It’s a new year, which means new goals and new opportunities. Although this can be very exciting, taking on new initiatives requires more attention, thought and planning than simply sticking to an old routine. Often people accept new responsibilities without eliminating any prior commitments. All of this has the potential to increase stress. A report commissioned by the American Psychological Association found that "48% of Americans consider stress to be having a negative impact on their lives. And over 70% of Americans report that they regularly experience physical and psychological symptoms of stress." Senior leadership has the greatest potential to reduce stress. However, leaders must begin by ensuring they can effectively handle their own stress—the stress of leadership. When leaders demonstrate and model effective stress management, their example inspires others to do likewise. STRESS MANAGEMENT TIPS TO HELP LEADERS Here are five simple ways that leaders can moderate stress: Set Realistic Goals and Priorities: Ensure the goals you set are achievable and you have the resources you need to achieve them. Encourage Good Time Management Techniques: Plan for important activities and projects, schedule them in advance, follow up with others, and keep good records to help get things accomplished. Don’t Procrastinate: Procrastination and delay breed more stress. Eliminate items that can’t/won’t get done and do those that are most important first. Maintain a Positive Attitude: Think of stressful situations as a challenge to your creative thinking. Be confident that everything will get done. Get Sleep: Studies show that sleep deprivation can impact your judgment, your mood and your health. Besides being an example for others, leaders have the opportunity to help employees feel less pressured. The Employee Promise at The Ritz-Carlton pledges to "enhance the quality of life" of our employees, our Ladies and Gentlemen. STRESS MANAGEMENT TIPS TO HELP EMPLOYEES Managers can reduce stress for their teams by applying and practicing the following: Improve Communication: Share information with employees to reduce uncertainty when possible. Clearly define roles and responsibilities to ensure accountability and make communication friendly and efficient. Consult Your Employees: Be sure the workload is appropriate to the employee’s ability and resources. At The Ritz-Carlton, Service Value 9—I am involved in the planning of the work that affects me—encourages involving employees in the planning stages of projects. Offer Rewards and Incentives: Praise good work performance. This can be done through verbal praise (public or private), written praise (emails and cards), small gifts or other acts of kindness and appreciation. Another great incentive is to foster learning, growth and career development for your employees. Cultivate a Friendly Social Climate: Provide opportunities for social interaction among employees. For example, joining an organization’s softball team is a great way to have fun with your colleagues and relieve stress. With the new year upon us, we will be tempted to accomplish more. Yet as Mahatma Gandhi so wisely reminds us, "There is more to life than increasing its speed." Let’s make 2015 memorable, and let’s achieve this by focusing on quality as well as quantity. ∞ 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 Stress Management Tips for Leaders appeared first on The Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center.

"Leadership is solving problems. The day soldiers stop bringing you their problems is the day you have stopped leading them. They have either lost confidence that you can help or concluded you do not care. Either case is a failure of leadership." — Colin Powell, 65th United States Secretary of State The Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center: It’s vital that leaders not only know where the breakdowns are in their organizations, but they must also have the skills to address these challenges. As Colin Powell notes, employees lose confidence in leaders who do not have problem solving skills, and this creates a dangerous environment. If leaders are unaware of challenges, the problems could grow to unmanageable proportions. Leaders have the opportunity to be "problem solvers" and work with their teams to reach solutions. Effective problem management creates an environment of trust and respect. The Ritz-Carlton cultivates a "lead by example" style that encourages the employees of The Ritz-Carlton—our Ladies and Gentlemen—to bring problems and at the same time offer solutions. This democratic approach to leadership creates a continuous improvement cycle where everyone becomes stronger. What is your leadership style? ∞ The Blog Post Inspired Thinking: Leadership Problem Solving appeared first on The Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center.

