Imagine if every person acted like a lady or gentleman…. Engagement Tip: Ladies and gentlemen are respectful when working as part of a team. Fostering a respectful work environment impacts your employee engagement as well as your customer/patient experience. At The Ritz-Carlton, our Employee Promise states that we will apply "the principles of trust, honesty, respect, integrity and commitment." These qualities are the foundation of our workplace and apply to all relationships—manager to employee, colleague to colleague and customer to employee. We show our respect by valuing each person’s background, ideas, time and privacy, and our Gold Standards enforce these habits. One of our Service Values charges us to "create a work environment of teamwork and lateral service so that the needs of our guests and each other are met." This service value ensures that we are open and willing to offer support to colleagues. In order to nurture an atmosphere of collaboration, every member of the team should feel appreciated for his or her contribution. For more ideas on building respectful teams, review our list of "DOs and DON’Ts for Excellent Teamwork." ∞ The motto of The Ritz-Carlton is "We are Ladies and Gentlemen serving Ladies and Gentlemen." This motto sets a tone of goodwill and grace for all. The Blog Post Etiquette & Engagement: Respectful Teamwork appeared first on The Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center.

In the United States, medical errors cost $17 billion to $29 billion per year. (source) Advice from Alexandra Valentin, Corporate Director, Culture Transformation at The Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center: If there is one thing we all have in common, it is the fact that we are all patients at some point. As patients, we rely on the competency as well as the genuine care from healthcare providers. However, as physician Brian Goldman points out in his TedTalk, doctors make mistakes—just like everyone else in the world. We can now search the Internet and find out which healthcare professionals and organizations have the least amount of errors, and the accessibility of this information has created greater awareness of patient experience and safety. Dr. A. E. Joiner, a celebrated orthopaedic surgeon from Alabama, credits his success to having a second opinion from another doctor, limiting his case load, treating people really well and getting to know them before and after surgery. At The Ritz-Carlton, we believe that a strong culture of service excellence can lead to a reduction of errors, as well as a reduction of complications. One of our Service Values stresses our commitment to "creating a safe and accident-free environment," and like Dr. Joiner, we feel that genuine engagement with the people you are serving can greatly impact your outcomes. ∞ Join us for a one-day symposium on November 12th. Take advantage of the early-bird rate and sign-up by September 1st. The day includes a Ritz-Carlton executive panel with Herve Humler, president & chief operations officer of The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, L.L.C. The Blog Post Significant Stat: Medical Errors appeared first on The Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center.

Connecting with customers or patients requires more than basic chitchat. Discussing the weather or the latest sporting event may be a good way to start a conversation, but these universal topics should serve as a gateway to more meaningful interaction. The art of true customer or patient engagement requires asking questions and taking time to learn about your customer or patient. In addition, you must also listen and respond appropriately. Your actions—even more than your words—will show genuine customer or patient care. In the following guest story, the Personal Assistant to the hotel General Manager makes an effort to not only engage with guests, but she listens and acts. Speaking Your Customer’s Language A Polish couple arrived at Al Bustan Palace, a Ritz-Carlton Hotel, in Oman. They were surprised to find a welcome card written in Polish. The Personal Assistant to the hotel General Manager is the only Polish employee at the hotel, and whenever she identifies Polish guests, she creates a custom welcome card and encloses her business card. The couple was very excited to meet the Personal Assistant, and they called her immediately to have a conversation in their native tongue. During the conversation, the Personal Assistant found out that the purpose of the couple’s visit was to celebrate the wife’s birthday. The couple also mentioned how much they missed their children and grandchildren. The Personal Assistant wondered if she could find a way to remind the guests of their family. She discovered that the couple’s children had previously stayed at another Ritz-Carlton hotel, and she was able to reach out to the son. She asked the son if he would be willing to create a video of his family wishing his mother a happy birthday. The son loved the idea and quickly recorded the video and sent it to the Personal Assistant. Meeting Expressed and Unexpressed Wishes On the wife’s birthday, while the couple was at the beach, the Personal Assistant decorated the room with flowers. She also set out a cake with "Happy Birthday" written in Polish and a birthday card with well wishes in the native languages of the Ladies and Gentlemen (employees) of the hotel. Then, the Personal Assistant set up the video to play on the TV and put a small note next to the remote control that read, "Press play, please!" As soon as the guests entered the room they noticed the TV was on, and they watched the video. They were overwhelmed and immediately sought out the Personal Assistant to thank her. They told her how thrilled they were and wondered how she managed to pull off such a feat. When the couple returned home to Poland, they sent the Personal Assistant an email thanking her for the memorable birthday celebration. Listening and Customer Service When your organization creates a service excellence culture, then your employees will adopt a service excellence mentality. Employees will understand the importance of not only engaging with your customers or patients, but they will turn their active listening skills into effective actions. When this happens, your customers and patients will experience unique, memorable and personal moments, and those moments will lead to loyalty and positive word-of-mouth. ∞ Join us for a one-day symposium on November 12th. Take advantage of the early-bird rate and sign-up by September 1st. The day includes a Ritz-Carlton executive panel with Herve Humler, president & chief operations officer of The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, L.L.C. The Blog Post Guest Story: Listening and Customer Service appeared first on The Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center.

