Leadership

Beating hunger with fund-raisin' cookies.



Today I am feeling very proud for some of my Leadership Academy colleagues who are seeing the results of their course project come to fruition in a very bold and rewarding way.  By sharing the story of Miriam's plight of starvation (pictured right) , they galvanised BaxterStorey and HolroydHowe to get behind a giant cookie sale to raise thousands of pounds for Action Against Hunger to coincide with today being World Food Day.

Using ingredients sponsored by food supplier Brakes, our chefs across the UK have been busy baking cookies for sale, while the service teams have been raising awareness out front of our initiative to help the hungry on World Food Day. 


 To further encourage staff to show their support, we have been invited to donate an hour of our salary through a salary-sacrifice scheme set up through payroll. I personally like this initiative as it has given me the option to donate without buying loads of cookies, as I continue my endeavour to cut out sugar from my diet.

It is hoped that about £40,000 will be raised through cookie sales all over the UK. That's an astounding result for a team of talented managers on a training course and I applaud their entrepreneurship and ambition.



In a separate initiative which ties in nicely on World Food Day, UNICEF UK have started a hashtag campaign on social media called #emptyplate where you share a photo of your empty plate before eating to help raise awareness. It certainly made me stop on think about how lucky I am just as I was about to pour out my muesli this morning.

Here are some actions for you today that will MAKE A DIFFERENCE:
  • If you are lucky enough to have our BaxterStorey or HolroydHowe chefs cooking your lunch today, then please buy a cookie for 75p - all of which goes to helping the hungry.

  • Share a photo of your empty plate on Twitter or Instagram with the hashtag #emptyplate. Also add in the following suggested text so your followers can share the message. "Not every child will get the  they need today. Join me and speak out about child malnutrition. Snap an #emptyplate #WFD2013"

Together we can make a difference.


Please feel free to leave a comment. And if you enjoyed reading this you may like other related posts listed below. To receive future posts don't forget to subscribe via email (just enter your email above), or by RSS, or why not follow me on twitter @mykitchensync.

Travelodge CEO recently interviewed: My 3 observations.

There's a great video interview in BigHospitality with Chief Executive Grant Hearn about how Travelodge plans to put some turbulent times behind them following a recent debt restructure. You can read the article and view the video in full by clicking here.
Travelodge CEO Grant Hearn has king-size plans for the chain

I appreciate it's a business focused interview aimed at the hospitality sector, but here are my three main observations on that particular interview:

  • Mr. Hearn mentions Premier Inn within the first minute 22 seconds of beginning his interview and goes on to discuss the focus that exists on that rivalry. 
There is a focus on that rivalry, but I suspect none more so than in his own Boardroom. And that's fine behind closed doors, but publicly you have to wonder why is the Travelodge CEO giving so much oxygen to his rival's brand? As a potential customer, I am reading an article about Travelodge, given by the Travelodge CEO and guess what? Premier Inn gets a mention even in the headline. That's gotta hurt.

  • He goes on to state that Food and Drink sales are not central to the business plan as they represent "only about £30m" in revenues out of £400m in total. In a nutshell he says; "What's important about food and drink to me is actually... selling rooms." 
Again, as a potential customer, it leaves me wondering how good the food offer actually is if it doesn't appear a priority for the top man in the job? Or to look at it another way, is that kind of statement going to motivate all those bartenders, service staff and chefs on payroll now required to raise their game if Travelodge are to compete with 'those other guys'?

  • There was mention of a new bedroom design. I had to play it a couple of times to catch it, but there it was in the last line of the article and referred to just once by Grant in the video interview itself. 
This may simply have been down to editing, but what a missed opportunity for the CEO (the main brand ambassador of the company) to talk more about these exciting new changes within Travelodge and how they will benefit future customers. He could have then clearly articulated the company's renewed focus on great food, drinks and service from the fantastic people working within the group. 

Of course, Mr. Hearn did say all those things. But, to paraphrase the old Morecambe & Wise gag, not necessarily in the right order. I guess he forgot to take off his CEO Strategy hat and put on his Brand PR hat for a few minutes. 

