Hotel & Motel Management - January 19, 2009 - (Page 18)

H&MM January 19, 2009 | HotelMotel.com 18 Family Business BY MIKE HENNING “When you have a problem in the top hotel management team, quick action is imperative.” People ﬁrst, strategy second: Avoid process gridlock F ailing to put the right people in the right jobs, and the related failure to ﬁx people problems in time, ultimately lead to a leader’s demise. Most leaders say their inner voices tell them a poorly performing employee has a problem, but they suppress it instead of confronting the issue. When you have a problem in the top hotel management team, quick action is imperative. Firing people when you must is more than acceptable; it is the leader’s obligation. However, we ﬁnd most successful leaders have a deep interest in people and want to see them succeed. One of the best processes to ensure positive results at all levels of business, but particularly at the management level, is the regular review of subordinates. During the process, discuss goals for the year, attach action steps, add performance to a compensation plan, then watch the work get done and proﬁts soar. Decision gridlock Being unable to make a timely decision can happen to anyone, but most often it happens to leaders who have been the leader for more than 25 years or believe they will be the leader for that long. These people become the heart and soul of the day-today life of the company, and while they work hard, they also observe the processes they put in place and how well the processes work. Unfortunately. this can result in process gridlock— the path to hotel catastrophe. Good leaders TAKEAWAY use processes and meetings to Effective leaders can drive decisions, easily identify not delay them. problems and They start use processes to drive decisions. with initiatives that are clear, speciﬁc and few, and they don’t launch a new one until those in progress are embedded in the company’s culture and values. We’ve all heard employees talk about their leader’s “ﬂavor of the month” approach to the new vision statement, quality control, empowerment, etc., all of which begets process problems and needless apparatus. Good leaders use the “keep it simple, stupid” process, and it is by far the most effective. Near the end of a meeting, the good implementers of responsibilities will write down what is supposed to be done by whom, by when. They go over this with everyone before the meeting closes and send each one a reminder afterward. Yes, it’s a grind, but it gets results. hmm@questex.com Mike Henning is the founder of the Henning Family Business Center, which was established in 1985 and is headquartered in Efﬁngham, Ill. Contact him at hfbc@mikehenning.com and www.mikehenning.com. COMMITMENT TO QUALITY COMMITMENT TO CLIENTS Total Construction Project Management • National / International Construction & Renovation Capabilities • Specialists in Hospitality Construction & Franchise Requirements • Architectural, Engineering & Interior Design Coordination • Budgeting & Estimating / Value Engineering A Hospitality Company in the Construction Business COMMITMENT TO RESULTS IDC Construction, LLC 1000 Churchill Court. Woodstock, GA 30188 p 678.213.5263 info@idcconstruction.com www.IDCConstruction.com CIRCLE NO. 108 Photographs courtesy of LXR Luxury Resorts & Hotels http://www.HotelMotel.com http://www.IDCConstruction.com http://www.mikehenning.com http://www.IDCConstruction.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Hotel & Motel Management - January 19, 2009

Hotel & Motel Management - January 19, 2009 Contents Select Inn First in Vista's Buying Plans Danzinger Chosen for Round 2 at Wyndham Perspective Energy Star Update Legally Speaking Consultant's Corner Sales Clinic Travel Trends Franchise Law Family Business Cornell Insights HotelWorld Update Transactions Careful Marketing is Key for Timeshare Debt Market Slow for Most Transactions Trends & Stats Proper Mix of Uses Leads to Profitable Partnerships Card Check, Employee Retention Big Issues for CEOs Locking Systems Televisions Fitness Centers/Spas Mattresses Ad/Editorial Index Marketplace Checking Out

Hotel & Motel Management - January 19, 2009

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