At Hotel Perfect, we like to make sure that we are adding as much value as we can to our products and services, and this includes understanding elements such as leadership culture in hospitality, and passing this knowledge onto our customers.
We recently attended a ‘Developing Leaders’ day hosted by Truro & Penwith College, and here’s what we found out:
We are in a time where it may seem that innovation revolves around the idea of technology; the latest innovation or technical device that can make running your hotel easier and more effective. But we forget our most important asset in hospitality – people.
Part of being innovative is to ensure that you nurture a working culture that enables your staff to get the most out of themselves.
Not everyone is the same; life, and the workplace would be boring if we were. Every member of your staff will be different, and will have a range of influences that make them tick.
The Skill/Will Matrix is widely used across industries, including hospitality, to manage people towards success, it allows you to identify different types of individuals, and increase performance by applying different management and nurturing techniques.
- EMPOWER (High Skill/High Will)
These types of staff thrive on responsibility and freedom to make their own decisions. Nurture them by rewarding and praising their success.
They will excel in roles of supervision and management, and will help to nurture less experienced members of your team. Involve them in the decision-making process and reward them with more responsibility.
2. MOTIVATE (High Skill/Low Will)
These are the members of your team that have the relevant skills, but lack the motivation to help them be successful. These tend to be staff members that have had the motivation in the past, but for some reason or another, have lost their inspiration.
It is important to identify the reason behind this loss, and discuss with them how to ignite it again.
This group is still an invaluable portion of your team, and also react well to roles with supervision and management, as this can help boost confidence and spark their drive. Regular praise and reward, as well as clear objectives will help to propel them forward once more.
3. DIRECT (Low Skill/Low Will)
With this group you have to build both will and skill. This group will consist of less experienced staff members with low confidence, who may be afraid to fail.
Discuss what does motivate them, and set clear and attainable goals, and reward when they reach them.
These members of your team work well with those employees that you have empowered and motivated, they gain experience and drive, and benefit from the clear guidance and feedback. So place them in teams with your most empowered and motivated managers and supervisors.
4. GUIDE (Low Skill/High Will)
This group is typically those that are new to a role or a task, but are enthusiastic and motivated to succeed, and may just lack the relevant skill set.
These are members of your team that you need to invest time into, they are the employees that with the right nurturing will be your leaders and managers in the future.
Be sure to identify and provide the training tools for the role, and find ‘teachable’ moments within their working day to build skills and confidence. Pair them with staff that have the required expertise, who will in turn help ignite motivation and loss of drive.
Your team is made up of people from different backgrounds and different experiences. Diversity breeds innovation and success, therefore it is paramount to embrace all sectors of the Skill/Will Matrix and make the most of your employees – and you have a happy team!
A happy team is a team with high satisfaction. An employee with high satisfaction is an employee that will display this gratification in everything they do, enhancing your guest experience.
If you would like to find out more about Developing Leaders, training and funding, visit www.truro-penwith.ac.uk/developingleaders