Dear Ritz-Carlton: The Ritz-Carlton Credo says "genuine" care but how do you encourage employees to make genuine connections with guests? Answer from Jennifer Blackmon, Corporate Director, Culture Transformation at The Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center: When you consider what it means to deliver genuine service, a natural smile that comes from within is the first thing we might think of and the first thing we might notice in a service moment. Exceptional service cannot be faked, trained, manipulated or cajoled. Exceptional service comes from the heart and is felt through the kindness of others. Not everyone has a real desire to serve others, but if you are willing to use that as a metric for hiring, then training and the opportunity to serve others simply becomes the platform for what already lies within. The Blog Post Dear Ritz-Carlton: Genuine Service appeared first on The Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center.

    This customer service infographic, "10 Word Choices That Improve Customer Service" is based on a previous blog post. If you would like a printable pdf of this infographic, please email us. The Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center offers advisory services, courses and presentations to organizations that wish to benchmark the award-winning business practices of The Ritz-Carlton. Your organization can learn about The Ritz-Carlton methodology for customer service, employee engagement and leadership development. We also guide organizations through a multi-step process in order to achieve sustainable culture transformation. The Blog Post Customer Service Infographic appeared first on The Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center.

"In fact, I believe the first companies that make an effort to develop an authentic, transparent, and meaningful social contract with their fans and customers will turn out to be the ones that are the most successful in the future. While brands that refuse to make the effort will lose stature and customer loyalty." — Simon Mainwaring, branding consultant and social media specialist The Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center: Social media can be a powerful extension of your brand. However, having a social media presence is not enough. As Mr. Mainwaring points out, you want to create "an authentic, transparent, and meaningful social contract." The Ritz-Carlton approach to social media is to interact in meaningful ways with our communities; developing deeper connections with them and enabling conversation even when they are not physically staying with us. The interactions across each of the 12 social channels on which we have a presence are a natural extension of the way we interact with our guests in hotels. Social media provides the opportunity to not only connect but engage with past, present, and future customers. In July, The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, L.L.C. was ranked number one for social media engagement in the hotel industry by Engagement Labs. Learn more about The Ritz-Carlton approach and strategies for social media.   The Blog Post Inspired Thinking - Social Media appeared first on The Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center.

Dear Ritz-Carlton: Does The Ritz-Carlton measure employee engagement? Answer from Diana Oreck, Vice President at The Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center: The Ritz-Carlton officially measures employee engagement once a year through the Annual Employee Engagement survey. We take this measurement extremely seriously because there are significant benefits in having an engaged workforce. Engaged employees: • Increase their individual productivity • Increase engagement among their colleagues • Stay longer with their company • Receive higher customer/patient satisfaction scores • Spread pride and joy in the workplace • Are the best source of new employee referrals • Have better safety records and fewer accidents on the job Author Martha I. Finney says, "Trivialize employee engagement, and you’re going to be playing the hell edition of Twister!" There is truth in that. We know that disengaged employees can be very dangerous. Often, these employees are very vocal. Best case scenario, they destroy customer relationships. Worst case scenario, they sabotage your company and your leadership. You are wise to rehabilitate disengaged employees ASAP. If that is not possible, you might be wise to unleash their talents elsewhere. The Blog Post Dear Ritz-Carlton: Measure Employee Engagement appeared first on The Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center.

In the last decade, there has been a greater focus and more scientific research on happiness. Happiness may seem like an intangible variable, but recent studies reveal why it’s important to cultivate joy—especially at work. It may seem challenging for organizations to create an environment where every employee is delighted and content. However, encouraging and fostering workplace happiness offers significant benefits: Happiness increases productivity. According to research from the University of Warwick, happiness made people around 12% more productive. Benefit for work: a more productive workforce Happiness leads to better health. Studies—such as this research from Laura Kubzansky, an associate professor at the Harvard School of Public Health—show that happiness can reduce stress and consequently reduce the risk of disease. Benefit for work: fewer sick days Happy people are good team players. Research from GoodThink, Inc. shows that happy people experience 34% more positive social interactions. Benefit for work: more effective collaboration Happiness leads to retention. - iOpener Institute has been studying happiness since 2005, and its findings show that the happiest employees stay in their roles 4x longer. Benefit for work: higher retention Happiness improves the work atmosphere. A study conducted at Harvard University and the University of California shows that happiness is contagious. Therefore, happy employees are spreading joy at your workplace just by being happy. Benefit for work: increased employee engagement How to Encourage Workplace Happiness Creating workplace happiness is not a simple task. As any leader knows, what makes one employee happy often displeases another. Also, there is a difference between generating short-term happiness and long-term happiness. An event or party at work may produce some good will—but will the good will last beyond the festivities? Scientists have pinpointed three ways that organizations can stimulate lasting happiness. 1. Providing Employees with a Sense of Purpose. Employees who feel they are part of a larger purpose have greater satisfaction. Researchers from UCLA and University of North Carolina have found that a sense of purpose makes you happy and healthy, and the Delivering Happiness organization states that "Companies with a higher sense of purpose outperform others by 400%." The employees of The Ritz-Carlton understand that no matter their role—housekeeper, sales, front desk agent, chef—their higher purpose is to offer unique, memorable and personal experiences to our guests. The Ritz-Carlton has created a company culture that emphasizes and reinforces the organization’s collective purpose every day. 2. Giving Employees the Opportunity to Help Others When people have the chance to help out others, it increases their happiness. According to research at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, "altruists in the workplace are more likely to help fellow employees, be more committed to their work and be less likely to quit." At The Ritz-Carlton, the spirit of giving is supported through lateral service. Service Value 7 is: "I create a work environment of teamwork and lateral service so that the needs of our guests and each other are met." Lateral service creates camaraderie and unity, and it allows employees to step away from their posts to help colleagues when needed. Many organizations are creating Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programs to present occasions for employees to give back. Community Footprints®, the social and environmental responsibility program at The Ritz-Carlton, offers opportunities each month for the employees to help others. Hervé Humler, President and COO, notes: "At The Ritz-Carlton, our global company is aligned around the issues that are important to the communities where we operate. By mobilizing our resources and skill-based volunteer efforts, we strive to make a difference through child well-being; hunger and poverty relief; and environmental responsibility." 3. Instilling Gratitude in the Workplace Gratitude enriches your life in numerous ways from improved health to better relationships. According to research by Emmons and McCullough, practicing gratitude can also increase your happiness by 25%. The Ritz-Carlton nurtures an attitude of gratitude among employees by distributing First Class cards. "First Class" cards are handwritten "thank you" notes that employees give each other to express gratitude and recognize extra effort. Employees collect these cards throughout their careers and often display them in their workspace. Not only are the cards a visual reminder of feeling appreciated, but they help proliferate an atmosphere of gratitude and kindness. Many employees have a scrapbook containing every First Class card they have every received. Looking at it on difficult days is an instant "psychological pick me up." Workplace happiness relies on many variables but is achievable. When organizations make a commitment to happiness, then employees are at least given the resources—such as purpose, helping others and gratitude—to cultivate on-the-job enjoyment. ∞ The Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center offers advisory services, courses and presentations to organizations that wish to benchmark the award-winning business practices of The Ritz-Carlton. Your organization can learn about The Ritz-Carlton methodology for customer service, employee engagement and leadership development. We also guide organizations through a multi-step process in order to achieve sustainable culture transformation. The Blog Post Promoting Workplace Happiness appeared first on The Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center.

