July 2004 - Here are a couple of points I have learned regarding hospitality management.

First and foremost - invest your time in managing circumstances rather than people. Most people have a difficult time managing themselves so the chance of you assuming control of their lives is remote. Processes, procedures and policy are the stomping grounds for successful managers and this method of asserting influence will reduce your frustrations and severly reduce any potential prison sentences in your future.

Second - seek internal motivation in staff. Hire on attitude, not aptitude. If a housekeeper doesn't love cleaning, $12 per hour won't ensure a spotless room. Find out why people want to do the job you are offering (I need money doesn't count)and most of all - why they want to work with YOU. Even if the candidate fakes an answer to your "weird" interview questions, they've started down the slippery slope of internalizing a committment to the position you are attempting to fill. This is the reason all outstanding salespeople constantly ask their customers why they prefer to deal with them rather than the competition.(and why military opponents attempt to get prisoners to trade "insignificant" statements against their homeland policies for a good meal - afterall, they're just words, right? ; )

Finally - train your employees to see every customer complaint as a positive marketing opportunity. Hey, stuff happens and we might as well set the stage for it. If you do this right you'll need a place for your customers to regain consciousness (after fainting) when they are on the receiving end of a proactive business decision.

At Barney's, we have a process for (nearly) every kind of challenge our employees might face. When something untoward occurs, our people are delighted to be able to have the authority to rectify the situation immediately and effectively. They blow our customers away with thoughfulness and everyone comes away from the event with a whole new outlook on human interaction.

Please feel free to contact me if you'd like more information or visit our website barneysmotel.com to see how we use humor (and man, has it worked!) to excel in business.

Thanks for the opportunity to recount these ideas. Here's hoping you have the best summer ever!