management – Chanters Lodge Livingstone

Office Slab

We are delighted to have cast the slab for our new office structure at Chanters Lodge Livingstone, and there’s the picture. Right now, the slab is under water for the next week or so, not because it’s raining – it’s actually beautifully bright and sunny in Livingstone this morning, but because the slab has to be kept so, to strengthen it.

The offices will, when they are built, be the first thing you see as you drive into the lodge, as opposed to the kitchen roof and back yard which is the view at the moment. The finish will therefore be very important – first impressions!

We hope the building will resume after Christmas.

17
DEC

Chanters, infrastructure, innovation, livingstone, management, Zambia

Drucker’s A-Z (cont)

Continuing Inc’s A-Z of Peter Drucker we come to D & E!

D for Decentralization:

Little fish learn to be big fish in little ponds. Drucker favored decentralized organizations because they create small pools in which employees gain satisfaction by witnessing the fruits of their efforts, and nascent leaders can make mistakes without bringing down the business. When Drucker laid out these ideas in the mid-1940s, the command-and-controllers who dominated corporations were not amused. Today, of course, “stovepipe” organizations–those that remain–are widely maligned for their failure to make the most of human and information resources.

E for Effectiveness:

Perhaps the most revelatory insight in the history of time management tore the bottom out of Frederick Taylor’s time-and-motion studies: “Efficiency is doing things right,” Drucker wrote in The Effective Executive. Effectiveness is doing the right things.” What’s true for individual managers is also true for organizations, which often squander time and resources trying to improve processes for products not worth producing. The solution? See “abandonment,” above.

So, is your business decentralized and effective?

The picture? Sunset over Victoria Falls

1
DEC

management, victoriafalls, Zambia

Customers

Continuing some of Inc Magazines A-Z of Peter Drucker, C is for Customers.

Customers: Having trouble formulating a mission statement? Let Drucker boil it down for you: “The purpose of business is to create and keep a customer,” he argued. And: “What does our customer find valuable?” is the most important question companies can ask themselves. This focus helped reorient marketing away from advertising and onto a higher plane.

Anything wrong with this? No, except when I write I always use a capital letter for the word Customer or Guest or Client. It just helps to make the point even more strongly.

Just about every valuable idea, suggestion or complaint for that matter comes from a Customer and if you’re not close to yours, you won’t hear about it! I get close to mine by meeting them on arrival at the airport, or in town if they don’t have their own transport, and by close personal contact during their stay. It works!

The picture? The Wills family from Melbourne, Australia – two times Customers and now friends as well!

26
NOV

Africa, Chanters, Customers, guests, hotels, inc, management, Zambia

Shoprite Expansion

Shoprite are about to open a big new branch and complex in Livingstone – for those of you who know the city the site is adjacent to Ocean Basket which has been incorporated into the complex. So too have Mr Price, Hungry Lion and Pep. There are also other units for letting.

We hear that everything is due to open this week and it will be good for Spar and others to have some real competition.

Here’s a photo of the development taken yesterday from outside the shops at 217 where Melinda was buying Rice Krispies. I guess they might soon be available at Shoprite more cheaply………or not?

24
NOV

Africa, entrepreneurship, infrastructure, innovation, livingstone, management, Zambia

Abandonment

I’ve always been a great admirer of the man who invented the term ‘management’ – Peter Drucker. This year would have been his 100th birthday.

Inc Magazine recently published an A-Z of Drucker’s management wisdom, and over the next few weeks I’ll reproduce this A-Z. Some management ‘revision’ never does any harm! So here’s ‘A’!

Abandonment:
Jack Welch gained fame for shedding businesses in which General Electric wasn’t first or second. But it was Drucker who first suggested that choosing what not to do was a decision as strategic as its opposite. Drucker’s theory of “purposeful abandonment” exhorted business leaders to quickly sever projects, policies and processes that had outlived their usefulness. “The first step in a growth policy is not to decide where and how to grow,” he told author Jeffrey Krames in 2003. “It is to decide what to abandon. In order to grow, a business must have a systematic policy to get rid of the outgrown, the obsolete, the unproductive.”