 Within the boardroom, it is perfectly acceptable to talk about product, offer, ROI, strategy and even Premier Inn. In public however, surely the soundbites should be about customer innovation, service excellence, the brand experience and team spirit. Travelodge staff deserve to hear it from leadership, their competitors should start to fear it and most importantly their customers really need to believe it.
Getting out of the Boardroom to focus on bedrooms.

 As it happens The Telegraph made a much better job of selling the virtues of that new room design with those impressive king-sized beds. I urge you to read it here to get the full picture of Travelodge's business roadmap ahead. It does sound exciting.

 I wish Grant Hearn and all the team at Travelodge every success in rolling out this new phase. The financial restructure was a risky piece of business that seems to have been pulled off successfully. This should give the group a sure footing during these continued turbulent months and years ahead.

Savoy Lecture: Our country needs us to be strong

What a great evening at The Savoy Hotel last night. As expected the service was impeccable, the food delicious (Oreo Cheesecake, who knew?) and the conversation very stimulating. After checking in coats and checking out some familiar names, we were ushered into the imposing ballroom. Recently refurbished, it was set out theatre-style with regimented rows of chairs facing one solitary lectern that loomed over them from the stage above, rather like a general facing his troops.

Naturally the BaxterStorey clan congregated and welcomed one another in from the bitter cold. As we chatted we caught ourselves stealing a glance now and then across the room towards our Chairman who was sat quietly near the front collecting his thoughts. With the atmosphere building, there was definitely a swelling sense of pride in our group, but this was tempered with nervousness as we willed our man at the helm to go out there and show these people just why he commands such loyalty and respect from the 10,000 strong team in his organisation. 


As the people-watching continued, we took our seats…. “That’s Alastair’s Sales Director talking to him just now..” said one prominent CEO nearby in a whisper to his wide-eyed young companion. I won’t repeat what he said to her next, but let’s just call it professional envy. Let’s face it, if we’re not irritating our competitors in the sales arena, then we’re doing it wrong.
The Lectern looms large as Alastair takes a call before the Arena Savoy Lecture. 

Up first was Jan Matthews, Chairman of Arena, who called the distinguished gathering to order and made the brief introduction of our speaker for the evening. Etiquette over necessity I imagine, but it helps to set the tone. Finally, as his name was called out, Alastair rose to his feet to thunderous applause and gingerly climbed the few steps onto the stage. His big moment was upon him and in that rich Aberdonian accent which we have come to appreciate, he opened with his trademark quip “I love this business”. And boy does he mean it when he says that phrase.

Now you might recall in my previous piece that I was looking forward to seeing 'how' he delivered almost as much as 'what' he delivered and I found his presentation to be a masterclass in remaining calm and assured despite the overwhelming nature of the occasion. Yes he did appear slightly flushed which I put down to the humility in his character (personally, I’d be beetroot red by now), but his composure quickly took shape and within a couple of minutes we found ourselves being invited into and challenged by his vision for the future of our industry. 

It’s easy to dwell on the meteoric rise and astronomical success of WSH Ltd’s track record over the last ten years, but instead he focused on a couple of proposals, or challenges perhaps, that he put to his audience of “friends, colleagues and competitors”. Each was a rallying call, not only to this esteemed audience, but to the wider industry as a whole:

  • He urged us to support our farmers and artisans through ethical procurement and a sustainable supply chain, even if it means paying more. And yes, he referred to the culprits of the recent horsemeat scandal as ‘fraudsters’. 
  • Given the mammoth contribution, totalling 8.5% of annual GDP, of our industry as a whole (from airlines to public sector to contract catering) we should command much more bargaining power in the political arena. Supporting the BHA will help achieve this rather than reinventing the wheel. 
  • He laid bare his "burning desire" to make Front of House service a more attractive proposition to our young talent - in the same way Chefs have done with cooking.
Janie Stamford at the Caterer and Hotelkeeper has picked up these points in more detail here.


