General Information
Hospitality Foundation
Program
August 2-5, 2010 -- Granville, OH
November 8-11, 2010 -- Charleston, SC
January 24-27, 2011 -- Florida (location tbd)
The Hospitality Foundation Program -- the first step in becoming certified as A Place
of Hospitality is coming up ... and I would love to have you be part of it. Here is more information on what is
involved and how to get your name on the list.
NOTE: Over the years, we have conducted shorter presentations of the principles that form the core of
what we now call the Hospitality Foundation Program. Those programs were well-received and past
attendees gained significant insights during our time together. Click
here to see a few of their comments.
We also learned that a longer format helps this shift of understanding take hold at a deeper level. This
creates a more lasting impact on the leaders and ultimately, on their organizations. We will have more
"ahas" to pass along as new "graduates" share their experiences. |
What is The Hospitality Foundation
Program?
The Foundation Program is just what the name implies -- the foundation of understanding that makes the "impossible"
promise of A Place of Hospitality totally achievable. I promise you there is nothing like this anywhere else
in the industry.
By now you probably understand that true hospitality doesn't come from what you DO, it is a result of how you ARE.
This creates a training dilemma. You know how to teach people what to DO, but how do you help people learn to BE
different? For that matter, how do YOU learn to be different? That's where the Foundation Program comes in.
The Foundation Program is a wonderfully natural experience of seeing life from a deeper, more meaningful
perspective. The insights you gain will allow you to more readily see solutions to most of your thorniest problems,
make your personal relationships more meaningful and truly allow you to create A Place of Hospitality that
will draw patrons like a magnet.
The Foundation Program will help you create and sustain an organization that functions effortlessly and requires
less of your personal time; one that also enjoys high staff morale, low turnover, increased productivity and a
genuine sense of guest service.
We will explore the true spiritual nature of human beings -- before the fact of philosophy, religion, or
psychology. We certainly will not present any dogma, religious, psychological or otherwise -- but people who have
attended such programs often say that they had always wanted to learn more about their spiritual nature and how to
integrate that depth of feeling into their businesses.
The Foundation Program is designed to help you gain a fresh perspective on the human side of the hospitality
equation. It introduces principles that will allow you to eliminate chronic stress and create a closer connection
with the others in your life. It helps you understand what makes people tick in a way that lets you quickly see to
the heart of every interpersonal issue you face.
In other words, this is the foundation of understanding that will set you apart from the competition and allow
you to truly become A Place of Hospitality.
How Does The Program
Work?
The Foundation Program is very different from anything you ever attended before in that it does not teach content.
You will learn about how A Place of Hospitality works, of course, but the primary purpose of the Hospitality
Foundation Program is to introduce Principles that will lead you to individual insights -- those "Aha" moments that
result in lasting personal change.
Leaders are always looking for ways to increase employee productivity and the quality of the guest experience. Most
have tried approaches like motivational speakers, behavior modification, team-building, rewards/consequences, and
values training. Techniques like these may produce minor changes, but the results are short-lived.
This leaves leaders still searching for the illusive "silver bullet" that will change everything. Those leaders who
do see lasting value from some traditional programs do so for reasons that seem puzzling or mysterious. Most would
consider this to be mental toughness, mental health or "getting your mind right."
A Simple Shift of
Understanding
We call this variable "state of mind" -- the quality of thinking that is available to someone at any given moment.
In organizations, we call the collective states of mind the "climate" or the "tone" ... and the climate in an
organization always reflects the thinking of the leader.
When you permanently improve your level of performance -- whether from a book, tape, program or personal insight --
it is the result of a shift in your state of mind. When an insight leads to a shift in your state of mind, you
immediately have a wiser view of virtually every business situation and personal interaction you encounter. You
instinctively know what to do ... and it works.
For example, you may know that trusting your staff will help build better working relationships, but you cannot
trust people as a technique. True change takes a shift of perspective, not just an intellectual grasp of the
concept. You will trust people naturally when you truly see them as worthy of your trust.
The Hospitality Foundation Program will not load you down with more things to remember. Rather, it is about
fundamentally changing the way you see your business, your staff, your relationships ... and ultimately, your
life. In fact, you will realize how to accomplish everything you want ... and more ... without the need for any
clever management techniques. It is an elegantly simple solution to a previously "unsolvable" problem.
The shift that occurs when the simple power of these notions really hits home for the first time is the most
critical element in creating a positive work climate that draws patrons and top workers. The organizational climate
determines how long your staff will stay with you, how productive they will be while they are there, what level of
hospitality they will deliver, how much (or little) trouble they will be and how much of a magnet you will be for
current and future customers.
Our vision is to awaken a realization of how you can make the "feeling" of your restaurant a positive (and
profitable) point of difference in the market.
The Spiritual Nature of Hospitality
You may appreciate that hospitality comes from a FEELING you create with your guests, not from the specific actions
you take. Because hospitality is generated from a much deeper source within people, it makes perfect sense to
approach it from a spiritual rather than an intellectual direction.
It is always a challenge to describe the indescribable, so I asked my colleague, human relations consultant Robert
Kausen, how he might explain the approach we take in the Foundation Program. Here is how Robert put it:
Many of the leaders and business owners I have worked with over the years ask, "What is the
so-called spiritual nature of human beings and how does that work in business?" The curious often turn to religion,
a particular philosophical construction, or even the field of psychology.
In my experience, the best answers to this inquiry do not come from outside yourself, but from probing beyond what
you think you already know. The key is to keep an open mind and a curious attitude, allow time for reflection and
be receptive to insights and realizations. It is more a process of awakening than of searching.