Chanters:
We recently abandoned our radio show on Zambezi Radio 107.7 fm as probably outgrown and unproductive. Were we right or wrong? I’m not sure, we’re currently looking at getting back on radio in some way again in 2010.

We are about to abandon the idea of using a Guest room as an office and build two offices to increase our bedroom letting capacity!

The picture? The radio show!

23
NOV

Africa, Chanters, entertainment, entrepreneurship, livingstone, management, Zambia

Poignant Picture

This, to me, and I’m sure the rest of my family, is a very poignant picture. It shows my late brother-in-law Don Binney, who passed away on November 13th last year, being served by my (now) Assistant Manager Annastasia Katele, during Don’s visit to Zambia in March 2006 with my sister Ruth. A good time they had too! Don and Ruth came to Zambia following some time in South Africa during which Don, a great cricket lover, was thrilled to have attended a test match at Newlands in Cape Town. I’m very much looking forward to Ruth’s return visit in March 2010 as I’m sure she is too. Our thoughts are with her today.

Annastasia’s had a great year since being promoted to the post of Assistant Manager in January this year. She’s grown a lot in the job (not in height, she’s still pint sized) and is about to start her annual leave. She’s shown herself to be super reliable, tough and her great public relations skills have made her popular with suppliers and Guests alike. By way of a reward for excellent work the company have sponsored a return flight to South Africa for her to go and see her young brother who lives in Johannesburg. As soon as our new bedrooms are finished (a week or so to go), we’ll be starting the construction of two offices – one for her and one for me, with a view to her being able to take over even more responsibility next year.

How nice to be able to link these two super people together in one image!

13
NOV

Africa, Canada, Chanters, family, leadership, management, rsa, Zambia

Reviewer Types….

I loved this by Daniel Craig (no, not that one) in HotelInteractive

“In 2007, a traveler wrote the following review of Opus Hotel Vancouver on TripAdvisor: “The GM who thought he was Ian Fleming was a real detriment to a great trip. Shame — let’s hope the hotel sees sense and releases Daniel to make another movie.” Ouch. The comment was a reference to my James Bond namesake and my secondary career as a mystery novelist, but nonetheless I was baffled by it, having no recollection of any guest encounter that would have provoked a public cry for my dismissal.

Since the review was anonymous, we had no way of contacting the guest to find out what went wrong. Because it was a personal attack that offered little useful information, we asked TripAdvisor to remove it. But they refused, and it remains there today. Sometimes we hoteliers have to set aside our professionalism and say, “Whatever”. (When it comes to reviews) a few reviewer types have emerged whose advice should be taken with a healthy dose of skepticism. In the spirit of parody, here are a few to watch out for.

The Self-Appointed Expert. This reviewer has posted scores of reviews, yet quite possibly has never left his computer room. An aspiring travel memoirist, he writes lengthy, flowery missives colored with acid-tongued remarks like, “To call this a fleabag hotel would be an insult to fleas and bags everywhere.” Although he positions himself as a martyr to the travel community, he wouldn’t object if a hotel offered him a free stay in exchange for a glowing review.

The Patron Saint of Hotels. This reviewer is so over-the-top in her praise either she’s never had a vacation before or she’s been into the sacred wine. She rates all services as excellent, including those the hotel doesn’t offer, and uses exalted phrases like “A hidden gem!”, “Glorious!” and “I thought I’d died and gone to heaven!” Because she insists on seeing the good in everyone, she often finds herself making excuses on behalf of a hotel, such as, “My niece fell down the elevator shaft, but I’m sure they’ve gotten that fixed.”

The Up-trader. Having scoured the internet for deals until he scored a five-star hotel at a two-star rate, this bargain-hunter now expects all other services to be equally discounted. He expresses moral outrage over charges for breakfast, telephone and the mini-bar, accusing the hotel of gouging. His comments are revealing: “$28 for parking!?! That’s how much I usually pay for a room! Rip OFF!”

