Each month, The Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center (RCLC) features an interview with an employee — a Lady or Gentleman of The Ritz-Carlton — in order to share an insider’s view of the organization. This month’s interview is with Elizabeth Mullins, Vice President and Area General Manager of The Ritz-Carlton, Washington, D.C. RCLC: What attracted you to work in the hotel industry? Ms. Mullins: When I was five years old, my father brought me to The Ritz-Carlton hotel in Boston for Afternoon Tea. It was the first time I had been in a Ritz-Carlton hotel. From the moment the doorman welcomed my dad by name, to the smell of pine coming from the beautiful Christmas decorations; I remember everything about the experience. I can still recall the delicious scones and hot chocolate we ate, along with the harp music playing in the background. At one point I turned to my dad and said, "Daddy, this is what I want to do." In hindsight, I can see that I was saying, "This is what I want to feel, all the time." RCLC: How did that wish become reality? Ms. Mullins: Well, I was a stubborn child and followed through with my ambition. I graduated from the University of New Hampshire, receiving a degree in business and hospitality. Then, six days after graduation, I started as a management trainee in that same hotel, The Ritz-Carlton, Boston Common. I rotated through every department; front desk, payroll, and banquets. I shined shoes and even stomped divots when we catered meals at the polo fields. RCLC: Where did that experience take you? Ms. Mullins: In that first year I worked in Ritz-Carlton hotels in New York City and Washington, DC. Then I was sent to Asia to open our hotel in Hong Kong. I held several positions, including Rooms Executive Director and I participated in hotel openings in Shanghai, Singapore and Bali. I loved Asia and would have stayed forever, but my husband and I wanted to have a child so we decided to head back to the U.S. RCLC: How did you advance so rapidly within the company? Ms. Mullins: I raised my hand for every available job opportunity. I didn’t get each one but throughout my career I recognized that my success was "now." If you truly are the best today that’s how you’ll be recognized and that’s when the next position comes along. RCLC: What helps make someone a successful hotelier? Ms. Mullins: Bring a positive attitude and attention to detail to the work. It doesn’t hurt to have a sense of adventure, as well as a little bit of fearlessness, too. I jump in with two feet and when I fail, I brush myself off, try again and hit it the next time. Failure’s not a bad thing, it’s perseverance that’s important. RCLC: What do you most value about The Ritz-Carlton culture? Ms. Mullins: In The Employee Promise we talk about principles of trust, honesty and commitment. We value these qualities in employees and promise to nurture and maximize their talents. I’m a perfect example. I’ve had 26 years of progressive employment with The Ritz-Carlton! RCLC: How do you interact with employees to get them to do their best work? Ms. Mullins: Ritz-Carlton has a culture of working hand-in-hand with our Ladies and Gentlemen. Every day starts with "Line-Up" — a quick 10 - 15 minute meetings in each department — that set the tone and vision for everyone. I lead a Line-Up for 15 to 40 employees, making me visible and highly involved in the operation of the hotel. RCLC: The hotels where you’ve been General Manager have received numerous awards. What’s the key to gaining that type of prestigious recognition? Ms. Mullins: Our hotels don’t run by the efforts of one person. Selecting and working with a great team is the key. It’s not about me, it’s about recognizing the team’s achievements. We just received our AAA Fifth Diamond again. As a reward, we brought an ice cream truck to the hotel and the employees enjoyed ice cream throughout the day. For me, the recognition piece is the fun part. RCLC: Ritz-Carlton properties are known for excellent service. Can you share a story where an employee demonstrated outstanding service? Ms. Mullins: A guest who was at the airport suddenly realized he left his laptop at our hotel. He was about to miss his flight and return to the hotel when he contacted an employee to explain the situation. The laptop had an important presentation on it, which the guest needed for his next destination. Our employee got in his own car, drove to the airport and managed to get through security to deliver the computer to the guest … at the gate. I don’t know how he did all that, but he did! RCLC: You’re an Ambassador for The Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center. Describe what you do in that role. Ms. Mullins: As an Ambassador I get to speak on behalf of the brand and share elements of how we achieve success. We’ve perfected the art of hospitality through our service culture. We really are a remarkable company. ∞ The Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center offers advisory services, courses and presentations to organizations that wish to benchmark the award-winning business practices of The Ritz-Carlton. Your organization can learn about The Ritz-Carlton methodology for customer service, employee engagement and leadership development. We also guide organizations through a multi-step process in order to achieve sustainable culture transformation. The Blog Post Our Ladies and Gentlemen: Elizabeth Mullins appeared first on The Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center.

