Motivating the TEAM...

"People deal too much with the negative, with what is wrong. Why not try and see positive things, to just touch those things and make them bloom?"
Thich Nhat Hanh (Vietnamese Buddhist Monk)

In our careers as hoteliers managing a wide range of people, we have all been exposed to people who enjoy being part of the "team" and others who are viewed as or seem to regularly act contrarian. While most of us as managers and supervisors would rather avoid conflict and confrontation, reality has shown us repeatedly that we need the "team" in a business that is open to the public 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

While leaders often may seem inspirational, they often do not have the interest or stamina to be involved in the every day necessity of managing the process of delivering results through other people.

Managers are the ones often responsible for handling, directing, organizing, monitoring and yes, motivating the team. Each of the global leaders in hospitality had a group of managers who assisted them in immense ways to launch the vision and thereby change the industry.

• Recognize that money is not the answer to everything.
• Provide meaningful work, not errands.
• Set and communicate team goals.
• Create and use individual scorecards for individual accountability.
• Practice Public Praise and Private Criticism.
• Consider Merit Increases rather than those based on seniority only.
• Coach your team as a strong way to help them reach beyond where they are.
• Counseling can be both a verb and a noun - learn to share both!
• Commit to a goal of 100% quality - every day!