Medical errors are now the third leading cause of death in the United States. According to Hospital Safety Score, new research estimates up to 440,000 Americans are dying annually from preventable hospital errors. In addition, medical errors are very costly. The Institute of Medicine has estimated that medical errors cost $17 billion to $29 billion per year. One method of reducing errors and increasing safety is to improve the patient experience. To many, the patient experience means expressing kindness and making patients happy. However, patient experience is more than just niceties. The Ritz-Carlton has built a brand based on service, and we know it is the systems we have in place—the systems behind the smiles—that ensure our service is effective and the guest experience is a positive one. Healthcare leaders must focus on better service and adopt systems that will support an improved patient experience. This is especially true for hospitals in the United States that are participating in the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS). HCAHPS measures the patient perspective on care, and it focuses on key aspects of the patient experience such as communication with doctors and nurses, responsiveness of hospital staff, cleanliness and quietness of the hospital environment. The research below shows how communication, responsiveness and cleanliness lead to improved safety. COMMUNICATION Miscommunication can occur during patient handoffs. Three studies provide evidence that poor communication impacts safety. A study on quality and safety of hospital discharge concludes that "Lack of knowledge, understanding and interest between hospital and community care providers are important causes for ineffective and unsafe discharge." The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality shared a study that found that "nearly 20% of patients experience adverse events within 3 weeks of discharge, nearly three-quarters of which could have been prevented or ameliorated." A study in The Journal of the American Medical Association notes that when hospitals adopt standardized communication systems for patient transitions, they can significantly reduce medical errors. The statistical evidence showed that "medical errors decreased from 33.8 per 100 admissions to 18.3 per 100 admissions." RESPONSIVENESS Peter J. Pronovost, M.D., Ph.D., director of Johns Hopkins University’s Quality and Safety Research Group, has devoted much of his career to improving hospital safety. In his life-saving book, Safe Patients, Smart Hospitals: How One Doctor’s Checklist Can Help Us Change Health Care from the Inside Out, Dr. Pronovost shows how a lack of teamwork can impede responsiveness. By studying liability claims and substantially harmful errors at various hospitals, he found that in nearly 90% of instances a team member knew something was wrong, and either kept silent, or spoke up and was ignored. When Memorial Regional Medical Center in Richmond, VA—part of the Bon Secours Richmond health system—began working with The Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center, the medical center had all of their staff—including the environmental services team—go through training to become more aware of patients’ needs. Not long after this training, one of the maintenance workers was in a patient’s room and noticed the patient’s face was turning blue. The maintenance employee quickly found medical staff and they were able to save the patient’s life. Before the training this employee rarely noticed the patients, but once he understood that patient experience was part of his role he was empowered to take action, which consequently, saved a life. Adopting a more patient-centric approach resulted in a decreased mortality rate at Memorial Regional Medical Center. In two years, the mortality rated dropped from 2.84% to 2.62%. CLEANLINESS An article in Consumer Reports titled, "How Safe is Your Hospital?" asserts that "about one in 20 hospitalized patients will develop an infection. They can be devastating, deadly even, and many can be prevented. Dirty instruments, improperly sterilized catheters or needles, and the contaminated hands of doctors, nurses, or other healthcare workers are common causes." A blog post about medical errors by Bob Ruche, president of a healthcare consulting company, notes that "Hospital infections kill as many as AIDS, breast cancer and auto accidents combined in a given year. The most prevalent hospital induced infection, known as MRSA—accounting for 60% of all hospital induced infections—is generally spread through direct contact with the hands of a healthcare worker or a patient who is infected or carrying the organism." Patient Experience Impacts Safety The patient experience goes beyond courtesy. When healthcare organizations become more patient-centric—when they empower employees and increase employee engagement—they have the foundation for improving communication, becoming more responsive to requests, and maintaining an efficient and clean facility. These improved standards not only affect the overall patient experience, they impact safety and save lives. ∞ The Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center is offering "Excellence in the Patient Experience" on February 10th at The Ritz-Carlton, Tysons Corner in McLean, VA and on August 13th at The Ritz-Carlton, Key Biscayne, Miami. This presentation is also available as an onsite speaking engagement. We also offer advisory services to guide healthcare organizations through a multi-step process in order to achieve sustainable culture transformation. The Blog Post Patient Experience Impacts Safety appeared first on The Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center.