Many successful organizations have values such as: "Caring about our communities and our environment" (Whole Foods), "Full Disclosure and Transparency" (Rackspace), "Welcome feedback and help us improve" (Toms Shoes), and "It’s better to do one thing really, really well" (Google). Core values not only shape the culture of your organization, but they also inform your employees about the expected standards of behavior. Establishing and sharing your organizational values is a good start. However, in order for these ethical standards to take root, they must be lived and modeled by your leadership. Modeling is a powerful leadership strategy that shows your employees—through your own words and actions—how you want them to behave. By demonstrating these desirable traits, your employees are more likely to emulate your behavior in their interactions with each other and with your customers. Leadership Ethics Have Impact In the article "Managing the Immoral Employee," the author states that, "leaders’ morality level determines the degree to which employees perceive the organization as ethical or unethical. For managers, the implication is clear: if you want your employees to act morally, start by acting morally yourself." Similarly, one of the principal findings of the Ethics Resource Center’s National Business Ethics Survey was that modeling of ethical behavior by leaders sets a good example of desired business behavior in others. When employees perceive leaders are ethical and acting with integrity, they themselves: Feel less pressure to compromise their own ethical standards Are less likely to engage in misconduct Are more satisfied with their organization overall Feel more valued as employees Here are a few key ways you can incorporate modeling ethics into your leadership style: Always treat all employees with the utmost respect. Avoid the appearance of favoritism. Regardless of differences, positions, titles, ages, or other types of distinctions, always treat your team with professional respect and courtesy. If you treat each employee differently, you will send mixed messages. Be clear about what your expectations are. As a leader, you need to spell out exactly what is expected of your employees when it comes to ethical behavior. Demonstrate your commitment to organizational standards by having meetings and open discussions where ethics and integrity are a focal point. Additionally, share the reasoning behind certain decisions with your employees, emphasizing the ethical criteria used to make the decision. Constant reinforcement and communication helps to drive the point home and keep it on the forefront. Recognize your employees for ethical conduct. There are lots of ways to recognize employees for above and beyond service, but look for ways to incorporate ethical behavior into your recognition programs. This will help reinforce desired behavior for everyone. Values Should Be Reinforced The article "How Unethical Behavior Becomes Habit" points out that "people often start their misconduct with small transgressions and then slide down a slippery slope." Employees will be more likely to continuously make right choices if management demonstrates its on-going commitment to ethics. Senior leaders at The Ritz-Carlton play a key role in modeling the Gold Standards and Values of The Ritz-Carton. The business ethics training program, "How We Do Business Is As Important As The Business We Do," is a required part of orientation for employees of The Ritz-Carlton. The discussion of ethics begins there, but it is sustained and reinforced through the words and actions of leadership. Values are discussed each day at Line-Up, a meeting held daily at Ritz-Carlton hotels around the world. When your employees witness managers acting with integrity and showing ethical responsibility, your organizational values will go from being noble ideas to accepted benchmarks that guide employees’ behavior. ∞ The Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center offers advisory services, courses and presentations to organizations that wish to benchmark the award-winning business practices of The Ritz-Carlton.  The Blog Post First-Class Leaders are Models of Ethics appeared first on The Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center.

