Download It*s All About Leadership at The Ritz-Carlton

Lesson Plan for: It’s All About Leadership at The Ritz-Carlton
Client:
Location:
Date:
National Association of Residential Property Managers
La Jolla, CA
Wednesday, October 16th, 2013
Objectives
The audience will understand:
 How great leaders have a sense of who they really are
 How leaders “paint the picture” to earn trust
 The importance of always creating operational alignment while still having fun
 The leader’s role in continuous improvement through innovation
Thought provoking question: Why should anyone be led by you?
This is also the title of a recommended book by Rob Goffee and Gareth Jones
The anchor for this program is Ritz-Carlton’s Employee Promise:
12 Leadership Principles
1) Ethics are Everything
a. The moment you accepted the position of leader, “optics” came into play. All eyes are
upon you; what role model are you setting.
2) Create Systems Behind the Smiles
a. Your Systems (even those for Service Delivery) should align back to the Business
Strategy of the Organization
3) Be Authentic, Accountable and Caring
a. Authenticity serves as a compass in your life that promotes consistency in what you say
and do. When others see this consistency they are more likely to trust you, respect you
and be willing to follow you.
b. A culture of accountability makes a good organization great and a great organization
unstoppable.
c. Employees want to connect and be inspired by a leader who is competent and caring.
That means balancing intellect with logic and emotion.
4) Foster an Environment of Low Fear and High Trust
a. Some behaviors of High-Trust leaders: Demonstrate Respect, Clarify Expectations,
Listen First and Extend Trust
i. These are from the book “The Speed of Trust” by Steven Covey
5) Be Humble and Recognize the Power of Team
a. As a leader, you no longer have the luxury of thinking mostly of yourself – putting your
needs first; thinking results come from you instead of others; and, taking sides, overtly
favoring some and excluding others
6) “Grow” Talent including your own
a. Are you a Learner? Do you look for ways to bring value to your job every day? How
willing are you to get out of your comfort zone and take on a stretch assignment?
7) Communicate and Engage
a. What ways do you communicate with your team?
i. Body Language = 55%; Tone of Voice = 38%; Verbiage = 7%
8) Paint the Picture
a. Leaders are “artists” who must cascade the Business Strategy to their team who was
probably not part of creating the strategy. The employees are the canvas and the
components of the strategy are various colors. How do the employees bring the
Business Strategy to life? A key tenet: Less is More! Don’t overwhelm with too many
colors. Remember, all colors are derived from the primary colors of red, blue and
yellow.
9) Recognize, Recognize, Recognize
a. The simplest form of recognition is “Thank You”
b. For the more elaborate (annual) forms of recognition, if no one deserves it, don’t give it
out. That diminishes the value of the effort of those who strive to achieve the
recognition.
10) Be Positive and Enthusiastic
a. Positive people increase productivity, engagement, stay longer with the company, and
are the best source for employee referrals
11) Celebrate Innovation and Risk Taking
12) Energize Your Culture Everyday
a. Culture trumps Strategy every time
b. Role-modeling is an excellent way to energize your culture
Boss vs. Leader
The boss drives people; the leader coaches them
The boss depends on authority; the leader on good will
The boss inspires fear; the leader inspires enthusiasm
The boss says “I”; the leader says “WE”
The boss fixes the blame for the breakdown; the leader fixes the breakdown
The boss says “GO”; the leader says “LET’S GO!”