CMT Chronicles: More Than One Mentor

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‘When you want to succeed as bad as you want to breathe, THEN you will be successful” ~ Eric Thomas. This is a quote from a YouTube video that was shown to me. The person who introduced this video to me is not only a friend, but one of my many mentors. I believe a mentor is someone who is there for words of encouragement or advice whenever you need it.

Through the CMT program, we are assigned a mentor, typically a manager within the hotel, but outside of your division.  My assigned mentor was a CMT in Engineering a few years ago and is now the Director of Engineering at the hotel.   We chat periodically about my program and how everything is going outside of work.  Wes encourages me to “take advantage of your CMT program, you are given the respect as a manager without the true responsibility of one.” 

Although I was assigned a mentor, I couldn’t have just one!  At this time, I have 8 mentors that I selected and 1 that was assigned to me.  There are just so many people that I have come into contact with during my program and they have all taught me something different. Janet taught me “there is no such thing as a bad experience, there are just opportunities to improve.” Not all of my mentors know that that they are mentors, but most of them do know that I have selected them as a mentor.  Each one of the mentors that I selected was picked for a specific quality that I admire about them. It may be for their personality or for their leadership style.

Discussions with my mentors have helped me to not only notice things that I may not have noticed on my own, but has helped me grow as a person.  They may not realize how much I’ve picked up not only from the things they’ve told me, but from their actions as well.  Because of them I am an even stronger person and will be a better manager.   A special thanks goes out to my mentors (in no particular order): Ronisha, Gwen, Wes, Vicky, Michelle, Janet, Faisal, Robert, and Alissa. Another thank you goes out to my future mentors because I know there are many more to come!

 

 

 

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Has It Really Been 3 Years?

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Editor’s Note:  Our Corporate Management Training program continues to produce great Hyatt leaders.  Former CMT, Samantha Konner is one of them!  In the blog below, Samantha updates us on year three of her Hyatt career.

So if anyone remembers about a year ago I wrote a quick blog (http://hyatt.jobs/blog/?s=Samantha+Konner) my first two years out of college. My first management position, my first real apartment and my first transfer within Hyatt. I thought I would write a quick update on how year three has gone; mainly so looking back I can remember this world wind experience.

Last time I wrote I was on an airplane flying to Reno, Nevada and days away from becoming the newest Assistant Director of Outlets at the Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe Resort, Spa & Casino. I don’t think I will ever forget pulling into my new 422 room home and being greeted by 2 valets in full ski gear. That was the first moment I realized that my life was in for a big change, the second was being handed a glass of champagne by the front desk agents at check-in. It was a warmer welcome than I ever thought possible, who doesn’t love a glass of champagne to occupy them on the long walk to their room!

While exploring my new home the next day it really hit me that life was going to be drastically different. I went from the political hub of the country to a town with three traffic lights, from walking past the Nation’s Capital every day to looking at majestic sights of the lake, and from honking and yelling to birds and the sound of the lake waves… my life had officially been turned upside down.

I quickly realized that the busy season I had just left in DC was about to carry over and the summer madness was about to kick up into high gear at the Lake. It became very clear that regardless of the surroundings, a busy hotel is a busy hotel and guest still expect the same high levels of service. I spent my first summer working hard, learning to paddle board, kayaking and enjoying all that Lake Tahoe had to offer on my days off.

It was different moving to my first “non CMT” hotel. You have to get to know everyone on your own time, you don’t have the comfort of your mentor and you have to prove your self quickly!

That September I was given the opportunity of a life time. “Konner, we would like you to be our new Director of Outlets and have you assist with the reopening of the soon to be renovated Sierra Café.” When those words came out of my Food & Beverage Directors mouth, I think my mouth dropped to the ground. In the months that followed I was able to learn the ropes of being a 1st time Department Head and help reopen our 200 seat 3-meal restaurant. To this day watching the staff walk by in uniforms I picked out and guests using salt and pepper shakers that I fretted about for hours is an amazing feeling.

Today I have been the Director of Outlets at the Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe Resort, Spa & Casino for about 9 months. I manage the 3-meal restaurant, Gourmet Grocer and Coffee Shop, Room service, Regency Club and the Mini Bar systems. I live a mile away from the lake and am enjoying some work life balance (yes it does exist in this industry!) After the culture shock wore off, I realized the gut reaction of moving across country was the best decision I ever made. Who knows where this journey will take me next… stay tuned!

 

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The Young Hotelier: “Adding Internal Value”

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Editor’s Note:  The following blog was written by Joe Hayes, Overnight Manager at Grand Hyatt New York, and is part of an ongoing series for HotelsMagazine.com

The more people know about something, the more value is either added or subtracted from it. Agreed? Now think about your staff. Think about your co-workers in other departments — from the GM to the part-time seasonal associates.

