What’s the temperature in your back office?
No, I am not talking about your thermostat… I am talking about the climate of your culture! Do you and other property leaders run hot and cold, or does your leadership temperature need to rise to a degree or two? Or, are you an over-the-top, highly emotional leader and need to take it down a notch?
As any leader will tell you that your corporate culture sets the tone for all associates in an organization. Emotion, attitude, and personality starts and the top and trickles down the food chain. Companies with a corporate culture temperature that borders on “freezing” need to step back, evaluate why the climate so frosty and make adjustments in their management styles in order to warm things up. On the other side of normal are those with a “red hot” temperature, those who might need to pull it back to a climate that works for your office/industry. Regardless, every organization needs to occasionally sit down and evaluate the state-of-the-company, the way our teams are perceived, and whether or not our “temperature” makes for good associates and good business. When was the last time your team sat as a group and discussed your hotel culture?
“Such an exercise …, was imperative in rehauling the
organizational climate that had begun to get
more stifling and less sustaining.”
(Excerpt from Is Your Organizational Climate Killing You
by L. Aruna Dhir and published in Hotelier, May 2, 2018)
So, with that said, what exactly is “organizational” or “corporate climate”?
According to Wikipedia – “Organizational climate (sometimes known as corporate climate) is the process of quantifying the “culture” of an organization. It is a set of properties of the work environment, perceived directly or indirectly by the employees, that is assumed to be a major force in influencing employee behavior.”
How many of you have heard me say (or read in a blog) that your brand culture should be woven into your property culture? Your brand’s service levels, amenities, physical plant, phraseology, color story, vision, typography, imagery, etc. are important to the customer whether they know it or not. Brands spend major money on researching their guests and identifying what the guest wants and needs from their specific brand. When a customer walks into to your hotel, they oftentimes don’t know “what it is they like” they just “know they like it”. That’s your culture! To piggyback on this extensive research, YOU and YOUR style needs to reflect the brand and is paramount to the temperature of your (sales) activities.
Hogwash you say. Why should you go to so much trouble? Why should you change the way you operate/sell? After all, you’re doing okay….. Maybe that is the problem. Is okay really good enough?
How do we adjust the temperature?
I encourage each of you to spend some time reviewing your hotel/brand information, self-reflect, and then honestly evaluate what happens in your back offices when leadership is in a good mood. Don’t your associates walk a little taller and treat people a little better? Aren’t your customers happier? Keeping everyone happy translates to good juju for everyone. I have said it before and I’ll keep on saying it – people buy from people they know and like.
Do your customers like you? Do they like your staff? Do they like your culture? If not, take a step back and adjust the thermostat to create the perfect corporate climate!
Happy finding the right setting,
Linda