The Hospitality Foundation Program will guide you to a deeper understanding of three principles that govern how
your personal experience is being created by your own thinking. What each attendee will gain from this inside-out
learning process will vary, of course, but when people gain additional insight and realize their true nature, we
typically see results like these:
- Virtual elimination of chronic stress and burnout
- More fun and enjoyment in every part of your life
- A healthier, warmer organizational climate
- A more supportive relationship with your staff
- Improved presence and contact with your guests
- An understanding of how to lead your staff toward true hospitality
If you think you and your business could benefit from any of these outcomes, if you are
intrigued by the idea that there could be possibilities beyond those you can presently imagine, and if you'd like
to develop more positive relationships with others, we invite you to be part of the Hospitality Foundation
Program.
Then What?
If the Hospitality Foundation Program does not leave you with a fresh understanding of how you could actually
become A Place of Hospitality, there is no point in continuing our relationship. However, most participants
come away with an exciting sense that the picture we present is suddenly possible. A Place of Hospitality
will give you a track to run on and assist you to realize your dreams faster than you ever imagined.
Who Should
Attend
Any meaningful change must start at the top, so before a restaurant can be certified as A Place of
Hospitality, the owner(s) of the business -- the folks who write the checks -- MUST attend the Hospitality
Foundation Program. In addition, we recommend that you include the GM and any other key managers who have a
material impact on how the restaurant runs.
Program
Location
 In August we will meet at The Granville Inn, an historic inn complex located under the trees on the main street of
Granville, Ohio, about a 30-minute drive east of Columbus, Ohio.
Granville is straight out of Norman Rockwell, with wide streets, big trees and a college on the hill. The pace is
relaxed and the distractions minimal ... precisely the reason we chose this property. Best of all, the hotel has
agreed to a rate of just $89 a night for our group!
Information on the host properties for November and January will be posted as arrangements are finalized.
I highly recommend you stay at the host hotel during the program and not commute from elsewhere. The purpose of the
Foundation Program is to quiet your racing mind and allow your understanding to shift in a more productive
direction. That evolution of understanding is what will ultimately make it possible for you to stand out clearly in
the market and realize the promise of A Place of Hospitality.
In my experience, you may find it harder to "shift gears" if you dive right back into your old world every evening,
if you have to fight traffic twice a day to drive to alternative lodging or if you separate yourself from the group
during the week. These actions, while well-intentioned, are more likely to keep you stuck in old ways of thinking
... and that will definitely be counter-productive in the long run.
Program
Schedule
The Hospitality Foundation Program will start at 9:00am on Monday and finish at noon on Thursday. Rather
than racing back home when the program is completed, I encourage you to stay an extra day or two. You will benefit
greatly from having some quiet time to reflect on the insights you gained during the week ... and you are probably
overdue for a little R&R anyway!
In any event, please do not book a return flight before 2:30pm on Thursday. If we are to move ahead together it is
important that you complete the entire program.
Tuition
As A Place of Hospitality is fully implemented, tuition for the four-day Hospitality Foundation Program will
gradually increase. However, we have significantly reduced the tuition for the first few programs because we will
be asking those operators to take a greater role in fine-tuning the elements of the support system.
The schedule on the registration page shows how tuition for the Foundation Program will increase over time. Your
investment is determined by when you register rather than the date of the program you register for, so the sooner
you make the commitment to join us, the lower your tuition. .
Then
What?
If it appears that we have reached a meeting of the minds after our time together, you may decide to continue and
become certified as A Place of Hospitality. In that case, you can test drive the program for 90 days at no
charge. If you find the support to be helpful, you may elect to continue your participation for a modest monthly
fee. I fully expect this ongoing investment will be more than offset by reduced costs and increased sales volume,
but you get to decide.
Pursuing certification as A Place of Hospitality is your choice to make, of course, but at the completion of
the Foundation Program, you should understand the incredible potential of putting this understanding to work in
your business ... and the value of having a system to help you do it.
Whatever path you choose, the Foundation Program is the first step. If you have the courage to step off into the
unknown with us, register your team for the Hospitality Foundation Program.
It is NOT necessary that everyone attend the same session. Feel free to mix and match program locations to fit your
particular needs.
A Personal Note
...
Gaining this understanding has been a life-changing event for many operators. Certainly that is true for me ... and
I am grateful every day for the elegantly simple understanding that has guided me in a fresh, more creative and
enduring direction in working with people.
The results we describe from this shift of perspective may sound too good to be true, but as futurist Arthur C.
Clarke once wrote, "Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic."
I hope you will have the courage to set any considerations aside and discover what lies beyond the realm of your
current understanding. This is an important first step toward realizing the promise of A Place of
Hospitality ... but it's your business, your life and your decision. Choose bravely.
This note may raise as many questions as it answers but I have already written more than I intended and there is no
way to anticipate every question you may have. So send me an e-mail with your queries. I will give you an immediate answer and start
assembling a FAQ page for the website.
Speaking of the website, it might be worthwhile to review the information on the site to refresh your understanding
of what A Place of Hospitality is intended to bring to the world ... and why you would be wise to be part of
it sooner rather than later.
Thanks again for being part of this adventure.
Bill Marvin
The Restaurant Doctor
800-767-1055
PS #1: The Foundation Program is intentionally limited to a very small group so we can provide individual attention
to everyone. Registration is open for programs through January 2011. Register your
team now while space is still available.
PS #2: There never seems to be enough time or enough money, particularly in times like these ... but the very fact
that your competitors are frozen in fear presents a perfect opportunity to make a bold move and take control of
your market. My bet is that if you see what we are pointing toward in this program you will earn back more than
your investment within a month, two, tops -- and it won't seem like you did anything different to earn the
extra business! Now that is the sort of magic you can believe in!
PS #3: If you want rewards your competitors are not going to get, you have to do what your competitors are not
willing to do. Do the Work!
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