A return to the Castle - October 2024
It has been a little while (almost two years) since I updated this blog. A lot has happened in that time, suffice to say the adage that “life is what happens when you are making plans” has been particularly apt. I cannot say everything has been easy, but I have learnt a lot about myself, other people and the importance of human connection.
This week I had the opportunity to catch up with Dr. Birgit Trauer, whom I originally met when she was a guest at the hotel I ran in Dubai (note to aspiring GMs: it pays to go and talk to your guests – more on that later). Birgit is a respected social psychologist, academic and author, with a specialisation in travel, tourism and hospitality. She is originally from Germany but has made Australia her home, over the years we have realised we share many of the same values and approaches to work and life, and our conversation this week turned towards human connection. Why, we asked each other, does it appear that people, in general, appear to be lonelier and constantly in search of both inner peace and more meaning in their lives? To quote Birgit; “the rise in technology and artificial intelligence, our demand and desire for mobility, and the norms inherent in individualism and consumerism are affecting the health of our relationships, with estrangements, isolation and disconnect on the increase.” I would add that the Covid pandemic only exasperated these factors and, quite apart from the personal impact, created significant changes in the workplace.
I have seen this for myself in several different countries and the challenges of recruitment and, more importantly, retention will only get harder if organisations do not take steps to address these factors and help their employees build better relationships and develop leadership capability. From personal experience, I can say that there is far less of a focus on people than there was even ten years ago in the hospitality business. This is not only short sighted but bad business practice in this very human industry. I am sure hospitality is not alone in this regard (how many of us have recently screamed in quiet frustration when trying to establish a human connection with a bank, airline or insurance company) but it is well placed to address the issue and develop strategies to build more healthy, engaged and resilient workforces – especially in emerging markets where there is so much focus on business growth.
There is so much to cover on this topic – we could also look at the role of AI, the increasing incidence of poor customer behaviour (this week the Financial Times reported that Tokyo is introducing legislation to ban the harassment of customer service workers), changing demographics and cross-cultural differences. Birgit and I will share more thoughts and ideas over the coming months, and we would be interested in your views – what has happened to the human connection, especially in the workplace?
Aligning Your Values. An interview with Hotels Magazine where I expressed the importance of shared values in any collaboration. What do you think? James, 1 December 2022
Empathy - the first of a series looking at keywords and phrases that help me. Let me know what you think!
I came across this infographic recently and it struck me how much we talk about the importance of empathy but how little we see of it in our professional lives. We can be so focused on ourselves, and what we see in others that we forget what we can’t see.
Empathy, as defined by the Cambridge Dictionary is:
"The ability to share someone else's feelings or experiences by imagining
what it would be like to be in that person's situation."
How often have you felt that someone has put themselves in your shoes to resolve a service issue (more on that next time)?
Or, do you as a leader try to imagine what your direct report may be feeling when they come to you with an issue? The best leaders I have ever worked for always did this, making sure they really understood what the individual or team was experiencing, and then tried to help or resolve the problem. And not just once – this is something to be done on a daily basis – you gain trust by listening, not interrupting, asking for input and solutions and then making things happen. Even the smallest improvement will show you care and will help build engagement. We can all talk about it, but do we really practice what we preach?
Is there anything missing from the infographic? To me, culture - you also must consider the impact of national or group culture, many people will not be happy sharing their issues or concerns in front of others. On many occasions following a meeting, what was deemed to be an agreed course of action was questioned in private by a key stakeholder. I took that as a compliment - the person concerned was confident enough to come and talk to me about it - frustrating as it may have been at the time. That was a great learning for me, especially when working with different cultures.
What are your views?
#empathy #leaders #culture #engagement #team #people #keywords #help
James, 24 November 2022
