THE IMAGE OF HOTEL SUPERVISORS - THE PREAMBLE TO SELF APPRAISAL PART 2a

As Supervisors we all portray one image or other to our 'bosses', our subordinates and indeed the general public (all others whom we interact with on behalf of the organization we are working for). 

Some who are good 'actors' may act their roles quite well but not for too long; it soon catches up on them because of the nature of hotel supervisory jobs. We cannot pretend for too long if indeed we realize we are 'round pegs in square holes'. 

There is another image that only you can see; your own reflection, in the ‘mirror of self appraisal’. Some Supervisors, being uncomfortable with what they might see pass on or put down the 'mirror' too quickly to avoid catching sight of what image shows up. 

Others, however, are unafraid to look into this 'mirror'. These ones identify their errors and challenges, examine their mistakes and work on themselves.They eventually acquire new competencies, adding depth and quality to their educational image, personal image and professional image! May we join this group among us. The industry desperately has need of such!

A very general image was depicted of hotel supervisors in Ghana in Part 1 of the topic under discussion. It was the outcome of information compiled from different sources; a survey, some interactions with hotel supervisors during at training sessions, formal appraisals and job interviews of hotel supervisors over a period of time.

To be fair to ourselves and for this article to become relevant to you, we are invited first, to engage ourselves in the series of questions which follow; a personal inventory checklist.

We are doing this in the privacy of our rooms. Honest answers would certainly help us get motivated about our own development.

 Consider also the quotation on the top left hand as you prepare to carry out the exercises; what follows and Part 2b ( which will be presented after a few days).

Personal Inventory Checklist

1. Do I know my strengths? Yes_ No_
2. Do I know my weaknesses? Yes_ No_
3. Am I involved in any program to improve my deficiencies? Yes_ No_
4. Do I like to work with people? Yes_ No_
5. Do I like responsibility? Yes_ No_
6. Can I handle responsibility? Yes_ No_
7. Am I dependable? Yes_ No_
8. Do I follow instructions? Yes_ No_
9. Can I work as a member of a team?Yes_ No_
10. Do I like working with details? Yes_ No_
11. Can I manage other people? Yes_ No_
12. Do I prefer working with people rather than with things? Yes_ No_
13. Do I follow through on my job from beginning to the end? Yes_ No_
14. Do I work well under pressure? Yes_ No_
15. Do I like to solve problems? Yes_ No_
16. Do I find creative ways to do things when there are no set procedures? Yes_ No_
17. Do I like to study people? Yes_ No_
18. Do I learn from my past mistakes? Yes_ No_
19. Do I recognize that there is always a better way? Yes_ No _
20. Do I believe that the guest is always right? Yes _ No_
21. Do I recognize that there is always a better way? Yes_ No_

Write out your responsibilities as a Supervisor.
A prerequisite to answer questions in Part 2b is for you to place yourself in your work environment and to take stock of what is expected of you.

Note that for some of us our job descriptions on paper differs from what we find ourselves doing. If that is you, for the sake of the exercise,  revise your job description to depict what your actual day to day responsibilities are. If you have not been given a formal job description, reflect on what your boss has been demanding from you and write them down. Include what you find yourself doing from the time you go to work till you close(at least 2 weeks observation).

THE IMAGE OF HOTEL SUPERVISORS - HARD TALK (PART 1)

Represents anyone playing the supervisory role.

Taking up the position of a Supervisor, Hotel Owners/Managers who employ us have varied reasons, including covert reasons. Our job descriptions differ from what we really do if we are fortunate to have been given one. On our part, we are very eager  to take the position for the following reasons:

• money
• power and authority
• benefits
• networking
• self esteem

Generally an overt and a common understanding of our job specifications include having specialized technical education and work experience in specific areas of specialization(for a departmental supervisor). For the position of General Operations Supervisor, especially in the small hotels, the requirements include a general hotel/hospitality management education with the ability to supervise at least two departments effectively.

Who are we?
Our positions, depending on the size of the hotel property may include titles such as 'Front Office Supervisor', 'Food and Beverage Supervisor', 'Head Chef' , 'Head Waiter', 'Housekeeping Supervisor' and 'General Services Supervisor' or even 'Assistant Manager'. Hotels with fifty rooms or less may have personnel carrying such titles as 'Head/Lead Cook', 'Night Receptionist/Auditor', 'Marketing Officer', 'Account Officer' and 'Bartender' also playing the role of supervisors.

