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I was recently reminded of something a wise man once told me. You see, I was having trouble getting certain team members inspired to do what we needed them to do at a hotel that I managed. I held training classes, rah-rah huddles, team member luncheons, etc. but nothing was working.
I was pouring my heart into trying to get these team members to soar to new heights and to do great things, however it just wasn't working. After having a moment of frustration I called one of my mentors to vent and get advice not knowing the advice I would get would forever change my outlook on team members and human resources in general. He said, "Kevin, are you asking ducks to soar like eagles?" I responded, "Excuse me?! What are you talking about?"
You see, he had a great point. We were hiring ducks and expecting them to soar like eagles instead of just hiring eagles in the first place. We immediately started to look for eagles in our applicant pool and things started to change rapidly. What he was trying to get me to understand was something so simple, yet so complicated.
We have all been in those situations where we were short staffed and we thought a warm body is better than no body. Then we try and take that warm body that doesn't know how to smile, doesn't have a personality, doesn't have a passion for hospitality and we try to change them. Rarely, if not ever, does that work.
Ever have a candidate walk through your doors and while they may not be the model candidate, they have gone through all the "required" system training for your hotel brand so you go ahead and hire them? How has that worked out for you? We are all guilty of the above and yet we wonder why we don't see the results we want to see.
The next time you go to hire someone… look for the personality, the passion, the excitement, the genuine smile. If you can find that, then you can teach the systems and tools to get the job done. If you are looking for a front desk clerk, stop focusing on whether or not they have ever worked a front desk. Instead, look for someone who has the passion of service. Someone who genuinely loves to serve people and gets excited from that. That is the person you should hire.
In the hospitality business, we need to really look for people who have strengths in the areas we need them. Having great knowledge of the systems we need is a strength, but if that is combined with a sour personality, that strength is null and void. Instead look for someone whose strength is in the joy of serving others. Then, train that person on the systems and tools they need to be able to do what they do best. When you do this, the ROI on the training will be huge!
This simple advice changed my professional life. Just the next year our hotel won several management company and ownership awards and I was honored with GM of the Year. I don't think any of this would have been possible if I had not picked up the phone that day and called my mentor.
In closing – take your time hiring… find the eagles… give them the tools and resources they need… then watch your new eagles SOAR!
Kevin Boudreaux is the co-founder/Chief Executive Officer of Foundations Hospitality, a hotel management and consulting company based in Orlando, Florida. With over 100-years of combined experience, the Foundations Hospitality team brings a unique blend of leadership experience to bear to help clients outperform the competition all while delivering world-class guest experiences. Learn more about how Foundations Hospitality can help take your hotel to new heights by visiting its website at http://www.FoundationsHospitality.com. You can also connect with Foundation Hospitality on Twitter (http://www.twitter.com/guestservice360); Facebook (http://www.FoundationsHospitality.com), or on LinkedIn (http://www.linkedin.com/company/3251223).