"Everyone talks about building a relationship with your customer. I think you build one with your employees first." — Angela Ahrendts, American businesswoman and former CEO of Burberry The Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center: As a leader, it is your responsibility to cultivate the type of environment you want your customers to enjoy. The Ritz-Carlton believes our first class guest engagement begins with strong relationships with each employee. Employees are respectfully referred to as Ladies and Gentlemen. In our Employee Promise, we use words like Trust, Honesty, Respect, Integrity and Commitment. These words reinforce the foundation of the relationship The Ritz-Carlton builds with our Ladies and Gentlemen. When you build a genuine relationship with your employees first, it naturally turns into authentic engagement with your customers. The Blog Post Inspired Thinking - Employees First appeared first on The Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center.

Dear Ritz-Carlton: How should leaders hold employees accountable? Answer from Jennifer Blackmon, Corporate Director, Culture Transformation at The Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center: Nearly everyone wants to do a good job and nearly everyone wants to be held accountable for standards that they can be proud of. Coaching in the moment is an opportunity to ensure everyone is on the same page, clarify any misunderstandings and reset expectations. Yet, how many of us are able to hold ourselves to that standard? Coaching, in many instances, is associated with poor performance. Avoiding "those" discussions is easy when faced with competing demands, and it can be shrugged off as not being a priority. However, clear expectations and holding employees accountable are fundamental needs to ensure that everyone is set up for success. The Blog Post Dear Ritz-Carlton: Employees Accountable appeared first on The Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center.

"On a personal level, I send out about 20 thank-you notes a day to staffers, on all levels. And every six weeks I have lunch with a group of a dozen or so employees, to get their perspective on the business, to address problems and to get feedback." — Douglas Conant, former President and CEO of the Campbell Soup Company The Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center: Expressing gratitude is proven to make people happier, healthier and more productive. The need to feel appreciated is as human as the need for food, water and shelter. In terms of employee motivation, genuine gratitude is far more important than trinkets or gift cards, yet we often overlook it. The Ritz-Carlton embeds gratitude into the culture through First Class cards, annual awards, and other opportunities for recognition. When employees feel appreciated, they are more engaged—which benefits the business—but more importantly, everyone is happier. It’s essential for leaders to create an environment where employees thrive, and as Mr. Conant demonstrated, it’s essential that your leaders are role models for gratitude. You expect your employees to thank your customers, but shouldn’t the example of appreciation and gratitude start at the top? The Blog Post Inspired Thinking - Expressing Gratitude appeared first on The Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center.

Dear Ritz-Carlton: How are employees encouraged to share ideas? Answer from Joseph Quitoni, Corporate Director, Culture Transformation at The Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center: As part of our Gold Standards, Service Value 9 states that "I am involved in the planning of the work that affects me." To practice this, we have three major vehicles that focus on allowing our employees to share business improvement ideas with leaders. The first is daily line-up. Line-up is held at every Ritz-Carlton location around the world every day and aligns us as a company. It is also a formal opportunity to communicate with our employees, and they are encouraged to volunteer ideas, approaches, and solutions. The second is our Quality Improvement teams. These teams are made up of a diverse group of Ladies and Gentlemen representing all areas within the organization whose purpose is to tackle important issues and improve our key quality targets. Lastly, there is an internal database called Lion Share. This resource gives our employees the opportunity to view and share best practices to cultivate our service culture and Gold Standards, which leads to improved Quality in our hotels. ∞ On Monday, April 13, 2015, The Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center presents "Your Journey to Service Excellence," The Ritz-Carlton approach to legendary service, employee engagement and a customer-centric culture. This special Symposium takes place at The Ritz-Carlton, Dallas, and early-bird pricing is available through December 31, 2014. Learn more about the keynote speaker, the presentation speakers, and the members of The Ritz-Carlton Executive Panel. The Blog Post Dear Ritz-Carlton: Employees Share Ideas appeared first on The Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center.