Some hotels have the word 'executive' tagged along operational titles such as 'Front Desk Executive', although such personnel may not be playing supervisory roles (confusing isn't it?).

Common to the varied titles listed above, is the fact that we are all directly responsible for entry-level employees or other personnel who do not have supervisory responsibilities . We are often reminded, and correctly so, that we are the 'linking pins' facilitating communication between our subordinates and higher level personnel and vice versa. Sometimes we find that we have to answer to two bosses, -the General Manager and the Owner -(an unhealthy business practice).

Many of us were promoted from the rang, based on seniority. Some got promoted by looking the part; while others, by flattering the people who selected them. It is not clear how many others ascended by their knowledge and reliability in their areas of specialization.

A general assessment of supervisors in 2-star rated Ghanaian operated hotels some years back reflected a-below average rating.

As Supervisors, most of us underestimate the scope of our jobs. We easily complain and/or become complacent on the job. Our technical know-how is limited and some even feel threatened by our subordinates who have been longer on the job than us, but lack the educational qualifications we possess.

The lack of effective orientation given to us when we first took up our supervisory jobs and our inability to pursue continuous professional training betray us. Unfortunately we also hardly ask our bosses questions, much more probing questions!

We demonstrate poor understanding of the standards and goals of the organization  and /or the industry and we sometimes panic at the normal demands of our position. Our level of maturity, discretion, insight and reasoning to effectively convince our employers to provide the needed resources to meet operational demands is quite low and we sometimes feel bullied or intimidated by some.

Invariably, our loyalty to the hotel organization we work for depends more on our personal relationship with our employers than on our professional relationship.

Most of us know we need training but we do not see it as critical since we must be seen to be doing the bidding of our employers irrespective of professional requirements.

Should an artist sketch the impressions of the above discussion on the hotel supervisor, the portrait will likely not be a complimentary one.

The series of articles to follow should help equip hotel supervisors towards developing a strong professional image.

What does it mean to supervise?

The common understanding of 'supervising' upon which subsequent articles will focus on are to:

1. Watch over the work of your staff to ensure that the standard requirements of the hotel operation are met.
2. Offer guidance for meeting daily set goals.
3. Provide leadership in difficult times.

Self Assessment
Are you ready to carry out an honest assessment on yourself? A generic self appraisal form has been made available in  Part 2a and 2b. Meanwhile take stock of what your responsibilities are as a Supervisor.

We will then discuss the challenges of your role in this unique environment(of hotels) and provide guidelines  towards developing a 'take charge' image.



 

2018 -WELCOME BRIEF

The image on the left  sets the tone for the year's discussion on this platform. Closing last year I put up an African proverb, 'if you wish to move mountains tomorrow you must start by lifting stones today.'

Happy New Year and welcome  to GH Hospitality Hub for 2018.

The agenda this year is to take a close look at two major areas.
One is in hotel operations-the real supervisory practices in the hotel industry in Ghana (not the text book stuff)- and address a selection of concerns and/or topical issues. The other is on hospitality education, training and development in Ghana. The latter is quite a broad topic but I will aim at just 'lifting stones' in this area.


My general observations particularly of rentals and catering services (a growing part of the hospitality industry in Ghana) during the Christmas and New year holidays brought to memory a timeless but classic song, 'Where have all the flowers gone?'

Enjoy it!

Will we ever learn?

SEASONS GREETINGS

MAY THE GRACE OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST COME ALIVE TO YOU ALL THIS SEASON AND AS WE ENTER 20I8

CLOSING THE YEAR 2017

"IF YOU WISH TO MOVE MOUNTAINS 

TOMORROW,

YOU MUST START BY LIFTING STONES

 TODAY"

This blog became active this year, 2017. It had been dormant for sometime.

As a Certified Hospitality Educator, I intended the blog to serve as a platform to share concerns and observations on the hospitality industry in Ghana, from the perspective of hospitality employees/personnel. I had read several articles on the industry from the points of view of  guests/customers, a few on owner/investors but hardly any from the point of view of the workforce. Having worked through the rungs, beginning as a front desk clerk, I thought I could carry the voice of hotel personnel.

My approach has been to set alerts and offer critiques with the aim of generating relevant 

discussions and hopefully motivate members in the hospitality fraternity.  

My goal this year was to touch down on every department of a typical hotel; the front office, housekeeping, maintenance, food and beverage service, kitchen operations, finance, administration and human resource. I did not quite cover as much as I planned since there was a 2-month break period and shortfalls of planned articles during some of the months.  