In conclusion to a very thought-provoking and inspirational message, he left us with these impassioned words:
“Our country NEEDS us to be strong. 
NEEDS us to be ambitious. 
NEEDS us to be good employers. 
To be great trainers. 
To search for excellence. 
To care about our farmers and our producers. 
If we can rally around this concept, we can work together to articulate the many concepts that will make it a reality. 
As business leaders, you know that the initiative can only come from us.”
Long after the applause had died down, the discussion continued in the bar and over a sumptuous dinner afterwards. At one point I found myself reflecting on those words and I couldn’t help but notice the flawless service of our meal in that great room at The Savoy. The professionalism of the young staff serving at our table simply exemplified the very thing that Alastair was trying to articulate in his lecture. I believe his vision for the future of service was present in that room last night. And it will be tonight. And tomorrow night, whomever the guests might be. Getting school children, young people and Ministers to understand that is where the real work lays ahead. And that’s a journey full of opportunity. 

Congratulations Alastair on a truly inspiring lecture, thank you Arena for a memorable event, and thank you to The Savoy Hotel for reminding us of why we got into Hospitality in the first place. I’m sure my colleagues who attended last night will agree..we really do love this business.


For a fantastic Twitter timeline of events as they unfolded, you can read this Storify article put together by @DigitalBlonde:

Dinner and a Storey at The Savoy...


A quick post on my way into London for this year’s Savoy Lecture and dinner hosted by Arena, the professional network as I am gently getting more excited about what’s to come. Not so much for the food (which will be epic, as ever), or the stellar company (again, a veritable Who’s Who of the catering industry judging by the guest list here in my hand), but for the main event. I’m really excited by the prospect of listening to the keynote speech being delivered by Alastair Storey who happens to be Chairman of the company I work for.

No doubt, he will have some forthright views and interesting perspectives, but I will also be watching intently to see how he delivers that speech. Will it be a relaxed performance? Has he rehearsed and will it show? Will it be tailored to this audience? How will people react to his message? Will he have a call for action from such a platform? I guess what I am hoping to see is Alastair Storey demonstrating in stark fashion what it is that has made him one of our industry’s biggest stalwarts. To have reached the very pinnacle of the sector as he has, takes a unique star quality and that is something what is worth being present for.

Check in later to find out how the evening went, what the most powerful man in Hospitality had to say and what this might mean for the future of our industry. 

 Meanwhile, dinner at The Savoy awaits….

More points on that Tesco purchase...

While tidying up my last post on that Tesco acquisition of Giraffe, I was surprised to note the backlash being meted out to the restaurant chain's founders, reducing Juliette Joffe to tears of despair as she defended the move in emails from 'appalled Giraffe loyalists' according to this article in the FT.

 And, oh boy is there gnashing of teeth in the comments section at the end of articles such as this. So much so, I'm surprised they're not calling on our newly-annointed Dear Leader Pontiff to perform an exorcism on the Tesco Board of Directors to reveal which one of them is in fact the Devil incarnate. "Calm down Dear!" as ol' Winner used to say. (I do miss him, oddly enough.)

 I agree there is a lot of disdain for Tesco, and that is an issue for them to work through if they are to rebuild the nation's trust in their brand, but to take out such anger on hard-working risk-taking entrepreneurs like the Joffes - who simple made a VERY smart business decision - is just plain silly.

From what I can see, they dared to dream and took a restaurant idea from a holiday napkin through to realising a £25m return on investment within just 15 years. That sounds like the kind of opportunity most people would snap your hand off for. Why shouldn't they sell to the highest bidder? And more importantly, what business is it of ours to berate them for it? After all, they have said they're staying on to oversee the expansion. At least wait and see.

In response to my previous piece, the point was put to me this morning on Twitter that this might be a great deal for Tesco, but it's not so great for the consumer. I agree with the sentiment and certainly in this case, time will tell. For this deal to work for you and me, the Tesco Board should leave the Giraffe operation in the capable hands of the restaurant operators who started it in the first place.
Selling value while ignoring values
If anything the Board needs to keep a laser-like focus on the wider issue of Tesco's attrocious brand perception with the general public. I'm sorry, but A5 leaflets saying you're changing while STILL pulling products is not good enough. The company needs to get back to basics in delivering terrific customer service while concentrating on getting the supply chain, human resource and core business values right back to the top of the agenda. If you are going to turn the brand around, then do your marketing team a favour and work from the premise that you can't polish a turd.


 To Juliette and Russel Joffe, I say Congratulations to you both. Celebrate the success, persevere with the plan and ignore the spitefulness. After all.. haters gonna hate.

