Being an effective manager in the hospitality world takes a unique individual. You are going to need to have deep hospitality experience, resilience, imagination and the ability to motivate staff. Here are H&L’s top six ways to be an amazing hospitality manager:
- WHAT BUSINESS ARE YOU IN?
The true definition of ‘hospitality’ is “the friendly reception and treatment of guests or strangers”. That’s the business you are in. Don’t let yourself forget it … EVER. It’s hard to keep an eye on the bigger picture as you juggle day-to-day operations. Always remember that at the end of the day (and the beginning and all the bits in between) it’s all about delivering brilliant customer service.
- KNOW HOW BUSINESS IS DONE
The hospitality business is extremely complex. As the manager you are at the centre of a web with so many strands. Workforce management, inventory control, customer retention and business growth are just a few of the things keeping you up at night. Each of these areas of the business have their own complexities and you need to know every level of the business. Not so that you can micro-manage your staff, that would be bad. It’s about being effective at what you do. How can you effectively motivate and manage staff if you don’t know what’s happening at the coalface of the business? How can you innovate if you have no idea what systems are in place?
You understand how success in the hospitality business relies on all the business elements working in harmony and in tandem with each other. Gorgeous food won’t eclipse bad customer service. Lovely, well-trained staff can’t overcome poor quality produce. No point in a wonderful menu if you don’t have any customers to feed.
Being an expert in the business you are in is the key to your success … but it can also be stressful.
- DON’T GO IT ALONE
You are doing what you love. So why are you taking on all that stress? It’s 2018, it’s been a very long time since the technology frontier was an experiment. Find robust and innovative solutions to support your operations and take the headache out of keeping your finger on the pulse of the business. H&L’s vast range of solutions takes the headache out of managing the hospitality business from serving customers, managing staff and inventory to growing your business. H&L takes pride in partnering with you build success in everything you do. We want you to find an acceptable work/life balance. Don’t burn out because we need experts like you in the hospitality industry to take customer experiences to the next level!
- MOTIVATE AND MANAGE STAFF
Most Hospitality Managers and Venue Owners cite staff recruitment and retention as the most challenging aspect of running their hospitality business. Give staff adequate training, don’t ‘throw them in the deep end’, especially in customer-facing parts of the business. Provide staff with easy-to-use technologies so that they can focus on giving good customer service. Take notice of what your staff are doing well and make a point of commenting on it both publicly and privately. Show staff that you care about them and value their input into your business’ success. It’s your job to motivate them as you continue to drive the customer service culture of your venue.
- MANAGE UNDER PERFORMERS
Know your legal rights as an employer and don’t be afraid to manage under performers. First, make sure you have given the problem employee all the things they need to do their job. If you’ve done that, give them a chance to improve and tell them that’s what you are doing. Clearly articulate what success looks like for that employee and tell them what will happen if they can’t get on board with your customer service culture. If they can’t up their game, it’s simple – let them go. It sounds harsh but in a low-margin, fast-paced environment you can’t afford to carry dead weight.
- LISTEN AND INNOVATE
So you are an expert in your business? That’s fantastic! Just don’t be too proud to listen. Listen to your staff and listen to the buzz in the marketplace. Your staff are experts in your business too and they could have amazing ideas or bring valuable experience from other workplaces. Find out what your competitors are doing … or not doing. Pay attention not just to your direct competitors but what smaller or larger players are doing too. Take notes, assess the opportunity/cost of an idea and if it all comes together then take the educated leap and innovate. Remember the innovation could just be improving something you already do well. Innovation will future-proof your hospitality business and up your relevancy in a constantly changing world.
H&L knows what matters in your hospitality business. Our suite of solutions are designed to support you as you navigate the complex hospitality landscape. Ask us how we can help you today, our friendly team is waiting to hear from you.