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by Rick
Welch
Never, Never Accept Mediocrity!
Some time ago, Days Inns started a
program to rate the level of Quality for their franchisees using a Sunburst
rating system. This system used the hotels Quality Assurance scores obtained
by the various franchisees over a given period of time to determine how many
“Sunburst” a particular hotel would obtain. One “Sunburst” being the lowest,
and five “Sunburst” being the highest. Actually, the American Automobile
Association and Mobile Oil have been doing it for years. This system would
demonstrate to the consumer the levels of quality to expect when making a
reservation at a Days Inn Hotel and the price/value relationship. It is a
great idea and has been widely accepted by the consumer, but not by some
Days Inn General Manager’s !
When I worked for Days Inns I had an
opportunity to visit and speak with franchisees all over the World and it
surprised me how many hotel managers worked to obtain a high sunburst
rating. However, they did not exploit the many opportunities advertising
their achievement. The primary reason for not doing so was that they
believed the consumer would not be happy with their stay and would complain
that the rating was a hoax! Yes, you read it right, they thought the
Sunburst rating that was achieved by the hotel was miss-leading the
consumer. They successfully deceived the quality assurance inspector and
could not deliver on their promise to provide the customer an excellent
guest experience. They only succeeded in deceiving themselves!
Every now and then I would encounter
someone who demonstrated excellence in what they set out to achieve. It was
an exceptional desk clerk who anticipated our customers every need. Or, it
was a General Manager, who generated both high performance and loyalty with
their staff. He/she found the secret to unlocking the desire to excel in
each of their team members.
Excellence, true Excellence, is
something we prize but seldom see. It’s a joy to encounter someone who is
truly excellent at what they do. More importantly, how can you become known
as a person who consistently demonstrates excellence without using deceit?
One comment that is heard time and again about those who demonstrate
excellence is "he/she is a natural at it." They don’t seem to struggle to be
excellent; it just flows. This is always a
sign of motivation, and therein lies the first key: Motivation is required
for excellence.
Motivation is what we like to do naturally. It’s like being right or
left-handed. We don’t even
think about it. The same is true for people known for excellence. They have
many motivating factors that work in concert to help them perform at a
higher level. Like all motivations, these were inborn and are as much a part
of them as being right handed or left-handed.
But there is a second key: Motivation can be developed. People who
demonstrate excellence have identified their motivations and worked hard to
develop them. They have added knowledge, skill, and experience. They
practice to consistently produce at the highest levels. A good example of
this is the “muscle memory” needed for a professional golfer to consistently
excel at their sport. This only comes as a result of many hours of
practice.
By the way, there is a flip side to these two keys, and it
is this: The best we can be with low motivation is adequate and mediocre. No
matter how hard we work and desire it, in the long run we will never be
excellent at something without high levels of motivation in that area. In
other words, if we toil in areas where we have low motivation, we resign
ourselves to mediocrity.
Who wants to be mediocre? Who wants to be known as "adequate?" Wouldn’t you
rather have a shot at excellence? The first step to unlocking your
excellence is to know what you do well and then do not go back on your
commitment to excellence. Exploit the positives in your life; exploit the
skills you posses. Make a commitment to provide your guest with a “Superior”
product when they were expecting less. Then you can tell everybody about
it!
Rick Welch is currently
President of the Lakeshore Group a Professional Hospitality Management Company
that specializes in advising members of the legal profession as it relates to
Hospitality Legal matters.
He recently sold a major interest in a hotel that he was a partner in and
reorganized the accounting and management systems for a local Hotel Owner Group.
He has written other Marketing Articles that have been published by HSMAI and
personally supervised forty limited service hotels in the East for a partnership
that was in the process to sell those hotels.
His previous positions included managing seized assets for the United States
Marshal Service, Vice President of Regional Marketing for Day's Inns of America,
Vice President and Brand manager for USFS Best Inns and Suites.
Rick has also excelled as an Asset Manager for a package of $200,000,000.
Hospitality REO for the nations largest Real Estate Investment Trust.
Rick started his career with Sheraton Hotels as a management trainee.
Richard J. Welch, CHA, CHME
President
The Lakeshore Group
2180 Defoors Ferry Rd.
Atlanta, GA 30318
(404) 355-7021
rjwelch11@aol.com
www.thelakeshoregroup.com
(web site under development)
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