One of the reasons customers choose The Ritz-Carlton brand is because of our reputation for providing legendary service. Legendary service entails going above and beyond. However, it’s not only about exceeding expectations. It’s also about creating unique customer experiences that are memorable and personal. The following guest story shows how listening, caring and creativity were combined to craft a unique, memorable and personal experience for a very special guest. A Unique Customer Experience A young man with Down syndrome was visiting The Ritz-Carlton, St. Louis, and the Sales Manager learned the young man was especially looking forward to meeting the security officers because he was fascinated by this type of work. The Sales Manager recruited the help of the Loss Preventions Supervisor, the Director of Sales and Marketing, and a Loss Prevention Officer. Together, they decided to stage a VIP departure with the young man assisting with the escort. On the day of the surprise, the Director of Sales and Marketing pretended to be a celebrity VIP. She dressed up in a fur coat, scarf and movie star sunglasses and waited in The Ritz-Carlton Suite. Then, the Sales Manager and the Loss Prevention Officer met the young man in the lobby and asked if he would be willing to help them escort a very important guest. His face immediately lit up, and he said, "Let’s do this!" They escorted the young man to the Loss Prevention Base, where the Loss Preventions Supervisor was waiting to brief the young man on his assignment. The Loss Preventions Supervisor provided the young man with a personalized nametag, radio, and official Loss Prevention lapel pin. Then, they took the private elevators up to meet the VIP. The young man used his radio to call out, "Escort in route" and led the VIP to the security entrance—where special escort SUVs were waiting. Once the VIP was safely in her vehicle, the Loss Prevention Officer and the young man took a seat in the lead escort vehicle, turned on the siren, and drove away. Make Lifelong Memories When the young man returned to the hotel, the Ladies and Gentlemen gave him a wall of applause for his excellent security work. They presented him with a personalized plaque, naming him an honorary member of the Loss Prevention team. Creating unique, memorable and personal experiences require that you engage with your customers to learn what would be truly meaningful to them. When you provide the kind of service that shows thoughtfulness, care, extra effort, and creativity—you touch the heart of your customers and create unforgettable experiences. ∞ The Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center offers advisory services, courses and presentations to organizations that wish to benchmark the award-winning business practices of The Ritz-Carlton. Your organization can learn about The Ritz-Carlton methodology for customer service, employee engagement and leadership development. We also guide organizations through a multi-step process in order to achieve sustainable culture transformation. The Blog Post Unique Customer Experience appeared first on The Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center.

"Employees are a company’s greatest asset—they’re your competitive advantage. You want to attract and retain the best; provide them with encouragement, stimulus, and make them feel that they are an integral part of the company’s mission." — Anne M. Mulcahy, former chairperson and CEO of Xerox Corporation The Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center: There are many luxury hotel brands, but only one Ritz-Carlton. The difference is our employees — they care about creating memorable experiences for guests. In order to keep these employees and continue to attract the cream-of-the-crop, we must create an environment where people want to work because they feel valued and appreciated. This starts during orientation and carries through every phase of their careers with us. When you make employees feel special right from the start, then you begin to build loyalty. McGarrah Jessee, a company that offers creative services, carefully selected and hired their 100th employee and planned a first day celebration (see video) the new employee will always remember. Attracting and hiring the best talent is the first step. To help with retention, leadership should encourage and recognize the contributions of employees. What does your organization do to let employees know they are valued? The Blog Post Inspired Thinking: Attract and Retain the Best appeared first on The Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center.

Dear Ritz-Carlton: What rituals or traditions does The Ritz-Carlton use to drive culture? Answer from Jeff Hargett, Senior Corporate Director, Culture Transformation at The Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center: Our Daily Line-Ups are our most impactful and consistent way of energizing our culture on a daily basis and with every employee. They include opportunities for our employees—the Ladies and Gentlemen of The Ritz-Carlton—to engage with our values every day. We also drive our culture through Monthly Departmental Meetings and Quarterly Staff Meetings (called General Sessions). These additional opportunities go even deeper into our culture as we learn more information that not only impacts our local team, but also corporate information that keeps us connected with the larger enterprise. The Ritz-Carlton’s successful culture centers around an engaged workforce, which we build through positive reinforcement. One of the ways we accomplish this is through our First Class card program where colleagues can recognize each other when they have exhibited our culture through the service they have provided to our guests or each other. Of course, the best culture driver: Living It! ∞ On Monday, April 13, 2015, The Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center presents "Your Journey to Service Excellence," The Ritz-Carlton approach to legendary service, employee engagement and a customer-centric culture. This special Symposium takes place at The Ritz-Carlton, Dallas, and early-bird pricing is available through December 31, 2014. Learn more about the keynote speaker, the presentation speakers, and the members of The Ritz-Carlton Executive Panel. The Blog Post Dear Ritz-Carlton: How Do You Drive Culture? appeared first on The Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center.

