Wathawards

07/07/2014

The 'X' Factor.
By Dr. Rick Johnson
Saturday, 5th July 2014
There is no such thing as a 'Born Leader', when people talk about born leaders, what they are really referencing is the 'X' factor of leadership;

What is the 'X' factor? Simply stated the 'X' factor is the willingness, the desire and the willpower to become an effective leader.

Effective leaders go through a never ending development process that includes education, self-study, training, experience and coaching and mentoring from one or several individuals that have a very positive influence on their personal development.

Leadership is the ability to influence, inspire and motivate others to accomplish specific objectives. It includes creating a culture that helps direct the organization in such a way that it makes it cohesive and coherent keeping short term tactical goals and objectives in alignment with long term strategic initiatives. The success of leadership in this process is directly influenced by the individual leaders’ beliefs, values, ethics, character, knowledge and skills.

Position and title may give you power but power in itself does not make you an effective leader. To become an effective leader there are specific skill sets that you must understand and master. This does not come naturally. It takes dedication, passion and commitment to the process. That commitment, dedication and passion includes a tireless effort to improve on specific skills and the development of a personal leadership methodology. This is often referred to as your personal leadership model.

If someone were to ask your subordinates to evaluate your leadership abilities, their response to this question would likely not be related to your character, integrity and values. Of course these are important to your success as a leader but people evaluate your leadership skills based on what you do to figure out who you really are. They are looking for that “X” factor.

The “X” factor is what really determines if you are honest, ethical, fair, trust worthy and not self-serving. If the “X” factor does not exist, employees are likely to obey rather than follow and only do exactly what they are told to do and nothing more. If the “X” factor does not exist, your success in developing the skills necessary to become an effective leader is likely to be minimal.

The “X” factor shapes what and who you are as a leader. It involves everything you do and it affects the well-being of the organization. Employees want to follow a leader they respect, one that gives them a clear sense of direction and a strong vision of the future.

Ask yourself these questions to determine if you or other managers in your organization have the “X” factor.

How well do you know yourself with regard to self-improvement and development? Do you understand, admit and work on personal weaknesses?Do you seek responsibility and take responsibility for your actions striving to reach new heights.When things go wrong do you take the blame instead of looking for others to blame.Does problem solving, decision making and planning come natural to you?

Are you a good role model and do you seek out employees with high potential to coach and mentor?Do you truly believe in the value of your employees sincerely caring about their well-being without being so compassionate that it clouds your judgment on competence?

So you believe you and your executive team all have the “X” factor. As effective leaders you must be able to interact with employees, peers, seniors and many other individuals both inside and outside the organization. You must gain the support of many people if you are going to meet or exceed established objectives. This means that you must develop or possess a unique understanding of people.

The “X” factor is the driving force that will help you develop these skills. Human nature is the common qualities of all human beings. People behave according to certain principles of human nature. Understand these principles that govern our behavior and success is imminent. Start with the basics by revisiting your college study of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs.

Armed with a refresher of this basic knowledge of human behavior you can now begin to reshape your personal leadership model. This is your manner and approach to providing direction, implementing plans and motivating people. If you have that “X” factor you can become a very effective leader.

But remember, There is no such thing as a “Born Leader”. Effective leaders go through a never ending development process. We never stop learning and we never stop growing. Keep working on your leadership model and share your knowledge and success with other potential future stars that have the “X” factor.

Rick Johnson, expert speaker, wholesale distribution’s “Leadership Strategist”, founder of CEO Strategist, LLC a firm that helps clients create and maintain competitive advantage. Need a speaker for your next event, E-mail [email protected]. Don’t forget to check out the Lead Wolf Series that can help you put more profit into your business.

07/02/2014

Top 5 Resolutions Hotels Should Make to Boost Online Revenue.
By Vikram Singh
Friday, 7th February 2014
We have entered a new year of awesome possibilities, the hospitality and lodging business is poised for more disruption, innovation and growth.

I would love to see my readers address and implement a very simple list of hotel marketing strategies this year. Doing so will help boost your online revenue and make your marketing more meaningful and self-reliant.

1. Own Your Best Revenue Channel: Your Website

This is an excellent year to take ownership of your most important digital asset. Amazingly, the majority of hotels, B&B’s, and vacation rentals today are still “renting” their websites. You simply cannot be doing this in 2014. Repeat after me: “My website is my single most profitable channel of revenue, and I must own it.” Don’t leave your online presence in the clutches of an agency. The value of the direct revenue from your website is too important.

This is why it’s also time to embrace open source publishing. WordPress is an excellent option on which to build your digital empire. Oh, and before anyone freaks out about “security,” please read this article and be bold. You simply cannot be hands-off with your single biggest online asset. 2014 looks like a great year to be an owner!

Agency-powered, proprietary content management systems need to be dropped like a bad habit. If there is only one thing you implement this year from my list, please let it be this one. Fortune favors the brave, and those who take ownership of their digital life.

