For many of you, 2019 means the start of a new career in the hospitality industry. Whether you graduated in the spring or fall of 2018, you are already knee-deep into your new profession and more than likely learning challenges faced in the real world are nothing like studying those hospitality books in a classroom.
For those of you that have been in the industry for years or even decades, perhaps it is time to take a quick breath and make sure you are still following the same path you started down many years ago. It is very easy to get off track in this industry, so here are just a few reminders for hospitality managers to ensure they are successful in 2019.
Communicate Effectively and Clearly
One of the easiest ways to ensure failure is by not being clear in your direction. New managers and managers more concerned with not hurting someone’s feeling over getting the job done will often talk around direction rather than giving clear direction. In many cases, even a minute can be the difference in a function going off properly or crashing and burning. The same can be said when giving direction where every step or goal is not clearly defined. Be precise, be confident, and be clear when communicating directions to your staff.
Stay Calm
Regardless of the department, hospitality managers are more often in the fire than not. This is a fast-paced business and as a department head or director, you are the face everyone relies on for direction as well as the example in the heat of the battle. If you lose your cool, your staff is likely to follow. There will be times when there will be immense pressure to get specific things done, but you have to rely on the fact your plan is well-made, and it will all come together. Above all else, remain calm to ensure your staff does not start freaking out in the middle of a check-in rush or a function.
Get Out of the Office
In both the restaurant and hotel industries, I have seen far too many managers that do most of their shifts in their desk chair. What can you possibly learn about the operation by sitting in a chair? How can you critique your employees if you are hiding in your office? And yes, I know there is paperwork to be done, but save that for the slower periods. When there is action on the floor, get out there and show your face! Make it a point to do travel paths as well as actually working functions or helping out at the front desk during crunch times.
Do as I Do
Something that always set me off as a lower-level manager was a supervisor that preached one thing and did something completely different. Good managers will preach the right way and actually do things the right way. Your staff will always follow your lead, so don’t take shortcuts and circumvent rules if you expect your staff to work by the book.
Provide Motivation and Rewards
In the hotel industry, many of the key support positions are performed at wages our employees could get at a fast food restaurant or sitting behind a register at Walmart. A good manager is an expert motivator that drives these employees to perform their tasks and motives them to want to come to work each and every day. Good managers also reward their employees for not only doing their job but going above and beyond. A reward can range anywhere from a pat on the back to a nomination for employee of the month to a gift card to allow a staff member to take his or her spouse out to a dinner at a place they may not otherwise be able to afford. It doesn’t cost a thing to tell someone they did a good job today, so just do it!
Delegate and Trust Your Staff
If you think you can come into this industry and do it all yourself, you are wrong. At every level of management, you will have employees to delegate certain tasks. You have to trust the training you provided and allow them to do their jobs.
You Have to Love Your Job
Last, but certainly not least, you really do have to love this job to be successful in the hospitality industry. We work long, hard hours, are often underpaid, yet we continue to walk through the door for one simple reason… it is in our blood. When I worked for Hilton, my staff and I had a saying of “Bleed Blue,” which was in reference to the color of the Hilton logo. I can’t tell you how many times I heard other staff members telling someone else to “suck it up and bleed blue!” To me, that was the ultimate compliment because my staff not only wanted to make sure the guest was happy, but they wanted to make sure I was happy. What more can a boss ask from his or her staff?
There are just certain characteristics of successful hospitality workers that can never be taught. And, regardless of how bad a certain situation is, you still truly love coming to work each and every day for the sole purpose of making someone else’s day perfect.
Are you looking for opportunities in the hospitality industry? Have you considered working with a hotel recruiter like Joseph David International? As one of the top hospitality recruiters in the country, we have been successfully placing managers at hotel properties or into hospitality organizations for more than a decade. For more information about our recruiting services for candidates, please click here.
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