Each month, The Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center (RCLC) features an interview with an employee — a Lady or Gentleman of The Ritz-Carlton — in order to share an insider’s view of the organization. This month’s interview is with Allison Sitch. A self-described, "straight shooter" who appreciates hard news stories over fluff, Ms. Sitch hasn’t always fit the mold of a corporate public relations executive. Yet she’s risen to the top of the PR industry while working for hotels in the United Arab Emirates, China, Europe and now as Vice President, Global Public Relations, based at The Ritz-Carlton headquarters in the United States. RCLC: How did you become involved in Public Relations for the hospitality industry? Ms. Sitch: In the early 1990s, I was a hotelier working in the food and beverage department of a hotel in the Middle East when the Gulf War broke out. As a result of the war, the hotel began to struggle financially, which meant personnel cuts. Fortunately I was spared as my General Manager asked me to transition to the Public Relations Department. It was there that I learned the business of promoting hotels through the media, and I found I had a passion for it! RCLC: When did you join The Ritz-Carlton, and what is it that you value most about their culture? Ms. Sitch: After I gained experience in public relations, I joined The Ritz-Carlton in 1999 as we opened our hotel in Dubai. Today, 15 years into my career with this brand, what I love about working for Ritz-Carlton is the sense of belonging to an organization that genuinely cares about its people and its guests. I truly enjoy working for an organization so focused on service excellence and always striving to do something better. RCLC: Please describe your work as a media specialist. Ms. Sitch: The most important part of my role is to protect the reputation of The Ritz-Carlton. Public Relations isn’t all about getting media hits and dealing with a crisis. It’s making sure people correctly translate what The Ritz-Carlton stands for and how it can be a part of your life. Secondly, the primary objective for The Ritz-Carlton in the social space is to strengthen the level of engagement for current guests and also to develop a love for our brand among aspirational consumers. To do that I focus the teams efforts on crafting the right messages, for the right people, on the right channels. We are an organization founded on the concept of individualized service — we pay attention to the details. Our communications strategy is no different. RCLC: What advancements has The Ritz-Carlton made within the digital landscape? Ms. Sitch:  In April 2009, we started working with social media — on Facebook and on Twitter. In fact, I remember a night that I anxiously sat up waiting until 2:30 AM for our fan count to click from 999 to 1000. Today The Ritz-Carlton has over 2.5 million fans on 12 channels, three of which are Mandarin. Our Facebook engagement is at 8.4%, which outperforms the industry average of 5.04%, and The Ritz-Carlton was ranked #1 by two independent studies on engagement in social platforms in the hotel category; Shareablee in January and Engagement Labs in August. RCLC: How do you ensure your connection with customers is of value to them as well as for the company? Ms. Sitch:  We have multiple social media platforms on which we connect with consumers. However each channel has been designed with a very different purpose - to participate in conversation and add value to multiple people with various interests. We measure the level of engagement that they have with our content to ensure they feel connected to what we are doing. In addition, we’ve deployed media specialists around the world to keep our finger on the pulse so we can understand consumers and the geographic and cultural sensitivities in various regions. That helps us with our positioning strategies and the ability to message and converse in-language and in relevant ways. RCLC: How do you incorporate The Ritz-Carlton customer service principles into social media messaging? Ms. Sitch: It’s all about connecting and engaging with consumers. The customer wants to know there’s a human on the other end of the digital line. The DNA of the company is centered around being of service and so the ability to interact through social media is a gift because it enables us to stay connected and converse the same way we would in person. RCLC: Can you share an example of how that plays out? Ms. Sitch: People are reaching out to us ahead of a visit to a hotel or destination asking our advice and recommendations, they share their photos during a stay and then their memories after they have departed. We take a real interest in the meaningful journeys they experience with us and the world of travel that we are able to help them experience. ∞ On Monday, April 13, 2015, Ms. Sitch will be a member of The Ritz-Carlton Executive Panel at the Symposium: Your Journey to Service Excellence in Dallas. Enroll before December 31, 2014, and take advantage of early bird pricing.   The Blog Post Our Ladies and Gentlemen: Allison Sitch appeared first on The Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center.

The following is a guest post reprinted with permission from the Chip Bell blog. Chip Bell is the author of six best-selling books and has written over 400 articles for business journals and magazines on customer loyalty and service innovation. He has also appeared live on CNN, CNBC, CNN, Fox, Bloomberg TV, and ABC. I arrived at The Ritz-Carlton, Buckhead in Atlanta late in the afternoon at the end of a week on the road. My dress pants needed pressing for an early morning keynote. Dialing the hotel housekeeping department, I was told that someone would be right up to get my trousers. Moments later, a tiny Asian women probably in her mid-fifties knocked on my door. When I gave her my pants, she informed me she would have them back to me in less than an hour. "If you have to leave," she told me, "your pants will be waiting for you in your closet." Forty-five minutes later, she was back. "Thank you for giving me the honor of pressing your beautiful pants," she said with excitement and a smile on her face. "They are some of the nicest pants I have ever pressed." I wondered about the source of her gracious style and passionate attitude. What made Nuriya so guest-centric? Then, I got the answer as she continued: "Here is my business card. Call me anytime and we will take care of your housekeeping needs." Her card revealed her title: "Laundry/Valet." But, there was more. "And, on behalf of the Ritz-Carlton, I would like to present you with this package of stays for your shirt collars." I was blown away. What kind of leadership must be fronting this refined and classy guest service? How many hotel laundry employees on the planet have their own business card plus a special surprise gift for their guest? Innovative service goes viral when it is echoed from a leader who treats associates exactly the way customers should be treated. And, a powerful, compelling leadership echo happens when leaders connect with employees instead of cocooning in their office in meetings. It fuels smart execution when employee affirmation is coupled with discipline; generous support is added to well-defined accountability. And, innovative service is displayed to customers in its purest form when leaders show frontline employees sincere respect and consideration. Customers get a peephole into the culture of an organization through their experience with the frontline. Indifferent, unengaged employees spell uncaring leadership. Bureaucratic systems and draconian policies telegraph bean counting, self-centered leaders who only care about immediate revenue and not long-term customer loyalty. What is the sound of your leadership if it is only heard as an echo through your employees? ∞ The Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center offers advisory services, courses and presentations to organizations that wish to benchmark the award-winning business practices of The Ritz-Carlton. Your organization can learn about The Ritz-Carlton methodology for customer service, employee engagement and leadership development. We also guide organizations through a multi-step process in order to achieve sustainable culture transformation.   The Blog Post The Leadership Echo appeared first on The Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center.