"The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy. The true neighbor will risk his position, his prestige and even his life for the welfare of others." — Martin Luther King, Jr., American pastor and activist The Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center: When emotions are running high, your team will look to your leadership and strength. Leaders need to project confidence, remain fearless and focus on the most important issue at hand. All industries face times of conflict, uncertainty and crisis, and it is the integrity of the leader that determines how well an organization navigates difficult circumstances. Leadership at The Ritz-Carlton is always focused on protecting the team. Although our employees—our Ladies and Gentlemen—give their best effort every day to create an outstanding guest experience, mistakes happen. The Ladies and Gentlemen need to know that leaders will take care of them. Leaders who risk themselves for their team create loyalty, and loyalty leads to dedication, which in turn leads to success. Have you ever worked for a leader who had the courage to stand up for you? ∞ The Blog Post Inspired Thinking: Leadership and Strength 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 Roberto van Geenen, General Manager of The Ritz-Carlton, Dallas. RCLC: Your experience as a General Manager has included transitioning properties from independent hotels to Ritz-Carlton hotels. When Ritz-Carlton takes over the management of a hotel, how do you help individuals transition from being "employees" to "Ladies and Gentlemen serving Ladies and Gentlemen," especially in a foreign country? Mr. van Geenen: I start by explaining our Gold Standards. It can take a long time for people to understand the philosophy behind them, but it’s critical to delivering first-class service. Prior to becoming the General Manager at a new hotel, I research the culture. Next, I get to know the people and their environment. If you are a guest in someone else’s country, study their culture and be genuinely respectful of it. You can’t just impose your thinking on them. Lastly, I do whatever I can to help them succeed. It’s important to focus on what they are good at and slowly strengthen their skills. RCLC: How do you inspire employees? Mr. van Geenen: The first step is to select the right employees. They have to have the right level of positivity, passion and focus. Then, after providing them with a significant emotional event through orientation and training, we engage them in setting goals for the organization and for themselves. Finally, we inspire them by applying strength management—focusing on the 90% they excel in rather than the 10% they need to improve. And of course, we cheer them on as they achieve excellence! RCLC: What do you appreciate most about working for Ritz-Carlton? Mr. van Geenen: The values. They are completely aligned with my personal values. I’ve always been driven to work for the best and to create incredible experiences for everyone. Our Ladies and Gentlemen are just as important to me as our guests are. If employees are as excited as the guest, the guest experience is excellent. RCLC: How did you become interested in the hospitality industry? Mr. van Geenen: My father was in the wine business. One of his businesses was a 17th century wine cellar that became a restaurant where I helped fill wine bins and siphon sherry out of large barrels imported from Spain. As I became older, I started waiting tables and ultimately became the sommelier. My parents went to many social gatherings. One time my parents brought me to a classic luxury hotel where they attended a black tie event. Being in that hotel, I thought to myself, "Someday, I would like to run a place like this." RCLC: How did that instinct lead you to where you are today? Mr. van Geenen: After college I served my home country and the Queen in the Netherlands’ Royal Marines. Out of 3,000 candidates they accepted only 25 individuals and out of those 25, only 17 of us became officers. It was quite a challenging experience. So, early on I valued striving for excellence, which I do every day at The Ritz-Carlton. RCLC: What was your first position at a hotel? Mr. van Geenen: My first official job was at the historic Savoy Hotel in London where I was a Front Desk Manager. I appreciate that my experience includes working in one of the hotels where César Ritz was the General Manager. It’s following in the footsteps of individuals like Ritz and the renowned Chef Auguste Escoffier, as well as all the other expert craftsmen after them … they allow me to stand on their shoulders and to own a small piece of history in creating excellence. RCLC: What advice would you give someone who wants to become a hotelier? Mr. van Geenen: Make certain you are sincerely passionate about the business, because the road to becoming a true hotelier is long and arduous! However, if this is true for you, you are most fortunate because it is truly one of the most interesting and fulfilling professions. ∞ On Monday, April 13, Mr. van Geenen will be a member of The Ritz-Carlton Executive Panel at the Symposium: Your Journey to Service Excellence in Dallas.    The Blog Post Our Ladies and Gentlemen: Roberto van Geenen appeared first on The Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center.

"The supreme quality for leadership is unquestionably integrity. Without it, no real success is possible, no matter whether it is on a section gang, a football field, in an army, or in an office." — Dwight D. Eisenhower, 34th President of the United States The Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center: The members of your leadership are the foundation of your organization. They are role models. When leadership lives, expresses and demonstrates the values of your organization, they are letting employees know that these standards are not just words. At The Ritz-Carlton, we often say, "Walk the Talk." Managers lead the way by their actions, and employees are inspired by sincerity and honesty. When employees spot hypocrisy, when they see leaders saying one thing but doing another, they lose respect for their managers. If leaders fall apart in times of crisis, employees will also lose respect. Leadership needs to be seen as stable, secure and genuine. When employees witness these qualities, it fosters loyalty and trust and makes the whole organization stronger. ∞ The Blog Post Inspired Thinking: Integrity and Leadership appeared first on The Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center.

Dear Ritz-Carlton: How does the company provide leadership training to new leaders? Answer from Joseph Quitoni, Corporate Director, Culture Transformation at The Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center: Being a Leader at The Ritz-Carlton is unlike anywhere else. Each Leader, whether new to position or new to the brand, embarks on a learning journey that we call On Site Leadership Certification. This program allows our Leaders to be on-boarded in a planned fashion that produces The Ritz-Carlton Leader that we expect them to be. Due to the unique, well-defined culture of our Gold Standards, it is important that we provide a thorough leadership certification for their success. This program is a learning experience designed to connect the new Leader to the tools and resources that they need to be successful. In addition, we also provide a robust annual performance management process, utilize daily person-to-person relationships and weekly leadership meetings to ensure our leaders’ success. Personal growth and development for our Leaders is at the forefront of what we do to continue to ensure that we nurture and maximize the talent to the benefit of each individual and our company.  ∞ On Monday, April 13, 2015, The Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center presents "Your Journey to Service Excellence," The Ritz-Carlton approach to legendary service, employee engagement and a customer-centric culture. This special Symposium takes place at The Ritz-Carlton, Dallas. Learn more about the keynote speaker, the presentation speakers, and the members of The Ritz-Carlton Executive Panel. The Blog Post Dear Ritz-Carlton: Leadership Training appeared first on The Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center.