Passion, Debate and Dutch Courage


I was delighted to be asked to participate as a judge in the annual Passion4Hospitality Student Debate which took place yesterday. Hosted by the Institute of Hospitality at the Victory Services Club, the stinging cold on the commute into London soon gave way to some very hotly contended verbal jousting by the brightest minds in hospitality academia today. The format seemed simple enough: eight teams of three presenting to five judges covering two topics in the hope of winning one prestigious trophy. Bring it on.

The challenge however, turned out to be as perplexing as the format seemed simple. In retrospect, I guess the real eye opener for me was seeing how many different ways a single specific topic could be interpreted and presented. Some picked up on a key word, some focused on financials, others on culture and history. All in all, it was an amazing array of thought processes to convey a message whether one was for or against the given argument.

As the day progressed, we picked a winning team from Heat One in the morning who would then go head-to-head with the winning team from Heat Two in the afternoon. The final debate took place in front of the Student Conference guests with the victors being chosen by a straightforward show of hands from the audience.

At this point, you will not be surprised if I say the winning team showed immense character, intellectual prowess and grace under pressure. But you might sit up and take notice if I said that English was not their mother tongue since they had flown in from the continent especially to take part. That really was the measure of commitment and professionalism on display as the team from The Hotelschool in The Hague raised their trophy aloft, leaving London Metropoliton University to be content with the runners-up position.

From left: Maria-Cristina Oprea, Anne Overwater, mentor & lecturer Glen Hepburn and Boudewijn Metzelaar.
Reflecting on the day I applaud every participant for their pluck and commitment in taking part. Win or lose, they will have learned something truly special about the nature of their character and that is more valuable than any trophy or certificate. 

My favourite quote of the day which I posted on Twitter shortly afterwards:


To read all about the debate click here for the Institute's article or check out this great post by Ioannis S. Pantelidis, the team mentor for University of Brighton who came so close on the day.

Our 'Honourable Chairman' of Judges, Russel Kett FIH presides over a tightly fought contest. 
In the meantime, I think the last word should go to Peter Ducker FIH, the Chief Executive of the Institute in his very kind note to me where he said “... the enthusiasm and engagement we saw yesterday suggests that the future of our Industry will be in safe hands.”

You can't argue with that. 

 Unless it becomes a topic for next year's debate, perhaps...





Scholarship forethought and four planning


Recently voted Most Powerful Person in Hospitality 2013
Receiving an invitation to have coffee with Alastair Storey is a rare thing. To see him give away a handful of cheques is rarer still. OK, allegedly...

 However, that was the experience for four lucky recipients at an event held in Benugo's chic boutique over in BaxterStorey’s Reading Support Office yesterday.

The reason for this display of generosity by the WSH Ltd Chairman was to congratulate the first winners of the inaugural WSH Foundation Scholarship. This comprises three annual awards of £1000 each (to a maximum of £3000) and was open to all employees and dependents within any WSH company who had been accepted onto a further education course aligned with hospitality. Apparently four applications really stood out, so four were granted, and I’m quietly chuffed to report that two were from Oxford University locations.

L-R: Alastair Storey with recipients Sam, Paulina, Agi, Martina and Co-CEO Noel Mahony
Back in September Agnes, one of my service team here at St. Cross College, showed an interest in the initiative so I was more than happy to support her application and we managed to get it in before the deadline. A few weeks later, we were absolutely thrilled to receive the letter personally signed by the Chairman stating that Agi had been selected as one of the recipients of this year’s award.

So here we were, four proud managers with our four youthful wards politely ‘enjoying’ our coffee with the Chairman, Co-Chief Executive (Noel Mahony) and Director of HR (Lynne Graham). Forget the cake, you cut could the atmosphere with a knife as we all tried desperately not to put our foot in it considering the stellar cast of Board Directors sat around the coffee shop table. (I failed on that score, but that’s another story…)

To be fair, Lynne did a marvellous job of putting us all at ease and it turned out to be a really, really uplifting experience to hear each of the young recipients explain their hopes and aspirations within hospitality as a result of this financially rewarding morale boost. Paulina who has only been in catering for 18 months or so intends to study a HND in Hospitality Management, while Agi begins her BTEC Level 5 course in Event Management very soon.

