Pay it Forward

I was introduced to Shel Silvestein's classic "The Missing Piece Meets the Big O" over ten years ago but with all great lessons in life, timing is everything. You've heard of the ancient saying, "When the Student is ready, the Teacher will appear."

It had such a grave impact in my life that I'm hoping it will do the same for you. Where ever you are in life, identify the lesson that applies in both your personal and professional life. Don't just gloss over the book and think you cannot learn from it now. Even if you've read the book before, read it again then share it with someone else.

Now watch how many people you've inspired. Enjoy Saturday.

**click here to watch on You Tube**

TO's Achilles' Heel

When you speak to Torontonians about being world-class, a common answer is, "We've come a long way but still two-years behind other cities like New York and Miami." Regardless whether this is true or not, we need to stop comparing ourselves and instead identify our own strengths to build from within. Otherwise, we'll go in circles trying to chase our own tail. Do you think Douglas Copland thought in his early years, “I’m two-years behind Damien Hirst” or Drake telling his friends, “I’m two-years behind Kanye”?

Tim Hortons' slogan in the early years was “Your Friend Along the Way” before becoming, in recent years, “Always Fresh.” They won the hearts of Canadians one small town at a time. Now Tim Hortons have become an International brand.

One needs to recognize that Canada’s best assets that have gone on to become globally celebrated brands are a result of being authentic, focusing on their differentiating factor and mining their talent. In doing so, you’ll realize that we are not behind but exactly where we’re supposed to be.

Too many options in TO?

More options breed more competition, which benefits the consumer and hopefully attracts more of them. However, there is a point when all these options blur into general categories like trendy, romantic, upscale, fun and “rated best of...”.

In a free market society, businesses that differentiate themselves are most talked about and become everyone’s “Favourite Place” but this requires long-term vision and commitment. It doesn’t happen over night. Moreover, it wasn’t created for everyone.

In Danny Meyer’s case, Union Square Hospitality provides Enlightened Hospitality first to their staff, then to customers, community, vendors and finally investors. The Four Seasons Hotel pride themselves on high-touch and “deeply instilled ethic of personal service” to satisfying the needs and tastes of discriminating customers.

All the Toronto businesses that have had a long run and are still successful have these ingredients in common: a dash of consistency, one dollap of authenticity, sprinklings of personalized service and a heap of genuine passion.

Will TO hospitality survive?

Toronto is an impressive city especially driving into the downtown core with its expansive skyline of skyscrapers, condos and sports facilities. Visitors always remark on the vast number of cranes that are busied with construction projects reminiscent to major cities in China, Korea and UAE. We have world-class hotels, restaurants and entertainment yet they are not busy for the majority of the year. Torontonians like to hibernate from January to March and disappear to cottage country from May 24 to Labour Day.

So what will it take for Toronto to become a world-class city? The answer is Service.

For starters, a public transit system that is dependable so you'd feel comfortable leaving your car home, a far more efficient highway system, teamed with cabs that are more affordable and airports that connect to the city more conveniently. Then a caring service culture in every business so we never stay away for too long.

In a city that is winter seven months of the year, we need more warmth.

Power of Words

In Kevin Hall's book Aspire, he examines the Power of Words in relation to selling. The ability to lead a team, communicate and sell is limited by our vocabulary. I was first introduced to Kevin Hall through an audio interview by Darren Hardy for Success Magazine January 2011. He quips, "Words can sell, words can repel, words can lead, words can impede, words can heal and words can kill"

In the interview, Kevin spoke about two words that are most misunderstood but are critical to become an outstanding salesperson:

1) Passion is from the 12th Century which meant "path of suffering" and not necessarily today's interpretation "love". Passion is not about starting but is about finishing. Starting is easy. Finishing always requires sacrifice. Are you willing to suffer for what you love?

2) Humility comes from humus (rich dark organic soil that allows for growth) and not humiliation (subservient, hiding our gifts, weakness and meekness). Having humility is being teachable, coachable, always learning and sharing to honour the giver of gifts. Recently I learned the difference between Pride and Humility. Pride is concerned about WHO is right. Humility is concerned about WHAT is right.

How can you have more Passion and Humility in your life to benefit your customers? Enjoy Sunday.

P.s. I'm looking forward to reading Aspire and providing a book summary that relates to hospitality.

IQ, EQ & HQ

In most industries, only 25% of someone's long-term success in a career position is determined by their IQ (Intelligence Quotient). We would assume then a person's EQ (Emotional Quotient) attributes to the rest. But in our industry, we must consider the importance of having high HQ (Hospitality Quotient). HQ is when someone gets real satisfaction from pleasing and caring for others with no expectation in return or hidden agenda. In fact possessing HQ is more important than IQ, as all hard-skills can be learned while HQ is innate.