Answer these seven questions and find out if your customer service standards match the standards of The Ritz-Carlton. Take our quick quiz. The Blog Post Quiz: How Ritz-Carlton Are You? appeared first on The Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center.

In honor of National Customer Service Week, October 6-10, we are adding two new features to Gold Minds Blog. The Leadership Center receives many questions from customers attending our courses and presentations, and we thought it would be helpful to share answers to those questions each Monday in a new feature called "Dear Ritz-Carlton." On Friday, we will be launching another new weekly post called "Inspired Thinking." These shorter posts will include a thought-provoking quote and a brief description of how to apply the ideas. We hope you will enjoy these new features, and we thank you for reading and subscribing to Gold Minds Blog. Dear Ritz-Carlton: Does The Ritz-Carlton use scripts or teach employees specific phrases to use? Answer from Jeff Hargett, Senior Corporate Director, Culture Transformation at The Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center: Using scripts can give new employees a starting point if they are unfamiliar with their new role or the industry they’ve joined. At The Ritz-Carlton, we often use scripts to "get them started" since they may never have worked in a luxury hospitality environment before. Our Motto states, "We are Ladies and Gentlemen serving Ladies and Gentlemen." These identifiers indicate a certain level of respect and refinement when speaking with our customers and each other. During their training, they become more comfortable in their surroundings, and we encourage our Ladies and Gentlemen to bring more of their personality to the experience, but always remember the respect and refinement they learned from their script. Scripts are often used as a crutch and can lead to stuffy, robotic behavior if not monitored and can cause the employee to "check out." It’s not always what you say but how you say it that matters. The Blog Post Dear Ritz-Carlton: Scripts appeared first on The Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center.

Anytime you eat at a restaurant, take a flight, go to the grocery store, mail a package, have a check-up, order merchandise online, or have your home repaired, you are having a customer service experience. Considering the number of customer service interactions we have each day, it’s not surprising that we all probably have examples of exceptional customer service and unfortunate customer service. We asked our colleagues and friends for real life customer service examples, and we’re sharing their stories below in order to learn from their experiences. 1) Real life customer service experience: I’d just boarded a plane when I heard a flight attendant berating a gentleman about his bag. She scolded him for several minutes about why the bag had to be checked and why it was for his own safety. Customer Service DON’T: Although it can be wearing for customer service professionals to review the rules over and over again, customers should always be treated respectfully. Embarrassing a customer in front of the whole airplane was uncomfortable for everyone. 2) Real life customer service experience: It was the lunch hour rush at a popular fast food restaurant, and the line of customers went out the door. I’d already made it through the line and found my table, but I decided to wait for my lunch companion by the cash registers. Even though I was trying to be inconspicuous, one of the cashiers noticed me, and asked if there was anything she could do to help me. Customer Service DO: The cashier had her radar on and antenna up! Even with the long line and quick pace, she was paying attention to all the customers and making sure needs were met. 3) Real life customer service experience: I had taken my car to be repaired … again. It’s a new car but has been having continual problems. The repair shop suggested putting a new battery in the car. I pointed out that they had put in a new battery just a year ago and that the new battery had not fixed the reoccurring problems. The repair shop agreed and decided to look for another solution. Customer Service DON’T: It’s unfortunate when customers are put in the position of solving their own problems. Organizations that want to build customer loyalty should be willing to use discretionary effort and go the extra mile for the customer. 4) Real life customer service experience: My spouse had to go to a medical office for a procedure, and I waited in the reception area. After the procedure, the receptionist was extremely kind to us. She not only explained everything thoroughly, but she blew us kisses as we left the office. Customer Service DO: A fond farewell is as important as your initial greeting. By ushering patients out the door with kindness, the receptionist is making a positive last impression. 5) Real life customer service experience: I had allotted two hours to get to the airport for my flight home. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find the rental car return. I spent almost half an hour trying to find the rental return, and then the shuttle took 20 minutes. I missed my flight. Customer Service DON’T: Signage is very important for a seamless customer experience. If county or building codes restrict proper signage, then consider providing detailed maps or directions to customers. 