Money
Why is it that good values in life, especially empathy, are not synonymous with making large sums of money?
Hospitality
I probably stayed in more hotels this past holiday week than all of 2007. So I was able to get a crash course in hospitality.
The #1 question that kept popping up in my head was “Why are you in this job?” No, it is not rhetorical but a genuine one question to understand why that person across the desk is in this business. If one choses to work at a hotel, is it just because one needs a job, or because one wants to work in hospitality?
If you work at a hotel, then you’re in the business of being hospitable. Dictionary.com says hospitality is “the friendly reception and treatment of guests or strangers” or “the quality or disposition of receiving and treating guests and strangers in a warm, friendly, generous way”
The fundamental tenet of a hospitality job is being friendly to strangers, not just people you know, but mostly plain and simple strangers – people you don’t know or wouldn’t generally care about. Now you’ve got to care. How many times have you seen hotel employees laughing and chitchatting with their coworkers but then put on their game face (trying to be “professional”) when you walked up to the counter.
More often than not, people behind the counter are there because they need a job. This is a major problem for hotels that want to hire people who love hospitality. Service roles are the toughest gigs out there – try being nice to people on an 8-10 hour schedule, day-in and day-out. It is the hardest role and at the same time, so many people seem totally wrong for the job. You’d ask “how in the world did they hire that person for this job?”
The solution can be simple. One of the fundamental problems that I observed in tough situations in hospitality or other service roles is the assumption that the service provider (hotel clerk, cashier etc) kind-of expects you to know the routine (like checking into the hotel, payment methods at a store etc). They obviously know the process really well due to repetition so it frustrates them when you walk in and fumble around or ask questions. Your questions may be and are probably completely valid, but it “irritates” them to no end because the process is simple to them yet you don’t seem to get it. How silly are you?!
This is a training problem. This assumption needs to be systematically exorcised from the minds of service providers. The front desk team obviously know the check-in procedure really well. You won’t if you’re not a frequent traveler. Most “silly questions” come from your ignorance on these things.
Hospitality means you want to be with people. You’re the cat that is cat friendly. You either like dealing with these people problems or you don’t. However, I feel that all of us are service providers (think of a marketing manager dealing with the engineering team). So all of us need people skills and the ones that don’t automatically will fall off in the wayside and that is the process of natural selection at work and life.
So to reiterate this problem and tying it with my people experiments, the next time you’re interacting with a service provider (waitress, hotel clerk, bellboy etc), keep this post in mind. This is not a complex problem so when I tell you that the solution is that simple, you’ll probably disagree with me. Humans value complex solutions more than simple ones – come on, the problem of “bad customer service” is universal and yet the solution lies within you and is just a matter of empathy? That is ludicrous!! I don’t mean to sound “new age” or offer you alternative treatment for what you believe is a complex situation that warrants a good ol’ walloping on the wrongdoer’s backside. This is the reality of the experiments that I run almost daily. This is the result of those attempts at understanding how I can improve the situation for myself. Simple.
Fire
Why are SO many people searching for “fire experiments” and then coming to my blog?
LinkedIn Going Nowhere
I’ve found that LinkedIn is little more than a name generating tool. It is great to find out names and titles of people who you won’t find in the company directory. But what else? I’m flabbergasted that revenues are predicted to be “$75 million to $100 million next year” as made by the new CEO. Am I missing something here?
Paradoxically, the “power” users or LIONs as they pompously call themselves, are probably not paying a dime because they have so many people in their network that their extended networks are wide and far-reaching. So literally no need to pay to contact 3rd and 4th degree folks. If you are part of a LION’s network, then chances are you’re happy to pass on the request-for-introduction hoping to get something in return. Right?
So, the numbers are not adding up in my head. Obviously, at the current level of 17 million users, they are not even making $75 million (gleamed from the interview). They’ve doubled their user base in 2007 (9 million “earlier this year” to 17 million now). So let us assume they more than double next year same time to 50 million users.
I tried a bunch of options to see how 50 million users will translate into $100m next year. Power users are not going to pay $200/month for deal #3. I’ll agree with their claim that deal #2 is the most popular, I can see why. Deal #1 is just too uneconomical for sales folks and I think it is for comparative pricing and to also hook the stragglers and dilly-dalliers. What percentage do you think are paying? I don’t think it is more than 2% of total users. I just can’t fathom someone paying for LinkedIn, when so much of it is given away by vast access to 3rd and 4th degrees of separation through a large network. They’re probably generating $30 million today with the hope of tripling it next year. I also don’t think the advertising revenue is adding up to much, it never does for these websites.