Can you imagine an American football team making it to the Super Bowl without ever having a huddle? The huddle is a critical part of the game. It’s used to communicate strategy, to make sure players understand their role, and to inspire a winning attitude. Players huddle many times throughout the game in order to keep the team informed and unified. A huddle can serve a similar purpose at your business or healthcare organization. At The Ritz-Carlton, our version of the huddle is called Daily Line-Up. Daily Line-Up is a standing meeting that includes all staff and takes place at the beginning of each shift. Line-Ups typically take about 15 minutes, but because they serve as a Warm-up, a Tune-up, and a Catch-up, they have a lasting impact on employee engagement and organizational culture. The Warm-up—Transitioning from Daily Life An orchestra tunes their instruments before they start to play. Pilots conduct a pre-flight check before taking off. Most athletes stretch before participating in any strenuous activity, and theater actors engage in some form of pre-show routine or warm-up exercise. They would never think of walking in the stage door at the last moment, putting on their costume and then stepping onto the stage five minutes later. We can think of front-line employees as being "on stage." But how well do we prepare them for the start of their shift? Employees are coming into work with a variety of mindsets: One employee may be having financial trouble, one employee may be having child-care issues, and another employee may have had an aggravating commute into work. Do you want them all to go straight into their jobs and "get warmed up" with the first five or six customers or patients they meet? Or would you rather provide a transition from home to work? Just like an actor, employees benefit from an activity that will provide a transition from the mindset they "brought in the door" to the mindset your organization would like them to bring to customers and patients. The Daily Line-Up gives employees the opportunity to shift gears to a work mentality before they ever meet a customer or patient. The Tune-up—Enlivening Your Culture Author Napoleon Hill noted: "Any idea, plan, or purpose may be placed in the mind through repetition of thought." Your culture and values must be systematically enlivened and renewed for your employees. Telling your employees about culture in orientation, or putting framed posters of your values around the office, is not the same as actually living your organizational values. Daily Line-Up is the opportunity to reconnect each employee with their purpose and their mission before they start their day. Although there may be many elements to your Line-Up—such as corporate announcements and birthdays—the emphasis should be on your culture and values. At The Ritz-Carlton, the Daily Line-Up focuses on one aspect of our Gold Standards. Often the person leading Line-Up shares a personal example of how he or she has demonstrated or witnessed this Gold Standard being expressed. Hearing how your colleagues are living the culture inspires you to do likewise. Line-Up is also a chance for Senior Leaders to model the very same behaviors that they would like their employees to exhibit in their interactions with co-workers and customers or patients. For example, leaders can model the same greeting that they expect employees to provide their customers or patients. Leaders can bring the same level of energy—as conveyed in their body language as well as in the volume and inflection of their voice—that they would like employees to display in their daily work. Catch-up—Communicating Noteworthy News Line-Up is the perfect time to share organizational news, recognize employees or departments for outstanding achievements, and communicate announcements that impact your team. The Daily Line-Up at The Ritz-Carlton regularly includes celebration and employee recognition. Often times the recognition comes from leaders, but it also comes from colleagues who want to express their gratitude. Line-Up produces a team atmosphere, and when Senior Leaders share organizational news with employees, employees feel as if they are valued members of the team. Your organization will feel more transparent and trustworthy. Benefits of Daily Line-Up It may seem like too much of a time commitment to have every employee participate in a daily meeting, but investing a few minutes every day will have significant impact on your organization. After attending a presentation by The Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center, an employee returned to her organization and implemented a Daily Line-Up. Her boss shared the following feedback: "I have witnessed a complete transformation in our team…and ultimately our clients and prospects are benefitting greatly—which is the true test of any new initiative. It has simply been remarkable. Today was our 22nd day of Line-Ups! We have officially made it a habit, and it has been, without exaggerating at all, the best habit we have implemented in the 25 years I have been founder and CEO of my firm!" Daily Line-Ups benefit employees as well as customers or patients. If your organization would like to strengthen a culture of legendary service and increase employee engagement and organizational trust—don’t wait 25 years. Start your Daily Line-Ups today. ∞ The Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center offers advisory services, courses and presentations to organizations that wish to benchmark the award-winning business practices of The Ritz-Carlton. Your organization can learn about The Ritz-Carlton methodology for customer service, employee engagement and leadership development. We also guide organizations through a multi-step process in order to achieve sustainable culture transformation. The Blog Post The Upside of Daily Line-Up appeared first on The Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center.

"Management must speak with one voice. When it doesn’t, management itself becomes a peripheral opponent to the team’s mission." — Pat Riley, former coach and player in the NBA The Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center: In order to have a voice, you first need a common language where certain words carry consistent meaning. How often have you encountered a work culture that lacks a clear language? The Ritz-Carlton has built its voice on the foundation of our Credo, our Employee Promise, our Service Values and our Motto. Management teams around the world make decisions that can be tied back directly to these values, which are discussed daily. We have a clear direction with clear expectations when our Ladies and Gentlemen learn our language. Over time, as we grow, our language becomes our voice and our voice becomes the guiding force behind our passion to create wonderful memories for our guests. Does your team have a common language? The Blog Post Inspired Thinking: Speak with One Voice appeared first on The Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center.