Sam, smartly attired in his best suit, quietly described how a day’s experience at his Mum’s work location made him realise he wants to be a Chef. He still works with his Mum at St. Andrew’s Prep School for Holroyd Howe and has decided to take up the challenge of Level 1 NVQs in both Professional Cookery and Hospitality at Sussex Downs College. 

Martina who is a supervisor at Saïd Business School here in Oxford, described to Alastair how she was so happy at being selected that she cried as she read his letter. She is putting the money towards her Advanced Diploma in Hospitality & Hotel Management eventually leading to a degree. What an amazing display of appreciation.

Eventually photos were taken, lemon drizzle cake wolfed down (mostly by just me) and after a few minutes of networking and chatting with the directors, our group was given a brief tour of the facility.

On our way out, there’s a large illuminated sign by reception that boldly states ‘Food with Soul’. Our customers enjoy BaxterStorey’s food everyday, but for these four recipients and the hundreds of others - me included - who have been through the Barista, Chef or Leadership Academies, we get to grow and share in that special entity that is BaxterStorey’s soul.

 I wonder what kind of a cheque that’s worth?

Typing is Talking, So Talk

I have a lot to say. In fact, most people think I have too much to say and just won't shut up. My client Suzy calls it the 'talking stick'. It's a clever little trick she uses to to stop me waffling on in meetings... "I have the talking stick right now, not you." Schtum! Point taken.

 But over the last 18 months, I've lost my voice in a different kind of way. My blogging voice. There are a million things I want to talk about and yet as soon as flip open the laptop to start typing.... the well just dries up. Nada. Not a solitary thing. It's like this little voice inside my head saying What'll they think?; Isn't that too sensitive?; What if I offend someone?; What if my boss reads this? (he might); Who do you think you are? or even Nobody cares. So I close down the lid and leave it for another day. 

 Seth Godin calls it the Lizard Brain or the resistance. My sous chef Chris calls it a 'limiting belief'. Either way, it's that thing that stops you from being you. Worrying about what other people think, holds you back. Worrying about not getting it absolutely perfect, holds you back. Heck, worrying about what holds you back, holds you back.

 Which is why I am writing this. I just started typing the first thing that popped into my head so it's never going to be my best work. But it needs to be written if I am going to kick start this fundamental need. A need to be heard. To be part of the conversation.

 I'm not even going to stick in a picture. "OMG," I hear the Social Mejia Peeps collectively groan, "he doesn't get it. Everyone knows great pictures drive traffic". Do they? Here's the thing; my all time favourite blog (the one I check in with every night when my head hits the pillow) is Daring Fireball by John Gruber. And guess what? He doesn't put a damn picture in from one end of the month to the next. He does something far more powerful: he PAINTS a picture. His words, bursts of opinion, quick links to random stuff or clever little riposte to that latest guesstimate written as *fact* (endearingly called 'claim chowder') really stirs up a very powerful resonance in my imagination and to that of his readers. That's a powerful space to occupy. I think I want to be in that place. But you gotta ship.

 So here goes. It's just words. But they're my words. And I do think they're worth sharing. Hopefully you do too.

A Leader who knows his Onions


A colleague of mine recently had to give a short presentation which involved describing a leader that inspired her, but using food as the analogy to describe that leadership inspiration. Her challenge caught my imagination and we had an interesting discussion about it. As we are in the catering sector, the humble onion is one ingredient that gets overlooked in our business and yet underpins so much of what we produce from our kitchen. With that in mind, here is a leadership analogy that might just work for you.



An onion packs lots of character despite its size. 
And like a true leader, this appearance belies an unflinching willpower that’s fueled by passion. (Be careful of the smaller ones, they tend to have more bite!)


If you cut an onion open during a meeting, it’s aroma will definitely stand out.
… and this ability to ‘stand out from the crowd’  and leaving that memorable impression is what turns a good leader into a great one. 

However, the same onion has a harmonizing effect when cut within a kitchen.
Skilled leaders create harmony and team spirit by motivating the people around them.

Sometimes the humble onion leads from the front - just look at French Onion Soup. 
- true leaders don’t shy away from situations that others might find very challenging.