LI is a really cool tool. I don’t buy the CEO’s assertion that they’re sticking around for the long haul. Only a damn fool would pay $1 billion to acquire what is essentially a bunch of electronic business cards or resumes. You’re better off acquiring Monster, which has the level of detail that LinkedIn can only dream to have. Having said that, LI is probably a good recruiting tool.
This is based on a Go West post on the interview with the LinkedIn CEO.
Indians
An oft-repeated question is “When will India become a superpower like the US or now like China?”
There are visions abound in India that forecast it’s supremacy in the next decade. The dream is that India will finally harness it’s economic horsepower and acquire a commanding stature in the world. Since 2000/2001, the economic and cultural climate in India has changed tremendously. Goods that were once luxuries are now commodities. Foreign nationals now are common sight in the city streets. Foreign Direct Investment is at an all time high. India is the leading outsourcing destination since a large chunk of it’s populace speaks fluent English (it is one of the official languages in India and a uniting factor in a country where every state speaks its own unique language). Over 400,000 engineering and business graduates come out of educational institutions yearly and Indians are adaptable. The top 10 Forbes richest include multiple Indians. The largest steel company is Indian-owned. Hotmail was an Indian’s creation. Bentley sold more cars in 15 days than what it planned for 1.5 years. You have diamonds encrusted million dollar cell phones. The list is endless.
All these are commonly known things in the world and often trumpeted by Indian politicians, bureaucrats and industrialists to show you that India is the next major force to contend with in the world. Next major force – that is an interesting phrase, kind of almost like setting up a constant expectant goal in the distance that is never reached. I am skeptical because I have suffered at the hands of Indian organizations that purport international awareness only to be backed up by ultra-poor Indian quality standards.
Try purchasing and using a calling card or a credit card or use an Indian website like www.sify.com or www.chennaionline.com. How lousy is your experience?
So, in order not to be skeptical or sound bitter, I spent sometime thinking about these problems and the two questions that go hand-in-hand. One – how is India going to become the next superpower and two – how did China become a superpower in ~10 years?
You think you know the answer for China: their non-democracy (what else can you call a capitalistic looking communist-dictatorial state?) is probably why they are leaders in today’s world as they are able to develop slave labor, charge nothing for resources and send their citizens to the US to improve their English and learn international/American customs. And India still seems to be stuck in a rut. True, there has been a lot of economic development but do you know that it is a tiny % of this largely agrarian based economy?
But the truth of the matter is, you need to look into history. Both countries were marauded by the British and America herself is a former colony. This is the common factor that binds these three diverse nations. Yet even though they are cousins in their legacy, America has been the world leader for 300+ years and now China is reaching up for the stars. India remains a distant last. Why?
Everyone jokes about how the world lives it’s life one way and America is pointed in the opposite direction (light switches, driving on the road .. you get the point). The fundamental reason is that America cast off it’s colonial shackles and the very basis of this country’s founding takes it away from colonial pressures and lifestyle. I believe that the only reason that China is where it is today, is because it is slowly doing the same – casting away the aspersions of it’s British legacy and going in the opposite direction.
India, dear India, on the other hand is firmly set in it’s British ways. It’s people, like me, are set in their approach and thought. We are still our British-servile selves because it gives us a “solid” foundation to base our preferences and lives on. It is deep rooted in our psyche. But it is not about preference for tea or old country clubs.
Until such time that Indians figure it out, we are going no where. I am not talking about the technological and economical development we see in India today – it is just a small piece of the pie. If you want to sum up the outsourcing industry in one word, then I believe it is “parasitic” – depending on others to feed you when your own infrastructure reeks.
No, I don’t hate the developments at home nor am I jealous of it. I am just frustrated at our ability to adapt so well and yet remain as a parasite, and be so reactionary to the whole situation. The variables for outsourcing presented themselves and we jumped on it. When are Indians going to create those variables for ideas and industries that the world has not yet seen? Nassim Taleb writes in his book and I paraphrase that despite all the ridicule, people around the world can’t seem to live without their iPods and their email and Internet – all American inventions. That is what I am referring to when I say that outsourcing and India itself is a parasite parasitic in today’s world.
China found it’s niche by employing it’s super-cheap natural resources, slave labor, lack of copyright protection, iron curtains and took it, no, embraced it.
So, what is India’s niche?
Nita Kulkarni, a freelance journalist in India writes about this topic.
Creativity And Repression
Ever noticed how the most repressed people are also the most creative?
Big Luxurious Green Lies
Andrea Barnett of Travel And Leisure writes on CNN about the hospitality industry’s Eco lies.
I saw some of what she writes (like being “asked to recycle towels and use a key card that controls your room’s lights and climate” on my recent road trip).
But here is something I wrote about what Auden Schendler now says, in a recent BusinessWeek article.