The Down-trader. This high-flying business traveler used to spend lavishly on luxury hotels until the economic crisis forced a drastic reduction in her expense account. Now obliged to stay in budget properties, she lives in denial, complaining bitterly about the lack of a day spa, fur boutique and gourmet restaurant at her roadside motel.

The Uncle Bob. Like that dull relative who subjects you to endless vacation photos and anecdotes, this reviewer goes on and on but never manages to say anything helpful or interesting. “My room had a bed and a desk and a chair. Oh, and a painting of a landscape. Molly at the front desk—or was it Maggie? Well, whoever it was, gosh darn was she swell when we needed directions to the local IHOP…” Next.

The Extortionist. After a series of mishaps, all of which were his own fault, this traveler tried every trick in the book to weasel a comp stay from the hotel, and now resorts to posting a blistering online review. He rates everything as terrible, including things that were perfectly fine. His reviews read like ransom notes, with bad spelling and grammar, excess punctuation, and random capital letters: “This hOtel SUKCED!! RobeRto the Duty manger?%? was LaiMe…!!!!!”

The Shill. This reviewer writes in a style that sounds suspiciously like the hotel’s promo material, with phrases only marketing people use, like “nestled in the heart of vibrant old-town” and “well-appointed furnishings with dreamy Celestial Comfort™ beds”. Her review contrasts sharply with the other, not-so-generous reviews and is typically a one-off. Although she signs off with a cutesy pseudonym like “TravlinGrrrl”, she’s undoubtedly the hotel’s director of marketing.

The Forensic Examiner. This CSI enthusiast treats hotel rooms like a crime scene, posting reviews with gory photographic evidence of carpet stains, bathroom mold and bedbug bites. Even when his review is glowing, his photos make the room look cheap and squalid, particularly when personal items and family members are in the background.

The Corporate Saboteur. This reviewer is a hotel owner writing a nasty, bogus review of a competitor hotel in hopes of boosting his own property’s ratings. Telltale signs include anonymity and remarks like, “I finally checked outta that dump and went to the ABC HOTEL. Twenty bucks cheaper and free donuts! I’ll never stay anywhere else!”

There’s no question, online reviews are a great resource, providing insight, humor and tried-and-true tips from the field. Yet travelers shouldn’t forget to consult the experts in print and online guidebooks, newspapers and magazines. If I find a lump on my throat, I’m heading to a doctor for treatment, not to some online quack who claims to be able to show me how to remove the lump from home.

We can all help increase the reliability of reviews by posting our own after our trips. Just remember to stick to the facts, play fair, and go easy on the punctuation. And try not to get too personal. It might not always seem evident, but hotel managers have feelings too.”

Great stuff Daniel!

7
NOV

management, reviews, TripAdvisor

“Not Exactly A Hive Of Activity”

“Not exactly a hive of activity is it?” A Guest said to me yesterday looking at our two room extension at Chanters Lodge. It was hard to deny. “At the moment we’re waiting for the tilers to finish.” I explained.

We’re using the same tiler we’ve used for previous work and he’s good – but he has a lot of stories.
“The wheel on the tile cutter’s broken and we couldn’t find a new one”.
“The blade’s broken on the tile cutter”.
Yesterday’s? A good one – “A container’s arrived for our family from Botswana and I had to be there to make sure nothing was stolen when it was off-loaded”.

I was delighted this morning, however, when the tiler and his men turned up at 07.30 hrs looking as if they might do some work! I still have some hope that the rooms will be ‘finished’ by November 15th but I’m not going to stress about it, whether there’s a ‘hive of activity’ or not! Such is Africa!

The picture – the view from room 11 while I was waiting for the tilers not to turn up!

