LEADERSHIP &

MANAGEMENT
What Four Seasons Expects
From Its Supervisors
By John O Sullivan

What is Management?
A Simple Definition:
Making things happen through the joint
performance of others co-operating
together.

Managing

Planning
Organizing
Directing
Controlling

Leading

Empowering
Motivating
Coaching
Rewarding

The Four Seasons Difference

A hands-on, non-administrative, and

proactive vs. reactive approach.
Uncompromised attention to core
standards.
Every single employee (including those in
overhead and administrative areas)
accepts an obligation to prioritize and
participate in ensuring guest satisfaction.

The Cornerstones of Our Culture

Mutual respect
Universal excellence
Common Sense

The Differences Between Being a

Supervisor and a Line Employee

Accountability for results vs simple effort

Relationship with employees must now be
exclusively professional
There is no off the clock
There is no off the record
You represent the hotel in your conduct
You lose a great deal of freedom as a
management employee, you now represent the
Company and Hotel in what you say and do

Your responsibility as a supervisor

By accepting a management position, you
are accepting a responsibility to be a
consistent and positive influence in
support of the Companys and Hotels
goals, especially down the line and
among your peers, and to role-model the
behavior inherent in the Companys
culture. You can now only complain up
the line, but not down.

Emotional Resilience and

Maturity

Detaching yourself emotionally from your

subordinates.

to the extent that they will accept your enforcement

of discipline without resentment.
so that you make no emotional demands.

Accepting that in an organization committed to

a zero-defect product - you will receive less and
less external motivation (fewer strokes) as you
move up the line, and hear more about what
needs fixing.

Avoidance of Harassment

You must avoid behavior that is or could be

perceived to be harassing
You are automatically in the wrong if an
employee is offended by:

Touching
Questionable or foul language
Off-color humor
Sexual innuendo
A voice raised in anger

Expansion of time - horizon

Regular Employee: next 8 hours

Department Head: next 7 days
Division Head: next 30 days
General Manager: next 12 months
Senior Vice-President: next 5 years
Chairman: next 50 years!!

Recognize the needs of multiple

stakeholders

Guests
Employees
Owners
Other third parties (vendors, agents)
Local community/charitable organizations
Four Seasons and other properties guests and
employees
Think globally vs. territorially

Watch for Icebergs

Guest Experiences must be quickly

addressed by a short-term, quick-fix that
impresses guests with our level of concern
and intensity
They must be followed by a longer-term
look for root causes, to ensure that the
same problem does not re-occur

Supervisors Trump Companies

The talented employee may join a
Company because of its world-class
reputation, great benefits or outstanding
leaders, but how long that employee stays
and how productive s/he is depends on
her/his relationship with her/his immediate
supervisor more than anything else.

The Supervisor as Catalyst

Select the right person

Select for Talent and Fit Not just

Experience, Intelligence, Determination

Set Expectations

Define outcomes and desired results more

than process

The Supervisor as Catalyst (ctd)

Motivate the Person

Focus on Strengths more than Weaknesses

Develop the Person

Help find the right fit, not just the next rung on
the ladder

A Summary of Motivating
Behavior

Keep your word and dont overpromise so

that your behavior reinforces trust
Be as technically proficient as you can
Role-model the behavior that we preach,
especially as it relates to being hospitable
and providing guest service

A Summary of Motivating
Behavior (ctd)

Maintain your emotional control

Know your employees as individuals
Take responsibility for your own actions

Admit mistakes
Dont blame others

A Summary of Motivating
behavior (ctd)

Dont dwell on differences in rank; wear your

authority lightly and keep your ego in check.
Reinforce the self-esteem of your people
Talk the language of inclusion

we vs. me
our vs. my

Be fair and consistent; let approval be

performance-based; dont play favorites.
Steer clear of gossip

A Summary of Motivating
Behavior (ctd)

Spread the credit for success; take

personal responsibility for failure
Praise in public; discipline in private
Develop responsibility adult to adult in
your people
Keep everyone informed
Be a good listener, and be accessible

A Summary of Motivating
Behavior (ctd)

Make decisions dont sit on the fence. If

you change your mind, say so.
Make everyone understand that their
contribution counts

The Uncomfortable Eternal

Truth
Trying to make people perfect is
futile. People dont change that
much. Dont waste too much time
trying to put in what was left out.
Try to draw out what was left in.
This is hard enough.

Communication by Senior
Managers with your Subordinates

You are not entitled to unconditional

support if you are acting outside the
Companys value system. We have equal
obligation to your subordinates.
Senior people (both Hotel and Corporate)
will sometimes communicate directly with
your people informally (open door) and
formally (Direct Line/Opinion Surveys)

Intention of Direct Communication

To show that senior people care

To enable senior people to stay in touch
with the front line and not live in an ivory
tower
To speed up the solution of problems that
are causing frustration

Open Door The need to respect

it

It only works if used sparingly

It is not an invitation to interrupt or gossip
Make sure information is communicated at
an appropriate level
Do not copy e-mail up the line
unnecessarily

Managing Upwards

Everyone has a boss.

Although its important to learn to manage
up , our primary focus must remain on
managing down.

Managing Upwards (ctd)

Your boss is accountable for how you are

managing; he has a right to ask questions.
Avoid leapfrogging without good reason.

Keep your boss in the loop about any

communication you have had with his boss.
Dont let her/him get blindsided.
Avoid any pretence that your direct boss is
inconsequential.

Managing Upwards (ctd)

Recognize that your bosss time frame is

further out than yours;
Dont grandstand at your bosss expense;

Show her/him respect. S/hes not likely to be

an idiot. If he/she is eventually found to be
weak, you will be credited for having handled
a tough situation maturely, and not made the
problem worse.

Managing Upwards (ctd)

Remember that your boss may have more to

deal with than you can see or know about.
Are you a net saver or consumer of your bosss
time?
Recognize that the more senior the manager, the
more often s/he has to make decisions that are
the least bad of two disagreeable options, and
far from clear-cut. Dont take cheap shots in
criticizing the downsides of tough calls.