Dear Ritz-Carlton: How are your brand and your culture related? Answer from Jeff Hargett, Senior Corporate Director, Culture Transformation at The Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center: An organization’s brand and culture have a symbiotic relationship; they are interdependent. Culture is all around us; in our homes, our social groups and our workplace. Some cultures are very structured (The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company) while others are less structured (Apple). Both Brand and Culture are intangible. As consumers, we experience the results of Brand and Culture. For example, when you hold a cold can of your favorite cola on a hot summer day and then taste the refreshing, fizzy liquid that quenches your thirst, the Brand of that cola is being strengthened through your psychological enjoyment and sensory experience. When you sink into that cloud-like bed at The Ritz-Carlton, the Brand of Ritz-Carlton is being solidified as your "Hotel of Choice." Culture helps create the Brand, and Brand fortifies the Culture. When a culture of teamwork, engagement and purpose exists, the Brand will become legendary, thereby validating the Culture. ∞ On Monday, April 13, 2015, The Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center presents "Your Journey to Service Excellence," The Ritz-Carlton approach to legendary service, employee engagement and a customer-centric culture. This special Symposium takes place at The Ritz-Carlton, Dallas, and early-bird pricing is available through December 31, 2014. Learn more about the keynote speaker, the presentation speakers, and the members of The Ritz-Carlton Executive Panel. The Blog Post Dear Ritz-Carlton: Brand and Culture Related? appeared first on The Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center.

How many organizations would consider the collective knowledge of their workforce among their important assets? Every day your workforce uses their intelligence to perform their duties and support your organization’s mission. Because your employees are busy, they rarely take the time to share their knowledge with their coworkers or industry counterparts. The result is a missed opportunity to share ideas, learn skills and help others grow as individuals and employees. The Ritz-Carlton enables our Ladies and Gentlemen to share their knowledge through a platform that is referred to as Lions Share. The purpose of Lions Share is to communicate and improve upon best practices. Every employee has access to Lions Share’s repository of best practices and solutions used by other Ritz-Carlton properties around the world. Chances are if a property is encountering an issue, others have faced a similar situation. By sharing this knowledge, we can quickly resolve issues with positive business outcomes. Benchmarking Internally According to Ralph Sibanda, Area Manager, Performance Improvement for The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company L.L.C., "Lions Share is a great platform we have for recording and sharing our best practices from all our hotels. It’s the first place to stop if you are facing an operational challenge within your area, because it’s more than likely someone else had the same challenge and came up with a good idea to overcome it, or it will give you the beginnings of an idea to help you succeed." He also believes in the accessibility of the program. He notes, "A great solution from one hotel may be input by a Front Desk agent, for example, and then benchmarked by an Area Vice President to share with other hotels." Lions Share offers more than great ideas to overcome challenges; it also holds best practices from other properties that enhances the guest experience, increases revenue and captures cost savings. One of the advantages in having Lions Share accessible to everyone is that the top performing submissions have been tested in various regions and have proven results. Janet Souter, Vice President Quality for The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, sees the future of the Lions Share as providing more social interaction between the Ladies and Gentlemen working around the world. The workforce would be able to share how they have refined or adapted the process to their property if they could "Like" or leave comments. Ms. Souter loves witnessing the evolution of ideas that come from the Lions Share. She has observed, "When I travel around to our properties, I ask our top performing hotels to tell me the secrets of their success, and it never fails. They have at least three or four initiatives they have put into place as a result of benchmarking other properties on Lions Share. The result of this is that they get a great idea from another property and then they continue to refine the process and make it their own and even better." Encouraging Employee Participation In today’s competitive environment, the ability to collaborate as a team is critical for individual and organizational success. True innovation requires collaboration. When you are able to publish an idea or a process and gather feedback from different departments or even geographic locations—the idea takes on a life of its own. Growth is organic and through the evolution of testing and reporting, a good idea at one location becomes a great idea company-wide. A collaborative culture not only improves organizational processes, it also encourages employees to look for ways to improve the organization. Employees take on a more active role when they see their ideas are valued and impact your organization. The best way to create a culture of knowledge-sharing is to first practice it at every level. The more senior management uses it, the more effective it will become in changing the culture. Second, put in place the knowledge-sharing technology and train and educate people in its effective use. An innovative and collaborative culture cannot be launched overnight. However, with the right tools and guidance, you can create the opportunity to harness the talent and intelligence of your team into a usable format. How efficient would your organization be if your workforce had a place to share their knowledge? ∞ The Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center offers advisory services, courses and presentations to organizations that wish to benchmark the award-winning business practices of The Ritz-Carlton. Your organization can learn about The Ritz-Carlton methodology for customer service, employee engagement and leadership development. We also guide organizations through a multi-step process in order to achieve sustainable culture transformation. The Blog Post Building a Collaborative Culture appeared first on The Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center.

Dear Ritz-Carlton: What can hospitals learn from The Ritz-Carlton? Answer from Alexandra Valentin, Corporate Director, Culture Transformation at The Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center: The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services asserts that "good medical care depends upon effective communication between patients and providers. Ineffective communication can lead to improper diagnosis and delayed or improper medical treatment." Safety is at risk when communication is poor. At The Ritz-Carlton, communication is the essence of our legendary customer service. The systems behind our smiles—such as employee empowerment and daily line-ups—lay the framework for effective communication. We also practice being attuned to the expressed and unexpressed wishes and needs of our guests. Healthcare professionals must learn what is important to patients. Are you welcoming patients with a concierge mindset? Are you making them feel at home? Are you anticipating their needs — like an extra blanket, a cup of water, or maybe a "do not disturb" sign to minimize noise? Are you following up at discharge? Have you exceeded expectations? Even though guests typically come to The Ritz-Carlton for either business or pleasure, at hospitals or at the doctor’s office, patients deserve to be treated as humans. After all, one of the definitions of healthcare is "the preservation of mental and physical well-being through the services offered." Effective communication can allow us to tap into the whole person. It allows for a give and take of thoughts and feelings. And most importantly, it allows us to make sure everyone is safe. ∞ On Tuesday, February 10, 2015, The Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center presents "Excellence in the Patient Experience" at The Ritz-Carlton, Tysons Corner in McLean, Virginia.  The Blog Post Dear Ritz-Carlton: Hospitals and The Ritz-Carlton? appeared first on The Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center.

