How To Succeed In Hospitality Industry

 How To Succeed In Hospitality Industry:-

Key To Success In Hospitality Industry:-


Welcome back to the coach on the program.  where we are with the hospitality students today talking about the growth opportunities in the service sector are talking about the challenges we've discussed multiple things we've discussed, how to succeed in interviews, we've discussed communication skills, and let us now move forward to the next question... Good morning sir my name is Sahil and my question is how to succeed in the hotel industry and what skills are required to succeed in the industry?

Thank you!. I think this question is common to a lot of the students here today. What should I do? What is the sort of skill set, the mindset I should develop to succeed not only in the hotel industry? I'm going to expand the scope a little bit to how to succeed in the service industry. With me on this? Because you never know where you're going to end up.

You could start your own restaurant, your own cafe, you could work for a catering company. You could be an entrepreneur, you could work for a restaurant, for a hotel, for a conference center, you could go into the aviation industry for a cruise ship, you could work at the front desk, you could study other subjects and grow into you're doing a whole lot of other things so in the service industry I am trying to capture the key essence of some of the things from my own life and from the success of other people that I've observed in the industry how they succeeded in this industry. And I have five very important components for you, for this question which was common from all of the students.

 What should I do that Succeed In The Hospitality & Service Industry? Number one: These are all very simple things let me tell you. Very simple things which we don't practice and because we don't practice we don't get the results. You know how life works? Sometimes the greatest wisdom lies in the simplest things. We know it! You know those things because we don't practice them, we don't get the results. It'snot very complicated. Success in this industry or in any industry, it does not have to be complicated. It's all very simple things, why did you practice them? The problem with our generation is, we are so busy and occupied with social media. What other people are doing. We are a distracted generation.

You're looking at we're gathering more information, we're looking at what other people are doing but we are not committing to going deep into anything. Become the expert on something. Commit your life to something. You're a  chef, sir! How much effort can you put in about learning about everything even the flour that you use, the gluten content where it's coming from, the moisture content, where is the best products I can source from. What is the exact procedure of this thing? How will this taste, how will that taste? So unless you go into deep into something you've got to become the master of something and then only you will be able to go into a position where and now you're able to offer your expertise.

 The first point, very simple: Develop a healthy sense of pride and passion in your chosen profession. Well up a healthy sense of pride and passion in your chosen profession. Problem with India, the particular is we have not always kept in high esteem professions in which we need to make up with hands dirty. Yes or no? Some people have ashamed of getting their hands dirty. I personally know people who will qualify to be chefs. Who study to be chefs but then they decided oh this is not the sort of job I want. I would rather prefer a job which has a better perception which means I wear a suit and tie and I am an accountant at the firm. They would rather be an accountant, not been a chef. But if you want to succeed in this industry;

 Develop a healthy sense of pride and passion. Okay? When I was a restaurant manager in my early years, in the early part of my career. I had some Stewards who were working with me. Trainee Stewards! Very good families, very good Hotel schools. That's the first job right! If you're in the service food and beverage service. Get to be a trainee Stewards. Many of them had not told their families that they're working as stewards in restaurants. So I had like a few of my Stewards run to the back area oned ay. I said what happened? Sir my relative from my that person who lives in my city has come is visiting is just enter the door so I can't face him like. You're one of them? My viewers if you're in the service industry and you feel ashamed of doing what you're doing. Its success. You have to be comfortable with this and you've to take pride in doing this. Pride in your appearance, pride in the fact that you are serving, you're adding value. Take pride in your profession. A healthy sense of pride, self-respect, and passion. Act one of the world's premier hotel companies.

The organization called Ritz-Carlton. Ritz-Carlton credo is: We are ladies and gentlemen serving ladies and gentlemen. Whats is the credo? We are ladies and gentlemen serving ladies and gentlemen which means we are no less than our guests. We choose to be in the professional service that's what we do best, that's what the world knows us for. We are ladies and gentlemen and the profession of serving ladies is a gentleman. So you've got to have that sense of passion and pride and love and respect. If you don't respect what you do. Chances are slim somebody else will. If you're ashamed of yourself and your chosen profession, don't expect other people to do it. If you don't love and respect yourself. Don't expect other people to give you that privilege. It must come from within.

If you're ashamed of telling your friends who are engineers or IT people or you know or bureaucrats are doing government jobs or whatever that you work for a hotel. If you're ashamed of telling them that, sorry you have to change your attitude, you have you change your outlook of how you are perceiving your profession. If you are in a frame of mind where you' rethinking oh the hotel industry for me is something only temporary. I'm doing it only for a few years and then I would like to move to a job or do an MBA and do this. You're wasting your time.

This industrial demand from you the ability to do physical work. The ability to be hands-on, the ability to take care of situations no matter what they are.Right? And you have to demonstrate that ability. If you would rather be doing something else. Do it please. Don't waste your time in the hospitality industry because this industry will demand or any service industry will demand a hundred percent of the time of your effort and your skills. Leave in the dignity of Labor and most importantly work every day the sense I work makes a difference.

