July 11, 2011

If I Only Knew Then...

Lessons from the Field™

If I Only Knew Then... At one time or another in in our lives, we have all had that feeling of wishing we had some of the wisdom acquired over the years at some point earlier in our careers or lives. That series of successes, near misses and (admittedly) misevaluations that led to a less than desired outcome when we were younger all helped us to mold our style, our insights and strengthened us along the way.

By John Hogan, CHA CHMS CHE CHO

IF I ONLY KNEW THEN…..

At one time or another in in our lives, we have all had that feeling of wishing we had some of the wisdom acquired over the years at some point earlier in our careers or lives. That series of successes, near misses and (admittedly) misevaluations that led to a less than desired outcome when we were younger all helped us to mold our style, our insights and strengthened us along the way. Hindsight is always perfect, yet learning and finding our own unique ways is something tat few of sun would trade away,

Charles Grodin, has assembled a collection if stories from 80 or so people. Some are people he knows well and recognizable name so us as athletes, journalist, entertainers or politicians. Others are what he calls "friends of friends" and may or may not be household names to us.

The really interesting stories in this book are not because they may have come from "famous names", but because these stories seem to be from the heart and address issues that m any of us deal with in our everyday lives. (Jobs, stress, hard decisions, values, hours worked, right & wrong, opportunities, friendships, etc).

Globally, the challenges we all face in hospitality have many parallels regardless of where we live:

Staffing
Training
Marketing
Technology
Completive advantage
Profitability
Market Share
Government regulations
Competition
Safety and security
Ethics
Guest satisfaction and loyalty
Associate engagement and loyalty
and more

I am compiling a series of "lessons learned" from people in hospitality from around the world. This series will include as many different types of examples and lessons as possible.

The goal is to begin the series in October 2011 - if you are interested in sharing some of your lessons that could be of value to others and would like more information, please contact me [email protected]

KEYS TO SUCCESS™ is the umbrella title for my 2011 programs, hospitality services and columns. This year's writings focus on a variety of topics for hotel owners, managers and professionals including both my "HOW TO" articles, HOSPITALITY CONVERSATIONS™, Lessons from the Field™, Hotel Common Sense™ , THE P-A-R PRINCIPLE™ and Principles for Success.