Do find below a summary of the articles shared beginning with the latest:

	WHO WE EMPLOY MATTERS: SOMETHING MUST CHANGE (Part 2 cont.)						12/12/2017
	PART 2 WHO WE EMPLOY MATTERS: SOMETHING MUST CHANGE						30/11/2017
	WHO WE EMPLOY MATTERS-SOMETHING MUST CHANGE						30/11/2017
	MARBLE & STEEL MAY CREATE HOTELS OF DAZZLING BEAUTY BUT THE HEART & SOUL OF HOTELS ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD ARE THEIR EMPLOYEES.                             Anonymous <!--[if gte mso 9]> Normal 0						30/10/2017
	BEYOND THE BRICK AND MORTAR: HOTEL EMPLOYEES						28/10/2017
	COMING IN NOVEMBER 2017HOSTING A HUMAN RESOURCE PROFESSIONAL IN THE HOTEL INDUSTRYON THIS PLATFORM						17/10/2017
	THE HOTEL FRONT DESK: A SLIPPERY WORK ENVIRONMENT?						25/08/2017
	UNPREPAREDNESS OF HOTEL FRONT DESK PERSONNEL						05/08/2017
	HOTEL FRONT DESK: THE QUESTION OF SITTING OR STANDING						10/06/2017
	HOTEL FOOD AND BEVERAGE SERVICE: THE QUESTION OF TIPPING ed al.						31/05/2017
	HOTEL FOOD AND BEVERAGE SERVICE; THE MOMENT OF TRUTH						24/05/2017
	HOTEL FOOD AND BEVERAGE SERVICE; PREPARATION FOR EXCEPTIONAL SERVICE PART 2						10/05/2017
	HOTEL FOOD AND BEVERAGE SERVICE; PREPARATION FOR EXCEPTIONAL SERVICE PART 1						05/05/2017
	HOTEL FOOD & BEVERAGE SERVICE: ATTITUDINAL CHANGE FROM THE TOP						12/04/2017
	HOTEL FOOD AND BEVERAGE SERVICE: CREATING THE EXPERIENCE						12/04/2017
	HOTEL KITCHENS: THE SACRED KITCHEN AND ITS FOOD PORTFOLIO						29/03/2017
	HOTEL KITCHENS: THE STEALING STIGMA						23/03/2017
	HOTEL KITCHENS: 'THE INTRUDERS'						23/03/2017
	HOTEL KITCHENS: BASIC PRACTICES						15/03/2017
	HOTEL KITCHENS: TEMPERATURE AND TEMPER HOT- PART 2						09/03/2017
	HOTEL KITCHENS: TEMPERATURE AND TEMPER HOT- PART 1						09/03/2017
	DISPLACING THE 'MAD' MAN						28/02/2017
	DAYTIME NIGHTMARES						28/02/2017
	HOTEL HOUSEKEEPING: NEW TRENDS AND PRACTICES						26/02/2017
	DIGNITY FOR HOTEL HOUSEKEEPERS: A '3-MAN AFFAIR'						22/02/2017
	HOTEL GUESTROOMS: ENCOUNTERING THE UNEXPECTED PART 2						10/02/2017
	HOTEL GUESTROOMS: ENCOUNTERING THE UNEXPECTED PART 1						10/02/2017
	HOUSEKEEPING: YOUR ATTITUDE IS SHOWING PART 2						30/01/2017
	HOUSEKEEPING: WATCH OUT, YOUR ATTITUDE IS SHOWING						27/01/2017
	AYEEKOO HOTEL HOUSEKEEPING						05/01/2017

The quotation I started this article with is an African proverb.

The articles discussed are the 'stones' I have picked up with the hope of one day moving some mountains. Of course that cannot be done alone. You are an integral part to 'this journey' to achieve the vision of moving mountains.

Assessing how far I have come, I must confess I am yet to generate the much needed discourse required to move a mountain, much more MOUNTAINS!

I do look forward to engaging you, my readers better in 2018. I would therefore appreciate your comments and views on the blog; from the structure of the design, to content, to frequency of new articles e.t.c. Suggested subjects would also be considered as long as they will fulfill the objective spelt out above.

I am aware December is full of activities for hospitality personnel. I am therefore closing up for the year. I cease this opportunity to wish you all a Meaningful and Merry Christmas and a Prosperous 2018.  

Thank you for being a loyal reader and request that you invite fellow hospitality personnel to visit this blog in 2018.