What's the man there believing that my work makes a difference. Take a deep breath in. Shake someone's hand on your right and left and remind them: Your work makes a difference. You're going to be a better chef. If you work with that mindset. Yes or no? But my work makes a difference. If I make a good dish, the person whoever is ordered it, he's going to feel good. Right? Good food can change your emotions. Right? Good service can change and make or break your day. You go to a restaurant, you get good service, a five-star service. You go into an airline you get five-stars service and change your emotions, it can change your day.

You can feel better. Right? So you've got to believe that I'm not in a useless dead-end job. My work makes a difference and that attitude is what will take you to the next steps of the ladder of growth of your industry. Right? This is a very very important component to have. Work, believe in that dignity of Labor. I worked for a restaurant chain in the UK which was run by a Punjabi family of Indian origin. Mr. Dhaliwal senior, who's I believe is passed away ever since wonderful wonderful gentleman and I remember him one Saturday morning outside his restaurant when the housekeeping staff had been turned up with the sweeper to took the broom and is sweeping the outside himself. Multi-millionaire.

Multi-millionaire and so many restaurant chains pick up the broom and they started cleaning outside himself. So what happened is that all the housekeeping stopped they didn't turn up today. Somebody has to clean it. Those are the sort of people who will succeed in this industry ones who are not ashamed. I go to number four now straight from one to four. The ones who are not ashamed to roll up their sleeves. No matter if you're wearing a $2,000 suit. Roll up your sleeves and say okay we have a situation where let's handle it. This industry is for those sorts of people. The one who says no no no we will sit and we will wait and we will watch and we will write a memo about it or we will create a video about it.

This industry is not for you. This industry is for people who have the ability to adapt. It's going to demand multiple skills from you. You will be a security person someday. I've had situations as a food and beverage manager when I have to do the job of the security person also because the hotel does not have full-time security staff. One of my bartenders who are being abused by a drunk customer. Physically threatened but step into that situation and take care of your team. You've got to do what it takes to take care of the situation. Therefore adaptability! You're someone who's linear.

Thinking step A step B step C, let me open the manual and see what the manual says. You're someone who can roll up your sleeves, you're flexible, you can adapt, you're creative, you can jump from one situation to another. You can reinvent. It's definitely because they're entrepreneurs. I remember Sahil. You post that question about entrepreneurs Entrepreneurs you'll have to be your own accountant folks. You have to manage your cash flow also, you'll have to do your own purchasing, you'll have to do your own quality checks, you are your own housekeeper at times. You've got to do 10 or 15 jobs. You are your own marketing department.

You are in your own branding department. You're doing so many jobs and then you are doing your core thing which is the catering business. Well, this is a key skill to succeed in the service industry as an entrepreneur and as a profession is adaptability. We move to number two which is developing a service mindset or a service DNA. What is it one of the key things of succeeding in this industry? Developer! What mindset? Service minds. Also a service DNA. It's been 12 years since I've moved from the hospitality industry that I've been the motivational speaker a keynote speaker at a coach. But to date, I put on the most suit in the morning and I'm standing in a hotel lobby anywhere across the world. I don't know it's something in my body language. People still come up to me and they think I work for the hotel. They will ask me for directions; do you know where their conference is? Do you know where the restrooms are?

 on which floor the bar is? Do you know what time the gym opens and I'm looking at me? Am I wearing a name tag for this hotel am I wearing the name tag of this property? I'm not. But there is something that was become a part of my professional DNA. One question which is called how can I help you? What's the question? How can I help! In my nine years in the hospitality industry, this question served me well. Single question how can I help you. In my 12 years as a motivational speaker, this question has served me very well. Same question, different professions. Okay! Still, before I go on stage, I asked my audience in my mind: How can I help this audience, how can I help you. It's now on a stage earlier used to be in a hotel lobby. Right? The platform has changed, the driving force remains the same. If you develop a service mindset; How can I make life easier for my customers? How can I make sure they have a pleasant experience. They come to eat food in my restaurant and if I'm a caterer when they are having that conference or whatever they're doing.

If I'm a housekeeper. You know how can I make life easier, beautiful. If you love to serve if you love to make other people feel better if you find joy in serving other people. This industry will take your blesses. This is really really important. At the same time, so I'm skipping them all over the place. Bear with me! There are no sequences in these points. At the same time, you also have to develop an entrepreneurial mindset. What is it? Entrepreneurial minds.Which means think like a businessperson. Even if you are in a job, think like a business owner. But no matter I have a service mindset but I also got to take care of things like my cash flow. I also have to take care of my costing. I also have to take care of how long things are staying with me, cycle. So I'm not tying up too many things in the inventory. I also have to think of things like projections, how much food we're going to sell or the next day, how many rooms we're going to sell. Revenue optimization other things. So along with the service mindset if you go to this thing which is what? Number five is an entrepreneurial mindset which means what? Learn to think like a business owner. I'm working as a steward in the restaurants. Okay? One situation is I think oh I just get only paid 4,000 rupees/month. Why should I bother? I'm getting four if I'm thinking from that perspective what my body language would be like, casual right. I'm not too bothered. Next thing I'm thinking I own this restaurant or someday I will own a restaurant like this. You certainly see a change in my behavior? so no. Now thinking from a different perspective I'm thinking like a business owner. Thinking about this job today is the training for me to be a business owner tomorrow.