The trick to unique, memorable and personal service is to meet the customer’s unexpressed and expressed needs. This can be achieved through grand acts that surprise and delight, and it can also be achieved through small gestures of thoughtfulness. The following guest story illustrates how kindness, engagement and a little extra effort can create a "wow" moment. A Cultural Escort A Server was setting up a beautiful buffet presentation at The Ritz-Carlton Jakarta, Pacific Place, when a husband and wife arrived for lunch. The Server knew that the husband and wife were traveling abroad and were first-time guests of the hotel. She offered to accompany the husband and wife through the buffet to explain the different dishes and ingredients. The guests were relieved to have the dishes described to them and were excited to try many of the new and unique foods. After sampling many of the dishes, the wife told the Server that she particularly enjoyed the unique taste of the traditional dessert, Bika Banjar. The wife expressed to the Server how much she would love to be able to make the dish for her family back home, but after the wife searched on her phone, she could not seem to find a recipe. The Server knew how to make the traditional dish and happily explained the process to the wife. The Server was pleased that the wife was enjoying many of the Indonesian dishes, and she wanted to do something extra for the wife to help her remember her culinary experience in Jakarta. Knowing the wife particularly enjoyed the Bika Banjar, the Server decided to send a taste of Indonesia back home with the guest. The Server stopped at a traditional Indonesian market that evening and found the specially designed baking pan used to form the dough for the dessert. She carefully wrapped the pan, and wrote the baking instructions in beautiful lettering on a keepsake recipe card. On the last day of their stay, the Server presented both gifts to the husband and wife as a fond farewell. The wife was delighted and amazed at the gift and reviewed the recipe with the Server so she would know exactly how to make it once she returned home. The wife was truly ecstatic to have a piece of Indonesia to take home with her. Exceptional Customer Service To provide memorable customer service, your employees must take the time to genuinely engage with customers. They must uncover the unexpressed desires of the customers, and then, if you have empowered your employees, they can respond quickly and creatively. When your employees listen and respond, customers will feel sincerely cared for and will remember your exceptional customer service. ∞ 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 Buffet Tour Guide appeared first on The Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center.

Dear Ritz-Carlton: What if a guest were harassing employees? Answer from Alexandra Valentin, Corporate Director, Culture Transformation at The Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center: Part of The Ritz-Carlton mission statement, also known as our "Credo," states "that the genuine care and comfort of our guest is our highest mission." The Ritz-Carlton strives to provide for all employees a professional and congenial work environment and will take all necessary steps to ensure that the work environment remains pleasant for all employees. An integral part of this type of work environment is for all employees to treat each other with courtesy, consideration and professionalism, and we expect the same from our guests. The Company will not tolerate harassment of any employee by any other employee, supervisor, vendor, guest, client, or customer. Harassment for any discriminatory reason, such as race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, veteran or military status, or other basis protected by applicable law is prohibited by state and/or federal laws and may subject the Company or the individual harasser to liability for any such unlawful conduct. With this policy, the Company prohibits not only unlawful harassment, but also other unprofessional and discourteous actions. At The Ritz-Carlton, we treat our Ladies and Gentlemen (employees) the same way we treat our guests. The Ritz-Carlton motto, "We are Ladies and Gentlemen serving Ladies and Gentlemen," defines who we are and how we should behave. The motto emphasizes mutual respect for one another and respect for ourselves. It creates a positive work environment and is an attitude that can be accepted or appreciated by anyone from any culture or walk of life. We remind our guests when appropriate of this powerful statement. ∞ On Monday, April 13, 2015, The Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center presents "Your Journey to Service Excellence," The Ritz-Carlton approach to legendary service, employee engagement and a customer-centric culture. This special Symposium takes place at The Ritz-Carlton, Dallas. Learn more about the keynote speaker, the presentation speakers, and the members of The Ritz-Carlton Executive Panel. The Blog Post Dear Ritz-Carlton: Customer Harassing Employees? appeared first on The Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center.

At the end of 2014, The Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center sent out a 15-question survey about holiday shopping and customer service. The SlideShare below shows the customer service survey results, which indicate that customer service influences buying decisions and fosters customer loyalty. A couple of the most noteworthy stats include: 81% of respondents shopped at specific stores or online venues because of a past experience with customer service 92% of respondents avoided shopping at specific stores or online venues because of a past experience with customer service Thank you to all our subscribers, past customers and social media followers who took the time to share their responses. Customer survey results 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 Customer Service Survey Results appeared first on The Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center.