Q. How do you know what customer information is useful?
There’s going to be feedback, and there’s certain feedback that you do get that is going to be dealt with or not dealt with. If there is a certain charge, like parking prices need to be reduced, or, ‘Boy, I wish I could stay at your hotel for half price,’ or, ‘You shouldn’t charge for this service.’ Well, there is going to be a financial platform that that’s not that gift of feedback or that vision of reducing prices.
Now, if all of my customers tell me this and continue to do that, then we will evaluate it. But, for the most part, you have to quantify it as to say, ‘Is this an individual’s perspective, or is this the majority of your customer base that is giving you this feedback?’
If you create a vision and it only impacts less than 1 percent of your client base, it is probably not a vision you want to spend a lot of time on. So, you just have to quantify, what are the certain things. It’d be nice to be able to spend money to change the color on a sign. But, realistically, is that a priority, or is that going to be something that, if you ever would get to the point that you could change the color on a sign and you had the disposable income to do that, then that’s great? But, in the meantime, you are going to have to create a vision around that or something else.
Q. How could a leader communicate a vision effectively?
The biggest thing that I say is that, No. 1, when you present your vision, do you get the buy-in from the associates? You have to. Ultimately, if people do not buy in to the vision … they may do it, but the vision, it won’t be on solid foundation; it will be cracking. If the vision is there, they buy in to the vision, you may always be able to input the vision, but does it stick and how long will it stick?
I always say that whether the focus or vision is a simple task, if you don’t have buy-in, you’ll go back six to eights months later and that vision will not be there any longer and we’ll be jumping on to something else. So, get the buy-in, ask and listen to what the people do. They may have good reasons that your vision may not, and I’ve many a time said, ‘You know what, you’re right. Wrong timing that’s a vision for the future.’
How to reach: The Westin Chicago River North, (312) 744-1900 or www.westinchicago.com
