I believe retaining top talent is a critical responsibility of management, and our team works hard at this. Providing an employee with challenges, growth potential and a safe environment to explore their goals is a sure path to keeping key team members happy and thriving in your company.
Here are my three “musts” for talent retention:
1. Provide a challenging environment
Encouraging your employees to continually consider their next steps in a career path engages their interest and drive. I feel very strongly that one-on-one mentorship is necessary to help build strong and satisfied employees. We schedule regular, semiannual meetings to discuss career path and goals. During those discussions, we cover a series of stepping points that help keep employees on track. We hone in on three short- and long-term goals each session, asking, “What do you aspire to be in the long term?”
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I’ve found that employees often only see one pathway to their ultimate goal. For instance, a kitchen supervisor who ultimately seeks to be a hotel general manager might believe the only way to rise to that position is to transfer to the hotel’s operations and sales departments. On the contrary, many exceptional GMs have risen through the ranks of a food & beverage department.
That path might look like this: master the kitchen’s production and operations, then learn inventory and controls before moving to the front of the house where guest service, employee hiring and training, and floor management precede taking over management of other food and beverage outlets before rising to the food and beverage director’s role.
Acquiring all of these skills prepares an individual to effectively manage an operation, to watch and control expenses, to build a team and to create a quality product to deliver to guests, all of which serve a GM well.
Providing a solid plan for training and one-on-one coaching throughout the process will help your employee reach those goals while feeling challenged and engaged.
2. Demonstrate your trust
Within day-to-day operations, let people demonstrate they can do more than assumed. For example, most hotels schedule manager’s outings on occasion. This is an important all-team event that allows group interaction and bonding without the distractions of daily operations. Some, however, would say, “We cannot leave the house alone. Who will handle everything?” I encourage my management team to identify the people who have potential and who demonstrate a good understanding of our overall philosophies and business practices so that in times when a manager must be off-site—whether planned or unplanned—there is solid back up.
This does three things: First, it allows a manager to feel a sense of ease, knowing they’ve developed team members that can step in when they’re away. Second, when you put your trust in someone, they often will rise to the occasion. For the employee who is asked to cover the shift management duties, he or she takes pride in their boss’s faith and confidence. And finally, this shows all of the employees the manager is not afraid to help others grow in their positions.
3. Inspire a lack of fear to increase communication
Fear comes from the top and it is destructive. If you’re building a team you want to retain, you must inspire your managers to build an atmosphere without fear. Fear can grow from poor communication as easily as it can from an unsupportive management style. We work hard to avoid both.
One way we inspire comfortable exchanges between departments and across position levels is to host a monthly roundtable. Here, the human resources director and I have coffee with all employees celebrating a birthday in that month. We talk about the good, the bad, the possible changes they’d suggest and the issues they’d like to see addressed. This is an opportunity for departments to intermingle, and sometimes the issues brought up at this table raise the awareness of how one department’s actions are impacting another. It’s an educational, open forum where numerous good ideas are born. By setting up this type of relaxed conversation, we take away the apprehension many employees feel when they want to address something that’s just not right.
Consistent communication to the entire team is also necessary to ensure your employees know where the hotel stands financially. This business has cycles, and it is constantly tested by the economic changes we experience. It is important to let everyone know what the sales and management team is doing to ensure you’re working hard to keep each employed and that you have a plan should days turn dark. At The DoubleTree Chicago Magnificent Mile, we hold a rally every quarter to inform our employees about how we’re doing, how we’re managing the challenges ahead and how their contribution helps us achieve our goals and guests’ satisfaction.
The goal is to keep good players on the team. Keep them challenged and communicate to help them get where they want to go. In truth, there will be instances where the next step for that individual will be outside of your organization. That said, I believe leading a group in this manner and genuinely caring about the development of an individual speaks volumes to other employees and future employees who are watching and learning along the way.
As a member of the Kokua Hospitality, LLC’s management organization team, Birgit Radin serves as the managing director for two properties in Chicago, The Doubletree Chicago Magnificent Mile and the Inn of Chicago. Reach her at bradin@doubletreemagmile.com. To learn more about Kokua Hospitality, LLC, visit www.kokuahospitality.com.
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