Imagine if every person acted like a lady or gentleman…. Engagement Tip: Ladies and gentlemen are good-natured when expressing themselves. Your colleagues, customers and patients do not want to be growled at, snapped at, snarled at or spoken to in an off-putting manner. There may be times when you disagree with your colleagues, your customers are annoying you or your patients are not cooperating. There will probably be days when you’re facing personal challenges, or everything seems to be falling apart at once. No matter the circumstances—your attitude and words should remain gracious, and you should maintain a positive disposition. Infusing kindness into each customer interaction maximizes your ability to build genuine customer relationships. This applies if you are a doctor with patients, a banker with clients or a property manager with residents, and it applies to your interactions with your co-workers as well. Ensuring your words, expression and tone are genuinely warm and welcoming will make you a better colleague and will contribute toward memorable and positive customer experiences. ∞ The motto of The Ritz-Carlton is "We are Ladies and Gentlemen serving Ladies and Gentlemen." This motto sets a tone of goodwill and grace for all. The Blog Post Etiquette & Engagement: Positive Disposition appeared first on The Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center.

73% of consumers say friendly employees or customer service representatives can make them fall in love with a brand. (source) Advice from Jennifer Blackmon, Corporate Director, Culture Transformation at The Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center: Every person that works in your organization is a direct reflection of your organization. Customers do no delineate between them (the employee) and you (the employer). And when customers are deciding where and when to spend their money, there is no more significant time to be putting your best foot forward. Unfortunately for many of us, this "moment of truth" is lost as employees are mindlessly going through the motions, internally focused on their own problems or deliberately being rude to get back at somebody for something. Employees need a daily reminder of what their core responsibility is—and that is to serve others. Regardless of role or title, we are all working to serve someone and that needs to be at the forefront of everything we do. The Ritz-Carlton daily reminder is known as line-up and it focuses every employee in on our core responsibility, and the role we play in representing the brand. ∞ Join us for a one-day symposium on November 12th. The day includes a Ritz-Carlton executive panel with Herve Humler, president & chief operations officer of The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, L.L.C. The Blog Post Significant Stat: Friendly Employees appeared first on The Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center.

