The transition from staff member to manager requires an employee to develop a new skill set, which should not be expected to materialize immediately upon promotion. Rather, companies should include in their future plans for their business an investment in training.
While organizations frequently make capital purchases, they are often remiss when it comes to investing in their human resources.
But this is not true of all organizations. Several years ago, Coast Hotels & Resorts underwent a re-branding process, and one of the integral components of this initiative was to recognize the relationship between strategic business objectives and the development of human capital.
“Our strength as an organization is two fold,” explains Lissa-Maria Pietracupa, VP of People & Culture for Coast Hotels. “One [of our strengths] is the amazing people who work for us and [the other] is our corporate culture, or what we call Core Values.”
In order to maximize those strengths, Coast Hotels & Resorts implemented a training and development philosophy based on the belief that people want, and need, to keep learning.
According to Lissa-Maria, new managers face a myriad of challenges. They must learn that with leadership comes accountability and responsibility. On occasion they must also find the courage to make tough or unpopular decisions for the betterment of the organization as a whole.
Furthermore, new managers are required to transition from an operational focus (for example, checking someone in) to a strategic focus, such as estimating occupancy rates five years from now in any given market segment.
In a bid to prepare their employees for leadership roles, Coast Hotels & Resorts has implemented a “continuous learner” training model, which is based on three equally important elements: education, experience and personal development.
The foundation of this training begins with solid orientation, which helps employees to develop the core skills they will need to provide a positive service experience to the guests of Coast Hotels & Resorts.
“At this level our Ambassadors receive technical training, customer service training and performance expectation skills training,” explains Lissa-Maria.
But training should not end with orientation; organizations should also implement on-going training, which focuses on the further development of leadership skills.
Those employees of Coast Hotels & Resorts who wish to continue to progress in their professional career cycle move into a “Leadership Development” series that focuses on management, business and leadership skills training.
Organizations should also consider encouraging employees to attend external training seminars or opt to reimburse tuition for college courses. The initial output will pay dividends as employees appreciate learning new skills, and will bring those assets to bear on a daily basis.
Coast Hotels & Resorts has implemented an “Advanced Leadership Development” series, which teaches strategic thinking and enhances performance development through personality profiling. At this level, individuals also have the opportunity to complete additional formal education, such as Bachelor and Master Degree programs.
Many advantages result from internal promotion. Former front-line workers can more easily empathize with the challenges faced by their team members and can readily relate to the day to day responsibilities undertaken by their staff.
Managers promoted internally are also assets because they are the keepers of corporate memory, and can impart to new hires their in-depth understanding of company culture and values.
Employee development should be viewed as a long term investment. Employees will interpret this investment as a commitment, which will in turn foster staff loyalty and retention.
“We have one hotel manager who started off as a Bellman. Through successful opportunities to take on more responsibilities, combined with his passion for continuous learning (he has recently completed his MBA), our one time bellman now runs one of the largest hotels in the chain,” says Lissa-Maria.
When asked to describe employee reaction to the training and development initiatives implemented by Coast Hotels & Resorts, Lissa-Maria says it can be summed up in two words, “MORE PLEASE!”