Each month, The Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center (RCLC) features an interview with an employee — a Lady or Gentleman of The Ritz-Carlton — in order to share an insider’s view of the organization. This month’s interview is with John McGavin, General Manager of The Ritz-Carlton Orlando, Grande Lakes and an ambassador for The Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center. RCLC: How did you become interested in the hospitality industry? Mr. McGavin: When I was 14 years old my buddies and I worked in Savannah, Georgia at a local seafood restaurant for $2.05 an hour. At the end of our shift, whatever fried fish was left over, we could take home. We thought that was the greatest! Near the restaurant was a hotel where my friends and I eventually got jobs. I washed dishes and worked as a storeroom clerk. From those two experiences, I ‘got the bug’ to work in the hotel business. RCLC: How did you become familiar with The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company? Mr. McGavin: When I was in college, I went to a career fair where I met two ladies from The Ritz-Carlton, Buckhead in Georgia. They were very sharp women who stood out from the rest of the recruiters. I had never heard of the company, but they told me the (then) president of The Ritz-Carlton, Horst Schulze, would be talking in Atlanta a few weeks later. So my friend and I went to hear him. RCLC: What did you learn at the talk that made you want to join the company? Mr. McGavin: Mr. Schulze was intense, passionate and fired up. He spoke to my personal sense of values and appealed to my philosophy in life, which is, "If you’re going to do something, do it well." RCLC: Were you hired by The Ritz-Carlton at that point? Mr. McGavin: Unfortunately, I got a letter saying, "No thank you." But that didn’t stop me. One day I hung out in The Ritz-Carlton corporate office for four hours trying to meet with the Vice President of Human Resources and never had the chance to meet him. A few months later, when The Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island was doing pre-opening interviews, I was offered a job as a server attendant — busboy — I got the job! I was one of 23 people hired in my department who all had college degrees. Two weeks after graduating from college, I started working for the company. RCLC: Have you had any mentors in your career? Mr. McGavin: Many. One of the individuals I worked with was Grant Dipman. He was the Assistant Manager in one of the hotel’s restaurant and my learning coach. (Editor’s note: Each department has a trainer known as a Learning Coach who mentors new employees and leads by example.) He said, "If you want to grow, you have to put yourself out there." He suggested I become a Learning Coach, too. It challenged me to be a leader without being a boss. I had to get in front of people to speak and teach The Ritz-Carlton culture. Whenever you teach, you get better at what you’re teaching. It was a win/win situation for me. I tell my employees the same thing, "Be a Learning Coach." RCLC: What is it about The Ritz-Carlton culture that you most appreciate? Mr. McGavin: Our Gold Standards. It all boils down to how you carry yourself, what you say and how you say it. The culture allows us to sincerely care about our Ladies and Gentlemen and to not just tell them, but to demonstrate what we expect them to do. Just like the Ladies and Gentlemen. I pick up trash on the ground and when a guest needs help I don’t just point directions. I walk with them and show them where something is. RCLC: How does your culture of caring for employees translate into an excellent experience for guests? Mr. McGavin: When employees feel cared for, they naturally care for others. A couple checked in on their 50th wedding anniversary. Our front desk agent upgraded them to a suite and asked room service to deliver champagne, flowers and a treat from the pastry chef. But our employee didn’t stop there. The couple was from Boston so the front desk agent printed the front page of the Boston Globe from their wedding day. He framed it and sent it to their room along with a card signed by several of our Ladies and Gentlemen. The next morning the couple was in the lobby and the wife was in tears. She said it was the kindest thing anyone had done for her in a long time. RCLC: As a speaker for The Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center, what do you convey to others who want to deliver world-class customer service? Mr. McGavin: I ask them something I ask myself, "Are you a passenger, a victim or a player?" In other words, "Are you actively in the game?" I tell them it doesn’t matter what you do, as long as you have the, "Put me in coach, I want to play" attitude. That’s how you’ll be successful. RCLC: You’ve worked for Ritz-Carlton for over 20 years. How do you stay inspired each day? Mr. McGavin: Two things. First, every day there’s something new going on. Next, it’s the 1,000 employees that work with me. I’ve always looked to others to help me grow my career and to better myself. Now, the employees look to me to help them grow. Our Ladies and Gentlemen want to work more hours to support their families and grow in their careers, but we don’t create that opportunity for them unless everyone demonstrates the Gold Standards, which are foundational to our success. ∞ The Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center offers advisory services, courses and presentations to organizations that wish to benchmark the award-winning business practices of The Ritz-Carlton. Your organization can learn about The Ritz-Carlton methodology for customer service, employee engagement and leadership development. We also guide organizations through a multi-step process in order to achieve sustainable culture transformation. The Blog Post Our Ladies and Gentlemen: John McGavin appeared first on The Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center.

