Page 280 - The New Gold Standard

PRINCIPLE 5: LEA VE A LASTING FOOTPRINT
embraced a truth at Ritz-Carlton that Adam Smith concluded
some three hundred years before us—namely, that an employee
cannot relate to orders and directions but can relate to motiva-
tion and objectives in his or her own area. But what do many
managers do? They hire people and go about giving them super-
vision, orders, and directions. They don’t allow their people to
live up to their potential or give them elbow room to create their
work processes. They don’t allow them to be creative human be-
ings; they put their people in a box and say ‘Here you go.’ That’s
Taylorism—a production principle—where you limit what a
person can do with the function you want them to have.”
When asked to address this philosophy in the context of
people’s failing to live up to the trust placed in them, Horst re-
sponds, “Of course, I trust people to think and create, and some-
times they violate my trust and fail. But do you want to manage
to avoid failure or manage to succeed? The situation failed, but if
that manages me, that means I am making an excuse to become
the true power. These are nothing but management excuses to
have power and be in control. That only works for a while.”
“Managing to succeed” at Ritz-Carlton involves a methodi-
cal and patient selection process, a culturally rich orientation,
immediate skills training and certification, a swift employee
reengagement process (effectively achieved through Day 21),
daily lineups, annual acknowledgment of an employee’s service,
and entrusting the Ladies and Gentlemen with individualized
service and experience enrichment. How does your business
meet these standards?

D Having the patience to avoid the “I will take anyone”
syndrome, where the immediate crisis of understaffing
leads to hiring compromises?

D Involving your current employees in the interview
process?

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