Learning Coach. This individual serves as a bridge for the new team member between the human resources department and executive management. This support is especially important during the first 90 days of assignment and new team members are more likely to confide issues to a learning coach than their official supervisor. Going forward, a great mantra for any organization is “inspect and grade what you expect.” The goal is to not leave important things unspoken; expectations undefined; or performance ungraded. This measuring toolkit can include: engagement surveys; employee questionnaires, in which they can ask questions and share concerns and regular performance reviews. Other possibilities include brand measurement surveys, which reinforce franchise and organizational cultures. The surveys allow team members to express, on a comprehensive scorecard, what they feel or understand about their assigned hotel and how well they fit into that culture. Also, annual re-certifications can provide a non-stressful opportunity to get back to basics and re-instill the hallmarks of a brand or culture of an individual hotel property. By Mike Sawchuk, President & General Manager, Enviro- Solutions Direct Response TV: Stimulus Funds for the Travel Comeback By Beth Vendice, President, Mercury Media Boston The Wired Hotel: Online Strategies to Strengthen Customer Loyalty By Jerry Tarasofsky, CEO, iPerceptions Inc. 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- 3. 3/24/14 8:51 AMMastering the Art of Building an “A” Team, by Tom Conran Page 3 of 4http://www.hotelexecutive.com/business_review/3780/mastering-the-art-of-building-an-a-team The goal in all of these efforts is to halt any misunderstandings in their tracks, while at the same time to foster open dialogue that helps build both self-confidence and organizational allegiance. Retaining the “A” Team Once assembled and trained, retaining this important investment in human capital involves: Rewarding team members in timely and meaningful ways; Maintaining open dialogue and a path of advancement; and Trusting in associates to embrace not just teamwork or diligent effort, but a true “authorship” of their responsibilities. Acknowledgement programs can take many forms. Examples include employee of the month or quarter programs, occasional social get-together events, or spontaneous rewards for exceptional service. The key principle is sharing and celebrating individual and departmental success. Great performance should be acknowledged and rewarded. Also, these programs must be backed with full human resource and monetary support. At times when budgets are strained, reward program funding is often the first item to suffer. This common approach is, at best, a short-sighted process which could have longer term implications. This “company cares” environment can be expanded to higher levels and the possibilities are endless. One idea is for an individual hotel to establish a fund that can be used to assist associates in time of need. Examples include someone not being able to afford airfare to a funeral, or someone who needs help in moving a grandparent to senior care. Finally, it helps to add some fun time into everyone’s schedule; to break the rhythm of a hard day or week; to reinforce that just as we are pledged to treat the customer in a certain way, so should we treat ourselves in the hospitality industry. The intent in all of these initiatives is to reinforce the idea that individual hotels are a “work family” rather than a work place. Where Are We Going? A clear path of advancement begins in treating associates with clarity and honesty in the form of systematic and meaningful review that is based on measurable content. Next, identify and map a career path for the best performers, based on your organization’s needs and growth strategy. As part of this process, keep in mind that your best people will be on your competitor’s radar screens as well. In developing an “A List” you let outstanding performers know that their contributions are valued and there is a place for career progression in your organization, whether at the property or corporate level. How we best prepare and motivate associates to remain with our organization is based, ultimately, on how we treat them on a daily basis. This means an organizational culture that maintains open lines of communication and fully informs associates on everything from what to expect on any given day to how our entity as a whole is performing in terms of growth and profitability levels. Through full disclosure and acceptance of input, we want associates to part of the solution of any issue that arises. This approach also entails trusting the well-trained associate to improvise when necessary in order to address a concern or fix a problem with which he or she might not be familiar. We prepare associates for these situations by role playing during orientation and ongoing training and coaching, which helps build each team member’s self-confidence and sharpen problem- solving abilities. Winning the Game Managing any hotel organization or individual property is a complex endeavor. It takes leadership, openness and resources to attract, assemble and retain a motivated, productive and confident team. It takes selecting people based on their qualities, their desire to be part of a team and their ability to perform the required tasks, as opposed to simply being hired for a job. As we know, this process of attracting and assembling a staff can be expensive, in time and money, especially if we have to replace individuals at any level of our organization within short cycles. Conversely, a coherent and fully engaged process can yield many dividends to our daily operations, overall cost efficiencies, reputation in the marketplace and corporate culture.
- 4. 3/24/14 8:51 AMMastering the Art of Building an “A” Team, by Tom Conran Page 4 of 4http://www.hotelexecutive.com/business_review/3780/mastering-the-art-of-building-an-a-team Most importantly, mastering the art of building an “A” team sends a clear, consistent and convincing message — to guests, competitors and ourselves — that this corporate culture welcomes, values and embodies a pursuit of excellence. Tom Conran serves as a Principal of Greenwood Hospitality Group, where he is responsible for strategic investments and third-party hotel management assignments. Mr. Conran has more than 30 years of hospitality experience in the management, finance, and real estate sectors. Prior to Greenwood, Mr. Conran served as Vice President of Business Development for Richfield Hospitality. He expanded the Richfield management platform to include hospitality investments and acquisitions. At Richfield and its predecessor companies, Mr. Conran held several key responsibilities, including sales and marketing, property management transitions, and client relations within the management portfolio. Mr. Conran earned a Bachelor’s Degree from Keene State College in Keene, New Hampshire. Mr. Conran was a founding member of Meetings Planner International in Hartford, CT and he currently serves on the Owners’ Advisory Board of Doubletree Hotels. Mr. Conran can be contacted at 860-648-9040 or tconran@greenwoodhospitality.com Extended Bio... HotelExecutive.com retains the copyright to the articles published in the Hotel Business Review. Articles cannot be republished without prior written consent by HotelExecutive.com. Coming Up In The April Online Hotel Business Review FEATURE FOCUS Cultivating Guest Satisfaction and Retention At the heart of every positive hotel experience is excellent customer service and yet there are a myriad of factors that contribute to a successful guest transaction. Some are tangible, obvious and easier-to-manage; others are more ineffable and elusive; but professional analysts and experts are going to great lengths to define and measure the elements that comprise a complete customer satisfaction package. Some of the categories include the following: Interpersonal (the customers’ experience or human interaction with those who deliver the product or service); Financial (what the customer pays for the total experience); Informational (the availability and delivery of all the information a customer needs to function as a customer); Deliverable (anything the customer takes possession of, even temporarily); Procedural (all the functions that customers perform in their role as a customer); Environmental (the physical setting in which a customer experiences the delivery of the product or service); Aesthetic (any sensory experience that affects the perception of value – smell, flavor, visual appeal, temperature, sound levels, music, etc.). By aggregating these specific areas of operation and then analyzing them in a Customer Service Management System, the goal is to identify, capture and retain customers, and to provide a comprehensive view of the customer experience across the entire enterprise. The April issue of the Hotel Business Review will report on what some leading hotels are doing to cultivate guest satisfaction and retention in their operations. Copyright © 1996-2014. All content on HotelExecutive.com is exclusively copyright to HotelExecutive.com and cannot be republished without prior written consent by HotelExecutive.com. Advertise Submit a News Release Terms of Access & Use Unsubscribe Hotel Newswire RSS For 15 years, the Hotel Business Review journal has been a leading online resource for hotel executives, providing white papers on best practices in hotel management and operations. With a dedicated board of more than 300 contributing editors - some of the most recognizable names in hotels - the Hotel Business Review maintains a progressive flow of exclusive content every week, so that owners, operators, senior executives, investors and developers can stay informed on the constant changes in the hotel industry.