Admired Leadership had article on culture few weeks ago. Got me thinking. What culture are our hotel clients building in their hotels?
The goal of your culture is to:
Increase sales
Improve profits
Enhance guest satisfaction scores
Motivate, inspire, and energize your employees.
Does your hotel have a written culture statement? Posted on hotel website? Does each Department have a written culture statement?
Most hotels do not have statement for their hotel. Departments have informal culture statements, but they are rarely written down.
Formalize yours.
Teams and employees need to know what they stand for. Before then can give great experiences to guest and team members. Other Departments.
Admired Leadership defined Culture and Climate. “Culture is the stable, organization-wide values and norms that shape meaning and experience. Climate is the weather system a team lives inside, day to day. Climate is shaped by the (hotels) leaders and colleagues.
Great distinction. I had never separate the two terms. Set Cultural goals. Then describe the Climate that will sustain the Culture. First for Hotel, then each Department.
Most companies have company wide cultural statement. Nice, but meaningless to employees at hotels company operates. All employees have trouble relating to standards outside their control. Corporate statements. Needed and nice, but mostly fluff to employees in the field.
Does your hotel have your own culture statement? Separate from corporate definition? Culture of your Executive Committee is the culture your employees experience. Employees look to their hotel to identify how to be and act.
Steps to define your hotel culture
Next Executive Committee meeting, spend some time defining hotel culture.
Don’t just hammer it out. Take some time to think about your culture. Discuss and modify it over 3-4 weeks.
Then announce it. Promote it. Have each Department discuss the hotel culture.Then role concept out to Departments.
Department management teams, ask employees if they would like to define a culture for their Department. Get them involved.
What does “culture” include? Then differentiate “Climate”
What are the values of Hotel. Each Department? What is most important to smooth operation?
How should employees act on the job? Hotel wide? Within each Department?
How should they interact with guests? Associates? Public in general? With other Departments?
Does each Department have a list of “acceptable and unacceptable”
practices? On job itself? Their communications and interactions?
Yes, HR has hotel wide policies and procedures. Clarify for your Department. Get HR to assist. Tell HR you want culture statement for your specific department. Not separate from HR, but building on HR. Ask HR for input and support.
Let HR know your goals:
*Reduce turnover.Prepare employees for promotion. (Ask HR how they want you to alert them to employees promotional ready. Should you recommend other Departments they could fit in? )
Example: Many housekeeping employees can easily move into Banquet and Catering service jobs.
*Provide better service to guests and other departments.
*Improve morale.
Note: HR Departments always have more to do than hours. If they dump cold water on establishing culture for your Department. Thank them. Tell they you believe this will benefit your hotel. Tell them you will take it up with GM and Regional on their next trip. Follow-through.
Summary:
Gallup research back this premise up. 70% team engagement is provided at hotel level.
Each hotel and Department within Hotel will benefit from a Culture and Climate statement.
They clarify and motivate. Use them to inspire and energize employees. Keep them clear and simple. Directly tied to service and support of their jobs..Distinguish between Culture and Climate.
Culture is to meet goals. Climate describes daily operations to achieve Culture.
Call to action: We would like to know reaction of your employees? Management team? How have you used this to become better leader? Reach out through LinkedIn or directly.
Tom Ferree is the founder of Ferree & Associates and SecureEmploy, organizations focused on helping companies find exceptional talent and helping professionals advance their careers. Since founding Ferree & Associates in 1977, Tom has worked extensively with hospitality companies, executives, and rising leaders across the industry. Through SecureEmploy, he shares practical career strategies, leadership insights, and real-world advice to help professionals grow their careers and help organizations build stronger teams.
