Management and Supervision Skills for the G.M.
The G.M. Sets the Pace
G.M.s feelings & actions about issues will likely impact hotel staff attitudes about those issues.
G.M.s personally direct only the work of department heads and, perhaps, relatively few other staff.
G.M.s’ interaction with department heads directly impacts how they interact with their own staff.
Influence
Level of morale Desired product & service quality
Employee turnover rates
G.M.s Must Manage: Organizational Levels
Of resources available, people (human resources) are the most complex and important for success!
Entry-Level Employees
Top-Level Management (G.M.)
Middle-Level Management (Department Heads)
Supervisory-Level Managers (Supervisors/Managers)
G.M.s Must Manage: G.M. Functions
Management Function
Examples of activity: Working with
department head (if applicable) to:
Planning Develop an operating budget or a marketing plan
OrganizingAssign responsibilities for an upcoming banquet or conference event
Staffing Recruit, select, orient and train new department heads
Directing Supervise the work of department heads
ControllingTake corrective action(s) when budgeted financial plans are not attained
EvaluatingAssess the extent to which long- and short-range plans were attained
Ability to perform management-specific aspects of the job
Forecasting guest demand for rooms and establishing room rates, etc.
Ability to understand and interact well with guests, employees, suppliers, etc.
Ability to organize and direct required work efforts
Ability to develop policies and operating procedures necessary for guest safety
Ability to collect, interpret, and use information logically
Learning about a new, competing hotel opening nearby and making future marketing decisions accordingly
G.M.s Must Manage: G.M. Skills Conceptual Interpersonal
Administrative TechnicalSkills
Joining professional business and community service organizations
Meeting with community government representatives
Participating in community social events
Attending school & athletic events with their children
Yesterday: dictatorial leadership Today: facilitators
Tomorrow: empowerment
“Manage by walking around”
G.M.s Must Manage: G.M. Relationships
G.M.
Staff members Other hotel employees
External organization Others in community
How the hotel can meet and exceed guest expectations
Guests
G.M.s Must Manage: G.M. Manage in Times of Change
Relative to their counterparts “yesterday” G.M.s must
Interact with a more diverse workforce
Emphasize teams rather than individual performance
Cope with fast-paced technology changes
React to global challenges
Improve quality while increasing productivity
Improve ethical / social behaviors
Adjust to workplace changes (e.g., re-engineering, downsizing)
Evolution of Traditional Hotel H.R. Practices
Traditional Contemporary
Manager-focused work unit Team-focused work unit
Manager is dominant Manager is supportive
Emphasis on technical skills Emphasis on employee facilitation skills
Manager seeks stability Manager encourages change
Manager tells and sells personal views Manager listens
Manager personally responsible for results Manager shares responsibility for results
Manager personally solves problems Team problem-solving is employed
Fear and pressure used to motivate staffPride, recognition, and growth are used to motivate staff
Autocratic (dictatorial) decision style Participative decision style
Individual behavior Team behavior
Evolution of Traditional Hotel H.R. Practices (continued…)
Traditional Contemporary
G.M. forces compliance G.M. earns the team’s support
What one says is inconsistent with what one does
What one says is consistent with what one does
Inconsistent “moments of truth” Consistent “moments of truth”
Reactive management/supervision style Proactive management/supervision style
Bureaucratic “rituals” Flexible routines
Top down – one way communication Multi-directional communication
Hierarchy of control Empowerment
Power Consensus
Short-term H.R. strategies Long-term H.R. strategies
Management Basics: Planning
Vision
Mission Statement
Long-Range Plan
Operating Budget
Short-Range (Business) Plan
Marketing Plan
What the hotel will strive to be
What the hotel must do to be successful and how this will be accomplished
Hotel’s goal for long-range (e.g., five year) time span
Hotel’s goal within a one-year time span
Anticipating revenues and expenses during short-range plan implementation
What must be done to generate revenues anticipated by the operating budget
Management Basics: Decision Making
Routine and repetitive decisions made after considering policies, procedures, or rules
Infrequent decisions requiring creative decision making abilities
Programmed decision Non-programmed decision
Before making a decision
Who is the correct person to make decisions?
Will a decision about a specific issue bring the hotel closer to attaining objectives and goals?
How will the decision affect guests?
Is there only one acceptable alternative?
How much time and effort can be spent on the decision?
How does one’s experience help with decision making?
Must the decision please everyone?
What are the ethical aspects of the decisions?
Management Basics: Decision Making Approach
Manager makes decisions unilaterally
Manager makes decisions after input from others
Manager allows team to make decisions
Traditional Recent Contemporary
Continuum of decision making
Management Basics: Decision Making (continued…)
Advantages Disadvantages
Group decisionmaking process
Considering broad range of information
Generating more creative alternatives
Whole team keenly aware of issues and problems
Achieving higher morale
Easier implementation
Possible conflicts
May be forced to “take sides” if alternative opinions are expressed
Domination by staff members with strongest personalities
Time-consuming
Not applicable when fast decisions necessary
Limit to how many staff members one supervisor can manage effectively
Each employee should report or be accountable to only one boss for a specific activity
Management Basics: Organizing Principles
Unity of command Span of control
Distribution of authority
Types of authority
Used by Example
Advisory Staff managersDevelop orientation program for all hotel employees
LineLine managers
(within departments)Hiring and firing employees within a specific department
FunctionalLine managers (between
departments)Executive housekeeper establishes table linen laundry schedule with F&B dept.