2. Do a Meta Search Advertising Reality Check

I am sure you have heard bigwigs say how big “Meta Search” is going to be. Some are even convinced that “Meta Search Is the Future.” Actually, there is a good chance that you or someone you know first heard this hyperbole from either:

1. A hotel marketing agency selling meta search ads/banners.
2. The meta search providers themselves, trying to sell advertising to you.
3. Folks trying hard to sound profoundly in tune with the world of online marketing for hotels.

I have had a front row seat to the Meta Search Show and have witnessed hundreds of thousands of marketing dollars spent. These investments were made by hotels in major metropolitan locations globally, on products from TripAdvisor to Google Hotel Finder. The results have not been spectacular.

Did all the meta campaigns fail? No: they managed to get a few clicks and few dollars in revenue. Was it worth it? Not really. Meta search is not building your brand or selling your value. It’s all about price. Price-focused shoppers will continue to browse hundreds of sites, as they are now wired to do it. They don’t care about your hotel or its brand.

For long-term revenue growth, you will have to focus less on the deal-seeking crowd and more on people who are staying with you for your value and location. If they can meta search, they can definitely use Google to find you directly and book on your website. Save your money, and use it to solidify your most profitable channel, aka your website.

*Prophecy: Agencies will continue to advertise 45:1 ROI on everything Meta Search for the next few years.

3. Chill Out on SEO

Pandas, penguins and hummingbirds need to be in the wild and not on the list of top things to talk about this year. Losing your marbles about rankings every time Google makes an algorithm change is a humongous waste of time. Please do not waste time on things you cannot control.

One of my predictions for 2014 is that a lot of hospitality and travel websites will continue to witness a decline in organic traffic from Google. So…let it go. Shift your online marketing efforts away from entirely focusing on search engine keywords. The time, money and effort you’ve been putting into chasing rankings are better spent on your lodging business. Innovate. Give more value to your customers. Streamline your operations.

Make 2014 the year of creating great content and maintaining site health. Focus on what you can control, and let your competitors chase the rankings.

4. Look Beyond Vendor Magic

Hiring an online marketing agency cannot be the only step in your ecommerce strategy. You have to decide what you want your online marketing and revenue to look like in the future. That means someone at the property or ownership level is going to have to get his/her hands dirty with digital marketing.

Move away from hiring vendors, crossing items off a checklist, throwing cash at a search engine (meta or otherwise), signing up for every social media platform out there… and then tuning out. If you are only going to pop in to review monthly reports, there are some hard times ahead.

The fact is that a lot of hotel marketing/ecommerce department employees are spending 90% of their time on vendor management. If you are one: This has got to stop. Instead, in 2014 your goal should be to bring at least a few of your online marketing activities in-house. This, of course, highly depends on the caliber of the people you hire. Hire well, and then let those people do the real work; you will not regret it. Don’t let the fear of making mistakes makes you hands-off.

Let me share a little secret: Everyone messes up in ecommerce; it’s not a perfect science. The only way to learn is to dive in and make some mistakes. Try-Observe-Modify-Repeat.

5. Say No to FOMO

Fear of missing out (FOMO) syndrome is making it hard for you to focus on revenue. Social media is one of the biggest distractions in the industry right now. You feel like you have to stay tuned into news feeds or social networks, or else you will miss something in the ocean of updates and conversations. You feel “social media jealousy pangs” when you see your competition doing cool things on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest.

The cure is simple:

1. Accept that you are not going to be shining on every single outlet. You will not get a positive review on everything you post.

2. Limit the distractions. Pick one or two channels where you can consistently post your side of the story and build your community.

If you can live in the present rather than somewhere else all the time, you will see an increase in your productivity and revenue.

Conclusion

2014 is going to be a banner year for those of you who are taking ownership of your digital lives. Innovation in 2014 will come from the property level, and not from a sales/account manager at a hotel marketing agency with 100′s of clients.

Connecting with guests is always better than connecting with algorithms and AI robots (unless the AI robot is Scarlett Johansson). Don’t let FOMO (fear of missing out) dilute your marketing. You can’t do it all, but you can do a few important things very well. Focus and win.

By Vikram Singh

04/11/2011

The WATHAWARDS Gala Night Event takes place today. We are at the La Palm Beach Hotel & Resort, in Accra, Ghana. It promises to be a great night out. Surprises will be sprung, while professionalism is celebrated in the Toursim & Hospitality Industry in West Africa....C YA IN 24 HRS DOWN D ROAD FOR D FINAL REPORT

03/11/2011

All is set for this year's West African Tourism & Hospitality Awards. We are inviting you specially to be with us at the La Palm Royal Beach Hotel, Accra, Ghana on Friday, November 4th at 6 PM to celebrate the best in the Tourism & Hospitality Sector in West Africa

22/10/2011

Aero Contractors are the Official Partners of WATHAWARDS

22/10/2011

Voting has commenced earnestly for this year's Awards. Please visit our Website, www.wathawards.com and vote for the best in tourism or hospitality establishment of your choice

13/10/2011