6) Real life customer service experience: I was stuck in holiday traffic on my way to the airport. As I pulled up to the rental car return, it seemed like there was no way I would make my flight. The car return attendant understood my panic. He streamlined the check-in process and called over a shuttle to take me directly to the terminal. I arrived at the gate five minutes before boarding. Customer Service DO: The car rental employee took immediate action and was willing and able to make special efforts in order to meet a customer’s needs. This was a true "wow" moment and a story that the customer will be sharing for years. 7) Real life customer service experience: I recently bought furniture and a rug. When the delivery date arrived, the movers explained that they didn’t have my rug and didn’t know when it would arrive. After waiting two weeks, I called the store for an update. They asked if I’d taken a photo of the purchased rug and then asked me to describe the rug because they could not tell from their paperwork which rug I had ordered. After sending me several photos — a rug line-up — and not finding my original purchase, they agreed to refund my order. Customer Service DON’T: When customers place an order, they want to have confidence in your organization. Customers shouldn’t have to take photos of purchased items just in case future identification is needed. 8) Real life customer service experience: I travel with two stuffed animals and after long days of meetings, I often return to my hotel room and discover that housekeeping has taken extra care with these animals. Sometimes they tuck them in bed. Once they placed a bag of chocolate under the rabbit’s arm. I’m often amused by the extra care given to these stuffed friends. Customer Service DO: A personal touch is often appreciated. Taking the time to arrange stuffed animals is a kind and thoughtful gesture. 9) Real life customer service experience: I arrived at the airport and jumped into a taxi. It takes about 12 minutes to go from the airport to my home, and the entire time the taxi driver complained that he had been waiting in the taxi line for three hours, and all he got was this $17 fare. Customer Service DON’T: Informing your customer that he/she is a disappointment is certainly not going to create customer loyalty, or in this case, earn you a higher tip. Customers want to feel valued, regardless of how much money they are spending. We would like to hear your customer service stories. If you would like to share one of your customer service success moments with us or a #CustomerServiceFail, please email us your story for a future blog post. ∞ The Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center offers advisory services, courses and presentations to organizations that wish to benchmark the award-winning business practices of The Ritz-Carlton. Your organization can learn about The Ritz-Carlton methodology for customer service, employee engagement and leadership development. We also guide organizations through a multi-step process in order to achieve sustainable culture transformation. The Blog Post Real Life Customer Service DOs and DON’Ts appeared first on The Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center.

"We see our customers as invited guests to a party, and we are the hosts. It’s our job every day to make every important aspect of the customer experience a little bit better." - Jeff Bezos, founder and CEO of Amazon.com The Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center: When you’re the host of a party, you need to ensure that all of your guests are having a good time. You may have some guests who enjoy dancing, a few who want to mingle and chat, and maybe others who are happy sitting and munching hors d’oeuvres. Customer service needs to be approached in the same way. In order to improve the customer experience, you must engage your customers and discover their preferences. The Ladies and Gentlemen of The Ritz-Carlton create unique, memorable and personalized experiences by making each interaction with guests an opportunity to learn more about their lives, families and passions. When customer service is elevated to customer engagement, then you are better able to enhance the customer experience. The Blog Post Inspired Thinking - Hosts appeared first on The Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center.

Dear Ritz-Carlton: Do you have any tips for dealing with angry or upset customers? Answer from Alexandra Valentin, Corporate Director, Culture Transformation at The Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center: Anger is an emotional response that happens when people perceive a threat. However, anger can be quite constructive if we look at it as a gift. When customers share the "gift" of anger with your organization, use this as an opportunity to understand where you need to improve. Discover where your system and/or process did not leave a customer feeling cared for and secure, and then use this insight to strengthen your organization. Viewing angry or upset customers as an opportunity for improvement can also help you to de-personalize the situation, remain calm, and focus on fixing the problem. The Blog Post Dear Ritz-Carlton: Upset Customers appeared first on The Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center.