20
OCT

accommodation, Africa, Chanters, extension, innovation, management, victoriafalls, Zambia

Alcohol And The Hotel Industry

I’ve had my own battles with alcohol – and recently we had to let go a long serving assistant manager due to this problem, so I was interested in a recent article in HotelInteractive. Click the link for the whole article but I’ve extracted some salient points:

“There’s the pressure to take orders and sometimes handle special requests. There’s the mission to help everyone involved have a good time. And there’s the mandate to always to be at the top of one’s game. What can be said about entertainers and athletes – and the demands placed upon them at various times – is just as true for workers in the hospitality industry: Along with the anticipation of delivering a peak performance comes the overriding force of peak pressure. So it was no real revelation last year when research from the George Washington University Medical Center pinpointed hotel and restaurant sector workers as being the economy’s most at risk for alcohol problems, second only to those in mining and construction. Such problems, many observers noted, often prove costly at many levels.

“If you think about it, in the hospitality industry, you have many situations in which you have a culture of drinking, with alcohol being very available to employees either in the course of their work or immediately after work,” said researcher Eric Goplerud, director of Ensuring Solutions to Alcohol Problems, which conducted the study at George Washington University. “And there are other things that put the industry at particular risk. The younger the population, the greater the alcohol burden, and the hospitality industry tends to hire people who are younger.”

The issues are indeed out there and the price of doing nothing results not just in high costs to an employee for related worker illness, absence or poor performance, but also in good will – and perhaps repeat business – with guests. “The industry has often thrived on a ‘work hard, play hard’ mentality, which arguably could be the very things that create the circumstances for drug and alcohol abuse,” wrote Dennis Nickson, professor at the University of Strathclyde Business School in Scotland, in a recent e-mail. “This point would suggest that there is often a very difficult balancing act for the industry in terms of looking after the interests of their employees and offering to customers that a product that will often tacitly blur the lines of appropriate behaviour.”

“Hospitality organisations are becoming more proactive on the matter and the reasons are likely to be due to a mix of three factors,” Nickson wrote. “First, there is the legal dimension and the legal duties placed on employers to become more vigilant in identifying risks and hazards. If they are not taking a proactive approach they could find themselves on the wrong end of a costly lawsuit from an employee if they feel that employers have neglected their duty of care under health and safety legislation.” There is also the human factor – the hospitality business is, after all, about people caring about other people. As such, Nickson wrote, “there may also be a genuine sense of company paternalism resting on an ethical view of an organisation’s responsibility to look after its human resources and to make them aware of the dangers of alcohol and drug abuse.”

And ultimately, economics becomes the strongest motivator in business, he wrote. “By being proactive, organisations may be looking to save costs by reducing absence and improving the performance of employees in the workplace by addressing any problems or concerns that they might have with drug or alcohol abuse…Whether these interventions are paying off in terms of outcomes such as reduced absenteeism, improved timekeeping, increase productivity, less accidents and reduced theft and wastage is something that is worthy of further research.”

Many employers have a feeling that there are two kinds of alcohol treatment either go to AA, which is a self-help group and doesn’t cost anything, or go to a residential 28-day treatment program which is very expensive and which most HR folks say doesn’t work. These were the predominant models up into the 80s and since the 80s there has been development of medications, screenings and outpatient forms of counseling that are as effective, or more effective than treatments for other chronic illnesses.”

The developed world are lucky to have such options – where we are there is very little help and a strong drinking culture in the community as well. If you can’t sort it out for yourself, and unfortunately lots of people can’t, it won’t get sorted!

16
OCT

Africa, Chanters, hotels, management, staff

TripAdvisor And Companies

So, it’s not just individual travellers taking notice of sites like TripAdvisor then! This from ehotelier.com

“TripAdvisor and similar user review websites now influence corporate decisions on hotels to the tune of £500m a year, according to research firm BDRC. In a BDRC survey of 1,000 business travellers, 28% said they actively seek advice on websites featuring consumer reviews; 46% were influenced in their hotel selection by consumer reviews, while 41% decided to change their original hotel choice after reading about other travellers’ experiences.

The influence of word of mouth recommendations – both on and off line – outweighs the star ratings offered by the AA and RAC and official ratings and advice from travel agents, the survey revealed. With 40% of respondents citing them as “very reliable”, personal recommendations were the most trusted source of information, followed by information supplied by the company business travellers were visiting (33%).”

The picture? The awesome Victoria Falls of course!

15
OCT

management, reviews, TripAdvisor, victoriafalls

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