I gave a talk last week to a group of high school teachers on the subject of attracting students to hospitality (download the powerpoint presentation or view it at the end of this post) . The main point I wanted to get across to the group was that success in our business is 110% relationship driven. Therefore, we need people who think more like marketers, not managers. We need people who can engage, converse, adapt, make people smile, care, and act like they're doing something they really believe in. Less and less, we need people who can follow scripts, manage a process, and develop spreadsheets...technology and friends in places like Bangladesh are taking care of that part.
Here's the most important slide...
Essential hospitality skills
• Passion (Robin Williams, Steve Irwin)
• Passion for caring for people
• Passion for being remarkable- See Jeff Widman Effect (jeffwidman.com)
• Ability to seek and develop relationships
• Improv- what can you do with a curve ball (when things don’t go as planned), two or three at time?
• Trustworthy and transparent
• Sense of humor