Here are some interview questions that determine a candidate's HQ level:

1) Comment on two reasons why you think the hospitality industry chose you.
2) What was your first hospitality experience that stood out?
3) Comment on the time you sacrificed in order to help someone else.
4) What is your trade secret to make a guest feel special?
5) What key advice did you learn from a mentor that you impart to your team?
6) Comment on your proudest guest satisfaction/interaction.
7) What is your knee-jerk reaction when you run into a customer who remembers you from a previous restaurant?
8) Comment on the last time you had a remarkable customer service experience. Did you report it to their employer? Why?
9) Do you enjoy hosting friends or being hosted? Why?

Stop blaming the staff's work ethic, common sense or integrity. Perhaps you are asking the wrong questions and hence hiring the wrong people. You cannot train people to be happy, just hire happy people.

Hope this helps.

*I believe the term HQ was created by Danny Meyer. In addition to Union Square Hospitality Group, Danny Meyer is a partner in a consulting company called Hospitality Quotient

Focus

(Summary) Focus by Daniel Goleman

As I read books/articles that are relevant to your business, I'll summarize them specifically for the hospitality industry as "Coles notes".

With our busy lives filled with multiple attention-robbing devices, our focus is at a deficit. In Goleman's book Focus he asserts, "Getting a job done well requires applying concentration, for instance, while creative insights flow best when we are in a loose, open awareness. Our focus matters immensely in everything we do: the better we can pay attention, the more excellent the results – again in everything from learning to leadership."

According to Goleman, the three types of focus includes:

"Inner" focus includes being self-aware and self-disciplined. Controlling the inner voice is key, as our wandering minds and self-talk are more dangerous in diverting our attention than any other noise surrounding us. Practicing mindfulness (meditation and breathing) will help reduce stress and control your attention. Also, spending time on acute-focus activities (e.g. basketball, yoga, rock-climbing and tennis) helps build the right muscles in your brain and rejuvenate your focus at work.

"Outer" focus is being empathetic towards others. This is the number one skill for leaders right now and in the future. Stephen R. Covey's book, "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People" have been prescribing this philosophy since 1989. Practice the mindset of understand before being understood towards your staff and customers to achieve a higher outer focus.

"Other" focus is taking a 30,000 feet view of your business and being strategic about how to be different. Steve Job's philosophy of "The ultimate sophistication is simplicity" was his winning strategy for Apple, that is, saying no more than saying yes.

Your attention is diverted in multiple places the moment you wake up by "putting-out-fires". You should be known as the CEO of your business, that is, Chief Emergency Officer. We were led to believe that multi-tasking is a premium skill set but Goleman suggests that by single-tasking, that is focusing on one specific task at a time with no disruptions, we'll become far more productive. Studies have shown that every time we "switch" our attention from one task to another, it requires 10-15 minutes to refocus on the original task. Think about all the distractions each day, from social media, text messages, phone calls, staff, suppliers, customers, bank to accountants. Before you start your day, make a list of things you need to accomplish and how much time to complete each task; stick to it. The idea is for you to become more proactive and less reactive to the firefight-of-the-day.

Anticipation

There are a few things in life that you'd look forward to on a monthly or annual basis. For example, Christmas mornings, vacations, your surprise party, changing color of leaves, Food & Drink’s Holiday Issue or Vogue’s September Issue, and memorable dining experiences.

Living in a bustling city like Toronto, eating out is pretty commonplace whether it's for lunch, brunch or dinner. So becoming someone’s favourite spot is an incredible honor, a worthy goal to pursue. The secret ingredient is equal parts of product, service and atmosphere. Since service has more touchpoints than product and atmosphere (that is, contact with your guest) it requires more of your attention to perfect. Your guests are anticipating their next symphonic dining experience. This will be your differentiating factor in becoming memorable.

You know the song from the classic ketchup commercial, “Anticipation is a beautiful thing!” It truly is.

Being Grateful

We should celebrate life more regularly, not just on your birthday or only on holidays but every day. Start by being grateful of your life, realize that you have it really good and not just compared to those who have less than you.

Try practicing an "attitude of gratitude" every morning by thinking about you being You – different and authentic. The chances are one in six billion and biologically one in twenty trillion, WOW! When you start your day celebrating the fact that you are a miracle, you’ll set an unstoppable momentum towards having an incredible day. Only then will you be grateful of everything around you including people and business. This is the key to happiness.

A wise man said, "It is your attitude not your aptitude that determines your altitude"

Enjoy Sunday.

Danny Meyer

For the majority of industry folks, Danny Meyer is a mentor who is synonymous with Service Excellence. Enlightened Hospitality is the foundation of his business philosophy where "Hospitality is present when something happens for you. It is absent when something happens to you. Those two simple propositions - for and to - express it all".