Each month, The Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center (RCLC) features an interview with an employee — a Lady or Gentleman of The Ritz-Carlton — in order to share an insider’s view of the organization. This month’s interview is with Kelly A. Steward, General Manager of The Ritz-Carlton, Cleveland. RCLC: Why did you choose to work in the hotel industry? Ms. Steward: I have always loved taking care of people. As a young girl, I liked to help my grandmother cook and assisted my family when they would have get-togethers. My memories of my youth include watching The Love Boat on TV. My friends said I reminded them of the cruise director, Julie McCoy. I took this as a compliment as she was the character who assisted everyone and ensured guests had fun. RCLC: Tell me about your first job in a hotel. Ms. Steward: In college, I worked for a limited-service hotel as a front office agent, a bartender and an assistant manager, among other positions. I was fortunate to become a General Manager upon earning my Hospitality degree from The Ohio State University. As the General Manager of a limited service hotel, I always wanted to go above and beyond what was expected by welcoming guests into their "home away from home" and having special touches by leaving notes and chocolates. RCLC: Why did you join The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company? Ms. Steward: When my friends and I were on vacation in Florida, we watched The Ritz-Carlton, Naples being constructed. Over time, I saw this magical hotel receive many accolades. I would read about the resort in Condé Nast Magazine and wanted to be part of this 5-Star, 5-Diamond hotel. I was at a point in my life where I wanted a new challenge and so I applied for a job at the hotel. I have always been someone who strives for excellence in my life and during the interview process, I met other professionals who had the same passion as mine. I wanted to work with them and learn from them. RCLC: What position did you have there? Ms. Steward: They created a new position — Guest Services Manager. My position was to welcome our guests into the beautiful resort and make them feel special. I loved this, as the team of doormen, bellmen, valet and concierge that I supported were the first and lasting impression of the hotel. It was so exhilarating. We were considered the "nerve center" of the resort. RCLC: Why have you continued to work for The Ritz-Carlton for almost 14 years? Ms. Steward: I cannot imagine being with any other company as this is an amazing organization to be a part of. I love the training the company provides and the attention to detail. As a General Manager, I enjoy being with our Ladies and Gentlemen and leading by example. A fundamental part of our culture is our philosophy, and I am very passionate about the service we provide our guests. RCLC: Do you have an example where an employee embodied what The Ritz-Carlton is known for in delivering service excellence? Ms. Steward: A few weeks ago, a room attendant was vacuuming a guest’s room when a phone charger was accidentally caught in the vacuum. The room attendant empowered herself to write a personal note of apology as well as purchase a new charger for the guest. The guest was so touched by this genuine gesture that he called me to say how impressed he was by this act of kindness. We recognize and celebrate our Ladies and Gentlemen who take it upon themselves to provide this level of service excellence. RCLC: What do you see as your main role as General Manager? Ms. Steward: My role is to be a multi-faceted ambassador of the brand. I relish my responsibility of representing The Ritz-Carlton in the most positive way to our guests, our team of Ladies and Gentlemen, our ownership and our community. RCLC: What do you value most about working within The Ritz-Carlton culture? Ms. Steward: I believe it is the positive culture that allows all to be empowered and to create exceptional experiences for our guests. The Ritz-Carlton culture also includes building strong relationships with internal and external guests. I am honored to work with a company that is so deeply rooted in our philosophy and values and fulfill its promises to its guests and employees. RCLC: As an Ambassador for The Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center you speak to other business leaders who want to deliver outstanding customer service. How do you help them achieve greatness in their companies? Ms. Steward: I am relentless in sharing our world-class culture and the pursuit of excellence. The message that I deliver is one that inspires others to think about how they make people feel and the difference they can make professionally and personally. RCLC: Similar to The Love Boat, it sounds like you are leading customers on a journey to service excellence. Ms. Steward: Yes, delivering on our philosophy ensures our success. It is all about the genuine care that we consistently deliver and how we provide remarkable memories for our guests. It is a meaningful journey.  ∞ The Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center offers advisory services, courses and presentations to organizations that wish to benchmark the award-winning business practices of The Ritz-Carlton. Your organization can learn about The Ritz-Carlton methodology for customer service, employee engagement and leadership development. We also guide organizations through a multi-step process in order to achieve sustainable culture transformation. The Blog Post Our Ladies and Gentlemen: Kelly Steward appeared first on The Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center.