Page 278 - The New Gold Standard

PRINCIPLE 5: LEA VE A LASTING FOOTPRINT
D Are the objectives you are setting clear, manageable,
and congruent with the core values of your company?

D Are you measuring progress against your objectives?

D Is the data from measurement provided in an
understandable way so that everyone can see how
their effort is affecting progress?

D Are you wedded to your objectives, even in the face of
new trends emerging from ongoing data collection?
In the spirit of Ritz-Carlton, no matter how well you are do-
ing on these issues and no matter how solidly you have created
your business’s foundation, there is surely room for improve-
ment. John Timmerman, vice president of quality and program
management, states: “We’re not satisfied with just doing things
better. The experience should have been perfect in the first place.
While I know that perfection can be elusive, we need to shoot
for it or else will settle for 90 or 95 percent. We’re not going to
be a world-class organization if we start to think that way.”

C Seeking the Lasting D

While The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company embraces an inquisi-
tive, customer-centric culture, it is still defined by strong im-
mutable traditions. Essential aspects of the company’s success
are clearly articulated, and even with changes in senior leader-
ship, the core aspects of the company’s culture remain. When
founder and former president of The Ritz-Carlton Horst Schulze
left the company, Simon Cooper, his replacement and the cur-
rent president, realized, “I needed to be the chef who didn’t
change the menu. I had to honor the culture of this company
and gently advance its financial sustainability through relevant
offerings distributed in places where our guests need to find us.”
The key elements of the Ritz-Carlton service culture are eas-
ily found on the Credo Card that each Lady or Gentleman car-

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