Name Experiment – 2
This is always an interesting experiment for me. To address someone by name and see the reaction. We all lead fairly anonymous lives already, so a little recognition seems to go a long way. And it did seem to go so for Dante.
Dante is a bellboy we met while staying at the Hilton in the Historic District in Savannah, GA on our recent road trip. We checked in at around 9pm after a 6 hour drive from Atlanta. As we pulled up to the curb, no one came out immediately to greet us (I’m going to review each place we stayed in later posts).
Then this guy walks out of the hotel pretty casually, has a “yeah, whatever” look and demeanor about him. In a lazy tone, he asked if we’re checking in, the room number and if we wanted to self park or use his services – all short and I-don’t-care-for-your-reply type of questions. Believe me, after a long drive, the last thing you want is someone (who works in the hospitality business) to not care. My wife was livid, but I kept my cool as usual. I tried a couple of jokes with him, no luck. I handed off the keys to him with a tip, and checked in at the front desk. He was doing double duty as the valet and bellboy so he brought our luggage upstairs (with the same attitude at the door).
As he was exiting the hotel room after dropping off our luggage, I walked out with him and asked him for his name. Then I tipped him again and thanked him for helping us. I can tell you, I sensed an instant change in his attitude. Not that he was jumping for joy but it was the tipping point and it was clearly visible to me.
Next day, in the morning as we went down to have him pull our car out, guess what happens? I get a warm handshake from him and cheerfully says, “Let me get your car out for you Mr. Raghavan”. This is after a grueling 8 hour night shift – if you’ve never worked at night, then you will never know how lousy and horrible one feels the next morning.
This experiment is the most interesting and rewarding of experiments that I run. The pay off is instant and usually, exactly opposite of the initial treatment. Sure, I could have made a scene, complained to the manager at the desk only to make his already tough life more miserable. Yet, I took a minute out to empathize, assumed he was doing a good job and tipped him. However, the flip side is it might enforce his broken view of the world even more and not help at all. But that is a risk, I am willing to take. 9 out of 10 times, it goes my way. I am willing to pay that “1 time fee” for the happiness I get 9 other times.
This is a relevant lesson in all walks of business and life. If you want to get your way with someone, then I believe that this is the only route. Either that or you’ve got mafia backing. It does not matter to me if Dante remains positive after he serves me, selfishly I say because I have no control over that aspect of his life. I can only control how he decides to deal with me. Nothing else.
I personally like to deal with a tough situation without blowing my top, because I’ve found that I am paralyzed when I get angry (read my post on Cortisol) and am ineffective. My fight or flight instinct is mostly flight (relevant today as calmly dealing with the situation). We can get our way either by being a total jerk or by being empathetic – I choose the latter. True, there may be cases when the person needs a good dose, but then again, who are we to judge someone else, when that is reserved for their last day on earth? It may also be the case that the person is just a “bad” person (is that even possible?) and nothing can be done about them. I feel that we jump to this conclusion at the very first hint of an initial attitude like Dante’s and the reality is totally different when compared to your view of that person.
To be honest, I am still learning how to execute this experiment perfectly. Most times, I find myself not making eye-contact when I say the server’s name. It is an ongoing process that needs sharpening on my end. But I love this experiment dearly and don’t even think that I will grow weary of it’s results. It is also one of the very first experiments I ran.
Retirement Experiment
How do you plan to spend the golden years? Do you have the energy, passion and interest in setting up a bed-and-breakfast inn? Are you (in)sane enough to move out of your home of 30 some years and start anew in a different city?
I’m talking about a couple we met on our road trip. I am back home now after a fun and exhilarating experience traveling and traveling down south.
Patti Pizinger and her husband own the Trinkle Mansion Bed and Breakfast. It is a stunning investment made by a couple seeking to move into the golden years of retirement. They took a run down (nevertheless historical building) and turned it into an opulent, magnificent, grandiose and palatial inn. It pained me to hear that they did everything (with help, obviously) and I’d estimate that they’ve sunk close to $1m in decorations and furniture and at least a $1-$2m on the renovations.
They are like a startup company. Crazy, yet extremely passionate about their retirement dream. I thoroughly enjoyed meeting Patti and living in her beautiful home for a night and could not help wonder, what drives a person to such great lengths? Do I have something in my head that I am so passionate about? Clearly, it is her dream to run this place and I can’t speak for her husband since we did not meet him. But when she was describing the place, you could see the excitement in her eyes. They gleamed when she told us the details of the reconstruction.
The vision she had about this place is interesting because she took it from a rundown building that house two attorneys and a couple of apartments
Check out the “Adel” (which is where Patti and her husband are from in Iowa). The pictures are EXACTLY how you will find the room. In fact, the rooms are more beautiful in person. Read more here. Pictures courtesy of www.supriyaraman.com
