Shrink Not: Adjust the Sail and Seek "The New Gold Standard" of Leadership
September 25, 2008
By Joseph A. Michelli
Soaring gas prices, the US credit crunch and the grim events on Wall Street have many business owners scurrying to reduce costs and do more with less. But this natural and reflexive approach to economic uncertainty is often the worst path a business leader can take.
In fact, while researching my recently released book, "The New Gold Standard: 5 Principles for Creating a Legendary Customer Experience, Courtesy of The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company," Ed Staros, a founder of the modern-day Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, noted that during the difficult economic times in the 1980's many hotel chains were cutting back on flower arrangements in the lobby and not placing mouthwash in guest rooms. Staros shared, "We always believed that economic challenges didn’t mean that people didn’t need or want mouthwash. It meant we had to raise the standard in a quality efficient way."
So, how do business leaders decide when to pull-back products or service versus expanding them, particularly when business begins to slow? For example, many marketers suggest that the best time to advertise is in a tight market, namely because fewer people are doing so—allowing you to position your product with less clutter—and because it is the time when customers most need to be reminded that you are still there.
While cost cutting costs may be inevitable in tighter economic cycles, the leadership at The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company has some key insights on how to avoid a "scarcity mentality" in challenging times:
1. When consumers face economic challenges they often place a greater emphasis on value. While many customers will "pinch pennies" and "clip coupons" to address financial hardships, they will still look for opportunities to "treat" themselves. When consumers do spend money freely they will want to experience true quality, not a watered-down or corporately scaled-back version of quality.
2. Focused excellence prevails. If cutbacks are necessary, companies can and should reallocate resources toward their core areas of excellence. To be "excellent" means resisting the urge to overreach into areas where your products or service will be mediocre. Doing a few things expertly beats doing many things adequately.
3. Inspire staff to focus on purpose and outcomes, not fulfillment and procedures. All business is personal. This is particularly clear in the world of luxury hotels and resorts. While most hotel companies that compete for this market segment have exquisitely clean and well-appointed facilities, the primary driver for guest loyalty emerges from the personal attention and caring of staff. From the onset of their employee selection process, leadership at Ritz-Carlton looks for underlying talent in service characteristics. They then train and certify the skills necessary for the new hires to do their jobs while constantly linking job function to the overarching purpose of the business—namely to provide for "the genuine care and comfort" of their guest.
4. Empowering the front-line saves money. While many business leaders talk about their empowered workforce, few put money behind the hype. At Ritz-Carlton, staff members (referred to as the Ladies and Gentlemen of The Ritz-Carlton) are given the authority to spend up to $2,000 per day per guest, without seeking the approval of their supervisors. This authority allows front-line workers to immediately resolve service breakdowns for guests or simply engage guests by doing something unexpected that will make the hotel stay memorable. The cost-saving nature of this seemingly risky level of financial empowerment is derived from the morale and loyalty of employees, the clear cost savings of resolving problems immediately, and the impact that this type of empowered workforce has on customers. Essentially, empowered employees consistently transform otherwise satisfied customers into fully-engaged brand loyalists that spend more and refer family and friends to the business.
Joseph A. Michelli, Ph.D., , author of "The New Gold Standard," is an internationally sought-after speaker and business consultant whose clients include Bridgestone Firestone, Nokia, The Hartford Insurance Group, UCLA Health System, and USMC. Michelli has vast media experience, including television programs such as "The Glenn Beck Show" and CNBC's "On the Money," and has conducted hundreds of radio and print interviews.
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