How can I cut costs, how can I save on air conditioning, how can I market my products effectively, how can I get more customers to come in, how can I share this feedback online? Sir, would you go to one of the websites where food feedback is their feedback about restaurants, it could visor, zomato. Right? Maybe a Twago and others. Right? So I had a good experience. The restaurant doesn't say go get feedback but I say sir would you go to TripAdvisor and do this? Right, I'm thinking like what? Business owner, entrepreneur. Right? Come out of this mindset of it's only a job. Get the point? If you think is only a job and you work from that perspective, you're going to be stuck in that thing for the rest of your life and then you will blame your stars and you'll blame the industry. No! Think from day one then they go into the industry.

If this hotel would be built by my money what how would I like to work? Think form that perspective it's very very important. Right? But at the same time so this is how can I go the extra mile? How can I make life easier for my customers? This is a service mindset. So let's cover the things. Let's just wrap up. I have one thing left. Let's wrap up. What we talked about for succeeding in the hospitality industry. Number one was a healthy sense of pride and passion. Number two was to develop a service mindset. Always think about how can I make life easier for my customers. Number three is what is left so let's move on. Number four roll up your sleeves and be flexible. You don't have to go 1,2,3,4,5 in this industry. You've got to be flexible. Okay? Number five was to develop an entrepreneurial mindset. This means to think like a businessperson, think about cash flow, think about revenue projection, think about revenue optimization, think about branding, think about marketing, think about all those things. Expand your horizon beyond the job. You're not just an employee, you're a future entrepreneur, you're a future job creator. Start thinking like this. And now the most important thing, the most important skill. Not only in the hotel industry but in any industry. Learn to initiate! Take a deep breath in please... and say out loud: I will learn to initiate. Which means I will be proactive. Initiate a conversation. You're working in a hotel lobby and you see somebody is lost. Will you go up to that person and say sir can I help you. Are you looking for something and I be of any assistance to you? If you're just standing there. He is looking around and after four or five minutes that person has to come to you and say you know where this conference is. You're not doing your job and your job will be replaced with the computer tomorrow.

 Let me remind all my viewers on YouTube as well and all of you as well. If you're standing there then we can replace you with Sophia the robot. Yes/no? And the person will come to Sophia the robot and say hey Sophia can you tell me. Voice recognition systems are world-class these days huh. Hello, Sir, I can you point me to the conference room please and Sir I will tell you where it is. Take your first right, go two floors down and you will find the conference room on your left. This is what Sir I will do.

This is what many hotel people do also. If a human being is there and says sir come let me show you the way. Says you sir go down this elevator, take your first ride and the conference room is on your left. Sir, there is two conferences downstairs. One is for this company. The other one is that company. Which company are you with sir today. I'm with X company. Sir thank you! The conference for X company is on the right side. The other one is on the left side. This is a human being. Yes or no? The machine is going to stand there. If you're standing there, you will be replaced with a machine. Mark my words! But if you're being proactive. If you are initiating. You're bringing in the human element, empathy. If I would be in a 5-star Lobby & I'm lost. I want somebody to help me. Yes or no? And I extend that same privilege to my customers. Learn to be proactive. If you see Michelin star restaurant. World-famous. But you see one customer comes in and he doesn't look too happy with the food. The machine will not detect this. Maybe they will. The next thing is that the watch on the wrist is saying a message; Did this customer doesn't look very happy with their with the food. That might happen but for you as a chef, for you as a restaurant manager, you go up to that person and introduce yourself. That is the initiative. Yes or no? My name is so-and-so and the restaurant manager. How does your food experience going so far? Did you enjoy your appetizers? Are you enjoying your main course, are you being looked after by our service team. Is there's something else I can get for you? Is what, all the art of initiative. Learn to ask questions. Learn to initiate a conversation. It's really really important. I call it the power of going the extra mile. In Chinese philosophy, they have a wonderful belief. They say only when you go the extra mile, you become a free person. Believe in you or the extra mile. You'll become truly free or that you are a slave, for the Chinese. If you've been asked to take 1,2,3 steps in your job. This is exactly what you do. You take 1,2,3 steps. This quotation is saying you're a slave. You take step 4, Step 5 on your own or you're free. There's nobody asked you. Take step 4 and Step 5 You put them on your own and you're operating from freedom. You're operating from freedom, you'll get a lot more in return. Get this? You are only restricting yourself to that thing. You will be among the millions of other people.

The extra mile is never crowded. You know where the crowd is. You know where the crowd is... behind the line of expectations. Behind the line of minimal requirements. The crowd is all there. You crazy people decide to cross that line and go a few steps ahead on your own. You'll never find traffic on this route. You know why? Not many people will do this. Out of a thousand of two people; there's no competition.

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Tags: Success, Hospitality Industry, Passion, Hard Work, Dedication.