Of course, my ultimate goal is to have him as a contributor/service coach on my blog. But for now, you must read his book Setting the Table. In the book's Introduction, there is a paragraph that truly resonates;

"Within moments of being born, most babies find themselves receiving the first four gifts of life: eye contact, a smile, a hug, and some food. We receive many other gifts in a lifetime, but few can ever surpass those first four. That first time may be the purest 'hospitality transaction' we'll ever have, and it's not much of a surprise that we'll crave those gifts for the rest of our lives. I know I do."

There are many great quotes and stories, I feel silly highlighting the whole book so go and read it for yourself. Enjoy.

P.s. check out this video Insite 2013 The Power of Hospitality

Overjoyed

Try to remember the last time when you were so overwhelmed with joy that you burst out in uncontrollable laughter, incessant jumping, hugging and fist-pumping while repeating to yourself,
“Y-E-S-S-S-S!!!”

It’s the same reaction that you’ve played over and over again in your mind if you had won the lottery. That “I WON, I WON” moment is what I’m referring to.

Here is my list of moments:
1) First crush in grade school also likes me
2) Date for graduation accepts my invitation
3) Last day of school – approaching the unknown
4) Future wife says, “yes” to going steady
5) First Car – driving out of the dealership
6) First NCAA Finals in Indianapolis
7) Awarded the space to open second restaurant

Write down your list and relive each moment by yourself. Then tell someone in your life about your “Overjoyed” moments. Ask them to do the same.

The point is for you to realize that your next significant life moment is around the corner. Get ready for your next jump-up!

Revolutionary

Another One-Word Equity is being Revolutionary (see Consistency for One-Word Equity intro).

Zappos, Napster, Starbucks, Walt Disney and Apple are revolutionary. They went against the status quo by being different and changed their industry forever. Small companies who focused on selling tacos, hamburgers, cupcakes and yogurt as their main product really took the idea of "do common things uncommonly well" to a new height. Naysayers would label these trailblazers as "fads" and dismiss their longevity but they've taken significant market share away from big companies.

Next trend is for the Service Industry to be revolutionary about their Service. Differentiate yourself by providing hospitality excellence regardless of your market segment. Imagine if Burger Priest adopted the Four Seasons' philosophy of high-touch service instead of solely on speed. Or a self-serve gas station who’d pleasantly surprise their customer with full-service when it's snowing and minus 20.

Revolt about things that matter to your customer, not the things that only matter to your bottom line.

Consistency

Consistency

“One-Word Equity defines the characteristic a company want most instantly associated with their brand around the world, and they own it”, according to Daniel Pink. For example, Obama’s is Hope, Ali’s is The Greatest, Mastercard’s is Priceless and Nike’s is Just Do It. What is your company’s One-Word Equity?

Let’s start with being Consistent. It certainly has worked for companies like Starbucks, The Keg and Terroni, to name a few. You know exactly what to expect regardless of location or time, and they’ll deliver on the promise each time. Price never becomes an obstacle as they have repeatedly proven their value.

To start, be consistent with your people. Treat them the way THEY want to be treated not how YOU want to be treated. Spend your time and efforts to win them over first. Notice that the above restaurants have the highest staff retention and known to be the Best Employer.

Then focus on service, product and atmosphere. Define exactly how you want your customer to perceive you in each category and write an imaginary customer review with details outlining how you won them over. During the interview stage, ask your people how they’d deliver on this promise each shift. People will naturally support what they co-created.

Being Consistent is simple but not easy. It doesn’t take more money, only your commitment.

Work-Life Balance

The ability to attain Work-Life Balance in hospitality is the ultimate sweepstake. We know this is the only solution to keep our top people and attract leaders into our industry. No one seems to be immune to the dilemma in spite of their size, years in business or market segment. Why can’t a business model be created to adapt to the market’s demand for more life to balance all that work?

Here are some key ideas towards a new business model:
1. As part of your start-up exercise, create a staff schedule with full-time salary staff working five days, up to 10 hours a day with two days off.
- Identify the number of full-time and part-time staff required to accommodate this schedule
- Create a set schedule for your f/t staff; weekly schedules are senseless, treat your staff like adults!
- Rotate opening and closes evenly

2. In the start-up pro forma statement, build in the following line items:
- Training (starting and ongoing)
- Development tools & programs required
- Incentive (bonus programs aside from money, i.e. education, team building field trips and dining)

3. Be honest in the interview process regarding expectations and scheduling.
- Things change but not at the expense of your people

4. Set goals together with your people and time allowance to complete tasks. Truth is people perform at a higher level with a sense of urgency and clear objectives.

5. Communicate your company’s purpose and beliefs ongoing, your people need to be reminded and inspired daily.

6. Care about your people, no one should make sacrifices for your goals if you don’t care about theirs.

7. Advertise that you are a WORK-LIFE BALANCE employer – if your customers supported recycling, green initiative, local farming and sustainable products; they will support this idea.

Before you say, “This is impossible!” think about companies who were change-agents in their industry because they believed “Everything is possible!”