ADELE Gutman Milne, CHBA, CHDM

I wholeheartedly, agree. When I have to make a travel purchase decision, #tripadvisor is the one I turn to for the most helpful, accurate and well laid out content.

As Simon Sinek illuminates in his book, Start with Why! If you want your team to be driven by mission, your mission must be their mission too. Share with stories why this mission has a bigger impact on the world than just corporate revenue. How is your mission making a difference in people's lives? Share stories every day about what great work looks like and how their contributions are making the world a better place. Share how the team can get better and grow in their mission every day thanks to each member's pursuit of excellence. Nurture their passion by recognizing growth and achievement. When team members begin to identify themselves as the kind of people who go the extra mile and are great at solving problems that is who they will be.

While leaders must already have experience and training, the most important skill for leaders is being able to inspire, guide, and empower their team to live in excellence. Inspire your team by sharing a powerful vision of their increasing skill and success at making guests exceptionally happy. Invite your team to share their observations on fiction points and opportunities to improve and create positive memories and stories guests will want to share with others. Guide them to collaborate in looking for root causes and creative solutions that not only solve the problem for one person but prevent problems for all future guests. Ask what your teams need from you to empower them to be more successful in their mission to make guests happy.

Your business reputation is the foundation of financial success. It should be a top priority. 1. For any negative review, quickly research whom it happened to, what happened when it happened, why it happened, and how it was handled. Approach your team with the belief that they are as committed to excellence as you are. No blame game. We always work as a team to solve guest problems. 2. Once you understand the situation as much as possible, call the guest with another manager present to say how sorry you are and how you would appreciate their help to learn where things went wrong and avoid the issue for other guests. If you are earnest, they will respect your leadership and tell their friends how impressed they were by your response.

Creating a culture of caring, collaboration and continuous improvement is essential to building a happy, successful team and a financially thriving business. 1. Challenge your team to a goal that inspires them, such as making the world a kinder, better place through generous hospitality. 2. Celebrate hospitality towards guests, but also towards each other, and the community surrounding them. 3. Daily Preshift huddles should always feature storytelling of what great hospitality looks like. 4. Ask your team daily how can you support their success in their goal of making guests happy. 5. Invite 100% of your team to put their passion and creativity to work in elevating the guest experience. Ensure everyone feels their voice is valued.

If you want your guests to love you, you need to show you love them first! Your pre-shift huddles are the best place to energize your team, inspire them, and keep their focus on the #1 goal of making guests happy. Every meeting should be filled with hospitality. Make sure the teams feel supported by having everything they need for guests easily accessible. Your team wants to do the right thing for their guests so don't make it difficult. Example: A server who recently quit her job said the manager knew Margaritas were popular but they never stocked enough limes. As a caring server, she would bring limes in her pocket for her guests who covered the expense with extra tips. Still, she quit because if the manager didn't care, why should she?