Great leaders know how to effectively motivate their employees, but knowing how to motivate employees and finding the time to do it aren’t simple tasks. Organizations that have motivated and engaged employees are typically 21% more productive and 22% more profitable. Yet, while 90% of business leaders think an engagement strategy has an impact on business success, barely 25% of them have a strategy. Here are five ways that could help motivate your team, create a happier work environment and increase productivity. 1. Share the Organizational Vision When employees identify themselves solely by their job function and day-to-day tasks, they are looking at their role in your organization through a small lens. They may not see how their efforts impact the success of your organization as a whole, and consequently, they may not feel as motivated to give their very best. Barry Schwartz, a professor of psychology at Swarthmore College, points out in his article in The New York Times that "most of all, we want work that is meaningful — that makes a difference to other people and thus ennobles us in at least some small way." Leaders must show employees a bigger picture—a sense of purpose. At The Ritz-Carlton, our highest mission is to provide "genuine care and comfort of our guests." The employees of The Ritz-Carlton—known as our Ladies and Gentlemen—know that whether their job is to clean rooms, clean dishes or calculate payroll, their purpose is the same. This greater purpose is emphasized through our Gold Standards and enlivened through Daily Line-Up. 2. Make People Feel Appreciated One of the greatest needs we have is to be appreciated. Author Victor Lippman notes that feeling valued at work "can be a difference maker, at times allowing employees to accept lower compensation, or longer hours, or the inevitable frustrations that accompany difficult tasks." Valuing the contribution of our Ladies and Gentlemen is an important part of The Ritz-Carlton culture. Our Employee Promise recognizes that "our Ladies and Gentlemen are the most important resource in our service commitment to our guests." When Herve Humler, President and Chief Operations Officer at The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, L.L.C., goes to the openings of new hotels, he says to the Ladies and Gentlemen, "I’m the president of the company, and I’m a very important person." Then he tells them, "But you are more important than I am. If I run the best hospitality company in the world, it’s only because of what you do." When leaders recognize the contributions of employees, they will feel more valued and appreciated. 3. Encourage Innovation and Improvement When you rally all of your employees to help your organization improve, then not only will your organization benefit, but your employees will be more engaged in your operation. They will no longer be passive spectators on the sidelines—instead they will be active participants and contributors. One of the Service Values at The Ritz-Carlton states "I continuously seek opportunities to innovate and improve The Ritz-Carlton experience." One way The Ritz-Carlton fosters a collaborative culture is through a platform referred to as Lions Share. Lions Share is the repository of ideas for improvement and innovation from all hotels around the world. 4. Offer Learning Opportunities Giving employees the chance to learn new things will prevent them from feeling stagnant. Along with providing stimulation, learning new skills has an additional benefit. It keeps your employees up-to-date and relevant. An article in The Washington Post points out, "With today’s more complex business environment, learning is not just a nice thing to do — it is essential for staying on top of things." The Ritz-Carlton culture promotes learning through an annual personal development plan. In addition, Ladies and Gentlemen can fulfill the Service Value "I have the opportunity to continuously learn and grow" by receiving training through onboarding, mentoring, lateral service, cross training or online and in-person courses. 5. Celebrate Each Success Often we are so focused on an overall goal that we may forget to celebrate the milestones on the way to success. Even the smallest team achievements are worthy of celebration. It helps your employees and your teams to recognize progress. It gives them evidence that their work is making an impact, and by recognizing even small improvements you’re showing your team that their work is valued. Taking the time to applaud improvements can refresh and revitalize your staff. At The Ritz-Carlton, we celebrate the contributions of others through First Class cards. These 4" by 5" cards are handwritten "thank you" notes typically given from any employee to any other employee, group of employees or department for exemplary or outstanding actions that go above and beyond expectations and standards. Employees often display their First Class cards, and this serves as a visual reminder of The Ritz-Carlton culture of recognition. Motivate Your Team Through Organizational Culture Employee motivation is not something that can be easily remedied by adding a few perks. In an interview, David Ulrich, a business professor at University of Michigan and co-author of The Why of Work, noted that "A leader can let you bring your parrot to work or give you a gift certificate but, as isolated events, they don’t change much. Leaders need to recognize that offering meaningful work has to become an integral part of the culture of their organizations. Out of that will flow a deeper and longer commitment." By integrating motivational techniques into your organizational culture, you’re implementing a sustainable, engagement strategy that will have a lasting impact on your employees’ happiness and on the success of your organization. ∞ Join us for a one-day symposium on November 12th. Take advantage of the early-bird rate and sign-up by September 1st. The day includes a Ritz-Carlton executive panel with Herve Humler, president & chief operations officer of The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, L.L.C. The Blog Post Five Effective Ways to Motivate Your Team appeared first on The Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center.