And in other recipes the onion leads from behind by bringing out the best in other flavours.
Through empathy, influence and skillful maneuvering, a smart leader can energise the team to raise their game. 
Onions add bite & texture when thrown in a salad, but cooked down in a sauce they add sweetness. 
Different challenges have diverse paths to a solution requiring the canny leader to think outside the box and encourage the team to explore those paths.

Cutting across an onion reveals a number of rings - symbols of both strength and continuity. 
Like great leadership, these represent new experiences or challenges, with one bigger than the last.



And as any search on leadership will tell you, an onion - just like our proverbial leader - is made up of many layers. 
For me, each layer represents a chapter in our experience that moulds us into the type of leader we are today.
As for stripping them away, you might think there will be nothing left. But paradoxically, I believe we are left with ‘everything else’. Put simpIy, the leaders who shaped our early behaviours, continue to influence our decisions today. So it is vital to seek out - and offer - great leadership!
If nurtured under the right conditions, an onion can be cultivated to produce a future crop. 
This can also be said of true leadership skill. Be that manager, mentor or coach.







One final point about the humble onion: 
like any great leader, they also have the potential to move you to tears.

Five Key Management Philosophies

My company have invited applications for a new and very exciting ‘Leadership Academy’ training course which involves a year long course of study, field trips and projects for the twelve successful candidates lucky enough to be chosen to take part. The process involved a number of essays being submitted which is to be followed up by an assessment day held in London at the end this month.

Due to my hectic schedule over recent weeks (more about that later), I have to admit that I have been neglecting you guys for too long now, so I thought I would adapt a couple of my essay submissions and share them with you since I think they come from an interesting perspective....

Management Style

The Management Style I have developed over the last 20 years can be distilled down to five key philosophies: Inspiration, Delegation, Discipline, Ownership and Trust.

Inspiration is the fuel that gets your personal and team goals off the ground and keeps the group moving towards that vision. When all is going well, this can be self-fulfilling. However during difficult circumstances it is your ability to inspire that can pull the team together and drive individuals to achieve their maximum.

Delegation is the front line attack in freeing up your schedule if you are to get the real work done of planning and leadership. In my current role, the stock take is a collective team effort, while our Head Chef finally has a computer to work on after 10 years in the job so that he can communicate directly with the client and suppliers. This frees me up to spend time on further training, assisting other sites with my  operational experience or on the frequent marketing projects that hit my inbox.

Discipline is twofold: discipline within yourself to strive for excellence at every level and discipline among your colleagues to understand what is expected of them and the boundaries they have to work within. As employer and Chef Patron in my restaurant operations, I have always encouraged my chefs to teach the Kitchen Porters how to prep the dishes, but no chef is entitled to change a recipe without my consultation since the business depends on our food and service consistency. Incidentally, shelling langoustines during downtime for a steward also has the knock-on benefits of motivation, development, delegation and succession planning.

Ownership is a fundamental tool of empowerment that I have always given my team if they are to have full confidence in their role. At the height of my success as an entrepreneur in Nepal, a typical service saw my teams serving hundreds of guests across multiple venues. This meant relying on my staff to make decisions in my absence that would reflect the values of the business. For example a complimentary Irish Coffee sent to a table celebrating a birthday or a personalised dessert served to a VIP. This resulted in an abundance of goodwill and repeat business which greatly enhanced our bottom line, not to mention our brand equity.

Trust is possibly the most difficult entity to fully appreciate and develop within a team. And by trust I don't mean vigilance that your staff might steal from you (values-based recruitment should avoid this), I am referring to
i) trusting each team member that they will deliver their best work at all times.
ii) inspiring the team to collectively trust in my leadership ability.
iii) encouraging team members to trust in their own ability to deliver excellence.
iv) fostering a fun yet professional atmosphere where staff trust each other.

Without this mutual trust, I have found one can end up micro-managing your staff or worse, doing their job for them and this is a huge waste of your energy and their potential. To avoid this, I have a simple policy: I trust my staff to get it right (and we share the credit), however if something doesn't go according to plan, then I trust them to tell me first (and we share in finding the solutions).

What are your key philosophies in Management, and do they work for you?

Google: Your People Skills

So, according to an article in the New York Times, the "people analytics" teams within Google decided they would trawl through 18 months of personnel files, staff feedback and management meeting notes, feed the answers into an algorithm to distill the data down and have finally come up with an eight-point plan to becoming a great manager within the Googleplex.