"Champions are not the ones who always win races — champions are the ones who get out there and try. And try harder the next time. And even harder the next time. ‘Champion’ is a state of mind. They are devoted. They compete to best themselves as much if not more than they compete to best others. Champions are not just athletes." — Simon Sinek, author The Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center: When you hire the best people—the employees who are passionate and strive for excellence—then you are hiring potential champions. Champions are the ones who continue to offer their very best—not for a reward or a bonus—but because they want to contribute toward a winning organization. Cultivating champions takes skill and trust. The Ritz-Carlton understands champions need support and a clear path to be the best they can be. The Ritz-Carlton provides empowerment and training and has created a culture of service excellence. When excellence is the expectation, employees push themselves harder to become better every day. At The Ritz-Carlton, we celebrate every win—no matter how small it may seem. Here are three examples of Ritz-Carlton champions who turned their jobs into art. The Art of The Craft - Florist The Art of The Craft - Concierge The Art of The Craft - Ski Valet ∞ On Monday, April 13, 2015, The Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center presents "Your Journey to Service Excellence," The Ritz-Carlton approach to legendary service, employee engagement and a customer-centric culture. This special Symposium takes place at The Ritz-Carlton, Dallas, and early-bird pricing is available through December 31, 2014. Learn more about the keynote speaker, the presentation speakers, and the members of The Ritz-Carlton Executive Panel. The Blog Post Inspired Thinking: Champions appeared first on The Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center.

Dear Ritz-Carlton: How do you get your employees engaged in the strategic plan? Answer from Joseph Quitoni, Corporate Director, Culture Transformation at The Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center: At The Ritz-Carlton, we have learned that sharing the Strategic Plan helps our employees—the Ladies and Gentlemen of The Ritz-Carlton—understand their purpose. However, it is their participation in the creation of the strategic plan that makes them feel valued. Service Value 9 recognizes that "I am involved in the planning of the work that affects me." The Ladies and Gentlemen deal with the realities of doing their work every day, and their insight and feedback is a requisite part of the strategic planning process. Each year, we engage every Lady and Gentleman organization-wide in the annual SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats) process. The SWOT from each hotel property is combined to look for overarching themes. The SWOT process is synthesized into our Key Success Factors, the five goals that we focus on to support our brand. There is no greater value than having our employees engage in this process. In turn, it inspires strategic plan engagement and ignites their passion, and passion creates profitability and organizational success. ∞ On Monday, April 13, 2015, The Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center presents "Your Journey to Service Excellence," The Ritz-Carlton approach to legendary service, employee engagement and a customer-centric culture. This special Symposium takes place at The Ritz-Carlton, Dallas, and early-bird pricing is available through December 31, 2014. Learn more about the keynote speaker, the presentation speakers, and the members of The Ritz-Carlton Executive Panel. The Blog Post Dear Ritz-Carlton: Strategic Plan Engagement? appeared first on The Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center.

Think back over your customer service interactions this past year—every time you ate at a restaurant, shopped in a store, had a doctor’s appointment, mailed a package, visited the gym, bought groceries. If you had to rate every customer service interaction on a scale of 1 (poor) to 5 (legendary), how often did you receive legendary customer service in 2014? Legendary customer service is memorable. It comes from the heart of the giver, and it stays in the heart of the receiver. The Credo of The Ritz-Carlton states "the genuine care and comfort of our guests is our highest mission." When customers feel truly cared for, they experience legendary customer service. This kind of exceptional service evokes feelings of appreciation, security and gratitude. In the following thank you letter, it is clear that the guests received good service, but they took the time to write a letter because of the genuine care expressed during their stay. Thank You Letter from Guests "I wanted to write you and share a bit of our experience staying at The Ritz-Carlton, Bachelor Gulch this past December. As a brief background on us, I work as a travel planner and am the owner of an independent agency. My partner is in IT, working as a project manager for IBM. Living in Florida, we don’t often get that ‘Christmas feeling’ with lights strung up on palm trees. So each year, we try and plan a vacation somewhere with a chance of snow to get a little more in the ‘spirit.’ "This year after looking at several options, we decided on The Ritz-Carlton, Bachelor Gulch. Never having vacationed in Colorado, it was a new adventure, and we weren’t sure what to expect. Knowing we were going to a Ritz-Carlton kind of takes any worries away because you know at a minimum that you’re going to have a good stay. "On arrival to the resort, simply pulling into the property we could tell it was going to be a great vacation. The hotel is a true stunner and a perfect mix of exactly what I was wanting. It’s a rare thing that you can have such a fine, rustic structure with that ‘Grand Dame’ grandeur but with a contemporary twist making it relevant to the modern traveler. We truly loved every physical thing about the property from the spa, to the pool, restaurants, great room … I could go on and on. "Our room was spectacular, and I must thank The Reservation Agent for assisting us with finding the absolute perfect spot within the resort. The Reservation Agent took the time to listen to what we were looking for and gave us the perfect room. On meeting her in person, she was a real delight and led us to the perfect sushi restaurant for lunch one day!" The Power of Surprise and Delight  "Additionally, I’d had several questions and was a typical ‘needy traveler.’ The Manager of Guest Relations was the ‘unfortunate’ recipient of my first requests … so she was stuck with us for the long haul! With every little detail I needed or question I had, she was on the spot, promptly getting back with me and advising me during the planning of our trip. She was gracious enough to set up specific dining experiences for us that took a little more attention to detail than just a reservation. She also guided us to a fantastic tour with Nova Guides in their Snow Cat where we got to go up to almost 13,000 feet—in heated comfort no less. While we were on property, although an extremely busy person, whenever we ran into her or wanted to ask her a question, she always made us feel like we were the only people there. She also had a knack for surprising us with a little treat here and a little treat there that she didn’t have to take the time to do. Very genuine, very heartfelt. We would return to the resort just for the great care she gives her guests. "Also, we met a wonderful new employee, The Spa Manager. She greeted us when we visited the spa the first time to check things out. She was a great help in showing us around and showing us the product lines which I was very interested in as I needed some great spa gifts as a Christmas present for my mother. Striking up conversation with The Spa Manager, we learned she’d just relocated from Florida, just a few minutes drive from where we live. We’re very involved in a charity called Southeastern Guide Dogs and The Spa Manager was very familiar, often having been to the dog school to help play with and socialize the puppies herself as part of their process. It was a real treat visiting with her. "Later that evening, a knock came on our door with ‘Room Service.’ We hadn’t ordered any and were confused. Well, The Spa Manager had taken the time to contact the culinary team and have something special made up for us. There on a platter was a photo of one of the puppies from our charity. It had been printed out and encased in hard sugar to protect it. Along with it was a beautiful stack of three jumbo dog biscuit shaped cookies covered in chocolate and tied with a powder blue, Ritz-Carlton ribbon. They only looked like dog biscuits, they were PEOPLE cookies and wonderful. We sat back in awe for the longest time, grateful for such a beautiful sincere gift." Service vs. True Care  "Most importantly, what I want to say about our stay goes well beyond the physical property. There are many beautiful places to stay in the world and we’ve been lucky enough to visit some of them. What sets The Ritz-Carlton, Bachelor Gulch apart is the service that is given is a bit different. In my opinion, sometimes at a resort you feel you are ‘being served.’ I don’t like to feel ‘served.’ Much more rare is when you feel you are ‘being cared for.’ All of the staff at The Ritz-Carlton, Bachelor Gulch made us feel well cared for, like a friend who is staying with them. We had this kind of service from every single staff member and that’s exceptional. "We are now breaking the mold, and looking at visiting your resort not just for its ‘Winter Wonderland’ attraction but a Summertime visit, too! We’re so looking forward to seeing these great staff members on our return." Delivering Legendary Customer Service Service is about emotion, and legendary customer service means delivering unique, memorable and personal experiences that become lifelong memories. Let’s make 2015 a year to remember by elevating our service standards and striving to deliver legendary customer service. ∞ On Monday, April 13, 2015, The Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center presents "Your Journey to Service Excellence," The Ritz-Carlton approach to legendary service, employee engagement and a customer-centric culture. This special Symposium takes place at The Ritz-Carlton, Dallas, and early-bird pricing is available through December 31, 2014. Learn more about the keynote speaker, the presentation speakers, and the members of The Ritz-Carlton Executive Panel. The Blog Post Legendary Customer Service Makes Memories appeared first on The Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center.