Work that others can do as well as the G.M.
Work that is less important than other work
Work that should be learned by more than one person
Management Basics: Delegation
What work might be delegated by the G.M.?
Allows the G.M. to do most important things first
Effective process to train employees
Allows more work to be accomplished
Improves controls
Delegation benefits for the G.M.
Management Basics: Delegation (continued…)
Organizational climate necessary for delegation
Assign specific duties & responsibilities to employees
Grant sufficient authority for carrying out assignments
Supervisor & employees agree on expected results
Managers make feedback system to measure progress
Communicate responsibilities to minimize confusion
Steps in effective delegation
Management Basics: Flow of Communication
Multi-directional communication
Formal channel (example): coaching
Informal channel (example): grapevine / rumor mills
Managers/ Supervisors
Department Heads(Executive committee)
G.M.
Employees
Vertical Comm.
Horizontal Comm.
Managers/ Supervisors
Management Basics: Motivation
Poorly motivated staff
Inconsistent performance for required quality or quantity standards
Guest dissatisfaction
Increased operating costs
Hotel suffers
More motivated employees’ leave
Management Basics: Motivation (continued…)Strategies to motivate employees
Follow sound management advice
Effective orientation
Train correctly
Manage a professional hotel
Supervise as you want to be supervised
Encourage effective communication
Manage a friendly hotel
Help your employees succeed
Management Basics: LeadershipEffective leaders will:
implement the property’s Mission Statement
have an objective & measurable “picture” of hotel’s desired future
help others develop the knowledge and skills needed to attain hotel’s vision (e.g., orientation, training, and coaching)
utilize the empowerment process
develop team of staff committed to hotel’s successachieve a reputation for quality service consistently delivered to guests
cultivate a reputation for fairness and honesty
Management Basics: Discipline
Steps in a progressive discipline process
Discipline: activities reinforcing desired performance
or correcting undesired performance.
Oral warning (no entry in employee’s record)
Discharge
Oral warning (entry in employee’s record)
Written reprimand
Suspension for specific number of days
Have high standards and expectations
Support individual members and maintain trusting and respectful relationships
Practice participative management and solicit input from members
Demonstrate that own personal goals and individual team member goals should not be placed before team goals
Share credit for team successes
More control over work responsibilities
Make work assignments within the team
Schedule themselves
Evaluate each other’s work
Assign compensation increases
Team Building Tactics
Self-directed team
To be a good team leader, the G.M. must
G.M. Competencies
G.M.s never have a daily routine; every day is different
Daily involvement in guest relations are quite visible
Actual daily activities undertaken by a G.M. vary from day-to-day & month-to-month as well as from property-to-property
G.M. is on duty eight or more hours daily and is often on-call even when not on the property
G.M. Competencies: Employees
Possible interactions with employees: positive examples
Daily conversations with long-term staff
Learning employees’ suggestions about possible operating improvements
Welcoming new staff to the team
Congratulating personnel about significant events in their families’ lives
Mentoring younger workers
Following employees’ careers as they are promoted within the organization
Providing non-job related advice when requested
Observing employees at a company picnic enjoy themselves
Observing staff who participate in community organizations/activities
G.M. Competencies: Employees
Possible interactions with employees: negative examples
Disciplining or terminating staff
Confronting staff known to be stealing
Learning about illegal acts committed off-property by staff
Assigning work responsibilities to cover “no show” employees
Discovering employee “sabotage”
Supervising staff violating hotel policies, requirements, and rules.
Comforting an employee whose child has passed away
Observing an intoxicated employee attempting to come to work
Explaining to staff why they did not get promotions they sought
Possible interactions with guests: positive examples
Interacting with frequent guests
Receiving spontaneous “Thank You Notes” from happy guests
Observing hotel guests celebrate significant family / professional occasions
Providing service / assistance to guests
Receiving input from guests who genuinely want the hotel to be successful
Interacting with guests as peers at community / professional meetings
Providing accommodations to guests stranded by adverse travel conditions
Receiving guest input about hospitable staff members
Interacting with frequent guests
G.M. Competencies with Guests
Possible interactions with guests: negative examples
Interacting with police called to hotel for disturbances or illegal guest activities
Guest deaths in sleeping rooms or in the hotel’s public spaces
Dealing with visibly intoxicated guests
Preventing on-site prostitution
Preventing guest theft of money, products and/or services from the hotel
Preventing property vandalism
Calming irate guests stranded by adverse travel conditions
Discovering overt guest room damage
Interacting with police called to hotel for disturbances or illegal guest activities
G.M.Competencies with Guests