Imagine if every person acted like a lady or gentleman…. Engagement Tip: Ladies and gentlemen are humble when in a leadership role. Becoming a leader is not an easy task. People who end up in leadership roles have often worked long hours and devoted extra attention and energy to their jobs. They have earned their positions at the top, and they should be proud of their accomplishments. However, this pride of achievement shouldn’t shut out an appreciation for the past support of others. Herve Humler, President & Chief Operations Officer of The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, L.L.C., noted in an interview that "You have to remember where you came from. Someone gave you this opportunity, and you have to give opportunities to others." The humble leader realizes that people have contributed to his or her success and recognizes the importance of all involved. In addition, leaders need to have an appreciation for the ideas and accomplishments of their employees. Bob Kharazmi, Global Officer, Worldwide Operations at The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, L.L.C., listed humility as one of the most important qualities of leadership. He said, "You have to have humility and give credit where credit is due. People will respect and care for you more. You need to be in the heart of soul of your people rather than creating an environment where they are intimidated." Humble leaders earn respect and loyalty by celebrating and acknowledging the value of every employee. ∞ The motto of The Ritz-Carlton is "We are Ladies and Gentlemen serving Ladies and Gentlemen." This motto sets a tone of goodwill and grace for all. The Blog Post Etiquette & Engagement: Humble Leadership appeared first on The Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center.

      It’s Panelpicking time for SXSW Interactive, Film, and Music!  Houndstooth’s David Crumley will participate in a panel with Alamo Drafthouse on Interactive Screenings, Cinematic Parties, and events. But he’ll only get to if you vote. Community voting and comments for SXSW 2013 runs from August 13 through August 31, and programming will be announced 15 October. Check out the description of David’s panel and vote here. We’d love to see you there!

When we think about mobile learning, we often limit our design strategies to experiences delivered via smartphones and tablets. However the future of mobile is wearable technology, including glasses, watches, and more. What types of learning experiences could we create for wearable devices? On July 17, I’ll be presenting a webinar for the eLearning Guild about wearable technology. The devices that I’ll highlight in the session aren’t quite ready for prime time and, in most cases, we’ve only seen a first iteration of each form factor. However, in five to seven years, wearable tech will be common and mobile-learning solutions will be delivered on more than just phones and tablets. By imagining the wearable devices of the future, we can stay ahead of the curve as instructional designers and developers. So join me. Visit the event page to register. The post Mobile Learning’s Wearable Future appeared first on Enspire.

Enspire is pleased to announce that it has been named as a Top 20 Gamification Company by TrainingIndustry.com.  "We’re delighted to be chosen as one of Training Industry’s Top 20 Gamification Companies," said Enspire Director of Games and Simulations Robert Bell. "We know this acknowledges the pioneering learning game and sim experiences Enspire has developed over the past 13 years, and is a reflection of the great work that we continue to produce today." In developing its list Training Industry evaluated companies on: Features and capabilities of the gamification products/services Company size and growth potential Quality and number of clients/users Geographic reach Awards, recognition, and competitive differentiation A leading developer of globally-deployed learning solutions, Enspire was founded in 2001 by Bjorn Billhardt. While maintaining its strong presence in the leadership development space Enspire has diversified to develop online and blended programs for internal and consumer audiences, as well as solutions for non-profit organizations and museums. The post Enspire named Top 20 Gamification company appeared first on Enspire.