"You’ve got to eat while you dream. You’ve got to deliver on short-range commitments, while you develop a long-range strategy and vision and implement it. The success of doing both. Walking and chewing gum if you will. Getting it done in the short-range, and delivering a long-range plan, and executing on that." — Jack Welch, former chairman and CEO of General Electric The Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center: How many times have you created a goal and 52 weeks later asked, "Where did the time go?" Being able to focus on the long game but make incremental wins along the way takes planning and effort from everyone in the organization. The Ritz-Carlton uses Franklin Covey’s "Wildly Important Goals" (WIG) formula for keeping our focus on the big prize, while making small accomplishments along the way. We measure actions and align them in the direction we want to go. When we reach our goal, it’s not a surprise—because we paved a clear path together. Do your teams all use the same map? ∞ On Monday, April 13, 2015, The Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center presents "Your Journey to Service Excellence," The Ritz-Carlton approach to legendary service, employee engagement and a customer-centric culture. This special Symposium takes place at The Ritz-Carlton, Dallas, and early-bird pricing is available through December 31, 2014. Learn more about the keynote speaker, the presentation speakers, and the members of The Ritz-Carlton Executive Panel. The Blog Post Inspired Thinking: Long-Range Planning appeared first on The Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center.

Dear Ritz-Carlton: How does the superior customer service message in the private sector carry over to the public sector? Answer from Diana Oreck, Vice President at The Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center: We are asked this question frequently. Each time The Leadership Center starts work with a company, we are told, "but you do not understand us, we are different." Really? We are all consumers and service is service. When we are out and about running our lives, we notice when we get great service. It is like poetry in motion, a choreographed ballet. When we do not, it feels like something right out of a Stephen King novel. At The Ritz-Carlton, we have a written service strategy that we use with our fellow employees and our guests: 1. A warm and sincere greeting. Use the guest’s name. 2. Anticipation and fulfillment of each guest’s needs. 3. Fond farewell. Give a warm good-bye and use the guest’s name. Most of these elements can be transferred to any industry and sector. We also find that many organizations, over-analyze service. At the end of the day, it boils down to the 4 Cs.: Common sense, common Courtesy, show Care and Concern. Let’s be like NIKE and "just do it!" ∞ On Monday, April 13, 2015, The Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center presents "Your Journey to Service Excellence," The Ritz-Carlton approach to legendary service, employee engagement and a customer-centric culture. This special Symposium takes place at The Ritz-Carlton, Dallas, and early-bird pricing is available through December 31, 2014. Learn more about the keynote speaker, the presentation speakers, and the members of The Ritz-Carlton Executive Panel. The Blog Post Dear Ritz-Carlton: Customer Service in Public Sector appeared first on The Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center.

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