Page 264 - Harnessing the Management Secrets of Disney in Your Company

Dream, Believe, Dare, Do 245

Whether it is the front of the house where there is constant contact with
the guest or the back of the house for the corporate business side of Four
Seasons, the shared vision of management is always the same: Take care of
your people, and they will take care of the guest. Kathleen (“Katie”) Taylor,
president of worldwide business operations, explained, “There is an unend-
ing focus on the issues of our people. They are the constant focus of our
energy. It is hard work, and it takes real energy and real commitment. Every
one of our GMs and their staffs gets up in the morning obsessed with serving
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their employees and their guests.”

Believe

It is no surprise that the goals, beliefs, and principles of Four Seasons are all
people-centered:

Our greatest asset, and the key to our success, is our people. We
believe that each of us needs a sense of dignity, pride, and satisfac-
tion in what we do. Because satisfying our guests depends on the
united efforts of many, we are most effective when we work together
cooperatively, respecting each other’s contribution and importance.

Isadore told us that these statements are only words—what counts are
behaviors based on heart-felt values. One notable role model at Four Seasons
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who lives The Golden Rule is president of worldwide hotel operations, Wolf
Hengst. Wolf joined the company in 1978 as the opening general manager of
Four Seasons Hotel Washington, D.C. As Wolf jokingly told us, “I’m at an
age and position in my career that I can say what I want. What’s the worst that
can happen to me, early retirement? When I interviewed over 25 years ago,
there were only seven hotels. I said then, ‘If the philosophy and what I had
heard in the interviews does not change, this will be a truly unique company.’
It has never changed, not in all these years, not even in one year can I say there
has been a change in philosophy. The company has changed in its size; the
company has changed in its organizational structure; but the basic belief and
philosophy at the core of the company and the culture has never changed.” 97
Respect and trust are truly the foundation for delivering five-star service
at Four Seasons, but do these virtues also apply to the corporation’s business
dealings? we wondered. “Once we sign a business contract,” Isadore affirmed,
“we file it away and never take it out again. If there is an issue, we do what