Although a noble (if extraordinarily over-engineered) piece of navel gazing, the results were not as pioneering as Google perhaps hoped for. I suspect the boffins would have arrived at the same conclusion had they fed the twenty best-selling business motivation books into the same algorithm... especially with such familiar sounding mantras floating to the surface as "have a clear vision and strategy"; "be a good coach" and other nuggets of obviousness.

Cynicism aside however, I think this scientific study based on empirical evidence does confirm what we suspected all along: that great management is about having great people skills. All-to-often managers believe that having a superior knowledge and experience of the tasks they set their subordinates will be enough to turn them into great managers. If this were the case, then why don't we see Premier League managers run onto the pitch to replace an injured team member in the dying minutes of a huge game. Simply because their job is to manage, not to play.

To be a great manager, you must hone your skills in getting the best out of your people. What sort of skills am I referring to? Skills in listening, coaching, mentoring, leading (by example), communicating, mediation, fostering trust, showing empathy, instilling discipline. The list goes on. In short, you have to be 'in tune' with each team member and with the team as an entity.

Put the whole together and it sounds intimidating. If this is the case and you don't know where to start, then start small by beginning with yourself. Follow these basic principles and you will quickly see results:

Get your office in order.

  • Turn up on time.
  • Be smartly dressed.
  • Keep your language in check.
  • Think twice about everything you say and do.
  • Get your office in order.
  • File everything (and keep it that way).
  • De-clutter your desk (and keep it that way).
  • De-clutter the workspace (even that dirty old radio someone thought was a good idea).
  • Keep your door open whenever you can.
  • Smile, spend time with your people and be receptive.
  • Listen actively.
  • Reflect on the consequences (before as much as after.)


Guess what? On a subliminal level, you are now moulding your people. If you extol these virtues diligently, you will quietly influence your team to follow suit thus creating a more professional environment. Now just build on that with the eight-point Google plan, or better still, seek out training and experience opportunities within your organisation to further understand this vital area in team leadership.

Every person. Every day. Every Time.

Are we delivering excellence? A profoundly simple question I put to my team this week on our first day back after a fantastic Christmas break. Giving it some consideration, a variety of answers came back ranging from 'yes totally' to others who felt 'we could do better'. I tend to agree with the latter.

But first, let me explain how this bout of philosophical navel gazing cropped up. As we neared the end of another hectic term last November I found myself looking for some nugget of motivation that would slingshot me through the hectic Christmas period ahead and into 2011. It came in the form of a rather innocuous question in my annual and first ever - appraisal at that time; “Are you delivering excellence?” Hmm, I would have to think about this carefully because truthfully I knew there was room for improvement.

A few days later in a very unkempt changing room I suddenly had an epiphany about this excellence I was meant to be delivering which has since given me enough motivation for months to come - enough to start this blog even! You see, while I had been thinking about the big showy VIP things that we tend to focus on most of the time, I was overlooking the everyday mundane tasks (such as keeping this changing room tidy) that also require excellence from every member of my team.

With this newfound perspective, I put it to them; how does our Kitchen Porter deliver excellence? How can HE deliver excellence when he doesn't cook fabulous food for a living? (Or even mediocre food for that matter). Nor does he serve Champagne to our guests with panache. After all that's not his job. His lot is to mop the floor, wash the pots, throw out the trash and keep smiling throughout. I guess in his case the more fundamental question is 'how can WE help him to deliver excellence?'

Picture yourself, I continued, standing in the changing room with the state it is in most of the time and consider the question again. Would a visitor, senior manager or contractor using the facility think so?

From this point of view, they all agreed we had some way to go. But in doing so, we had just taken our first steps towards this elusive state we seek out. Because in admitting to our deficiency in such a key component of Hospitality, we had taken our first small step towards delivering that excellence. Every person. Every day. Every Time.

My new mantra for 2011, and I have promised to bore my team silly with it, is for each of us to ask of ourselves 'Are we delivering excellence?' Because if we do so in the banal tasks, the big showy VIP ones will take care of themselves.

Look around at the area within arms reach of you. Are you delivering excellence in how it looks?...

Start there.