Now …

Ask yourself, how much do they really know about YOUR job? Maybe they know quite a bit, but it’s quite possible they know very little. Our professional environments (if you work on property) are extremely interdependent, yet there is a noticeable seclusion.

How many of your sales managers can name five housekeepers by name? If you ask your convention services manager the name of the housemen who set up events could he or she tell you? Can your front desk manager tell you how much a certain site visit is worth to the property?

A lot of time, effort and hard work go into a successful property, but it’s no secret that this is a group effort, so maybe we should understand the group dynamic more thoroughly. The best part about the corporate management training program I entered out of college was the chance to experience every aspect of the hotel. I did a full rotation, from accounting to stewarding and everything in-between. Working in these different departments made me so much more knowledgeable about how this massive and complex operation I work in continues to run successfully. This knowledge added value to my job. Now that I know how my job affects other departments, I am more inclined to put myself in their shoes during certain situations. Not only that, it offered me an opportunity to meet a lot of people I may not have met if I had only concentrated in the rooms division.

Tip for all the young hoteliers out there: Get to know the associates and managers in other departments well. Trust me — sooner or later, you will need a favor. It’s much easier to ask a friend than a stranger. Also, it’s nice to be the go-to person in your department for others if they need something. It builds trust, develops relationships and expands networks.

We all want to add value to our respective properties, but we tend to only focus on the external value that comes in (money). Creating a stronger internal value can change the way people think and perform, adding internal value and driving that external value we all seek.

Take a look at your orientation schedule and see if adding a hotel-wide shadowing rotation is feasible. Maybe invite different managers from other departments to your pre-shift meetings to introduce themselves and give some background on what they do. Offer employees who are interested in learning about other departments the opportunity to do just that.

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Tell Me a Memorable Story

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Recognizing that recruiters meet a plethora of candidates, it is essential that you maximize your time with them and ensure that you stand out. One of the easiest ways for you to do so is to tell a story during your interview. I know it may sound odd, but trust me–a recruiter may not remember the color of the tie you wore or how tall you were, but they will remember the story you told during your interview, especially if it was a memorable one.

Make your story memorable and interesting.

Recently, I met a young woman who was interested in completing a summer internship with Hyatt. She was 1 of 24 students I interviewed during my time on this particular campus.  When I asked her to give me an example of a challenge she had to overcome, she told me about her internship at a hotel in Hong Kong.

This particular internship required her to answer phones and assist guests who did not speak English. Although she was somewhat proficient in speaking Chinese, it was truly a challenge for her to provide assistance to guests over the phone without the benefit of body language or visual cues. Her description of the experience was both detailed and interesting enough for me to paint my own mental image and to share with my peers when we were discussing the students we had met during our recent recruiting trips.

Practice and prepare your story.

When preparing for your interview, consider one or two stories you would want to share with your interviewer. Did you run a marathon at age 12 or raise a significant amount of money for your community? These are achievements worth sharing!  Although you won’t know the specific questions you’ll be asked during your interview, it is likely that at least one of the stories you prepare will fit in nicely within your response to a specific question at some point during the interview.

Choose your story carefully.

You want to ensure that the story you tell is concise, demonstrates a positive behavior, and shows you in the very best light! You also want to be sure the story is interesting and memorable. Therefore, it’s extremely important that you rehearse the details of your stories in advance. Rehearsing the story out loud for others will also help ensure that your body language and non-verbal cues support your storytelling.

If you’re having difficulty finding a story or two to share, take a look at your resume. Sometimes students have difficulty condensing their resumes to one page. The advice I often give is to consider the items listed on the resume–are there achievements or details that would bring more value when shared during an interview rather than hidden within the content of your resume?

A firm handshake, professional appearance, and warm smile are all the building blocks of a good first impression. In order to build a lasting impression, good communication skills and a memorable story are both key components!

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CMT Chronicles: “My Hotel Rotation”

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Hyatt’s Corporate Management Training program is divided into two segments.  The first 6 weeks, new trainees rotate throughout the hotel spending time within each department.  After completing their hotel rotation, the trainee focuses solely on their chosen division and learning the skills needed to become a sucessful leader within the division. I’ve already completed my hotel rotation and I’m now almost three weeks into my Rooms Division concentration.

I learned so much during the six weeks I spent rotating throughout the departments of the hotel. I gained a better understanding of all departments. I’ve also built so many friendships with members of the staff throughout the hotel.  I now know who to call for certain situations and the actions each department has to take to satisfy my requests.  I also can say that I know most of the hotel staff members by name!  Although it is hard to learn everything about a department in the matter of a day or two, it helped that each department had a schedule of things that they wanted to get accomplished while I was with them.

From the start of my hotel rotation in the Human Resources department to ending my hotel rotation in the Sales department, each department showed excitement to have me spend time with them. They really embraced me as if I had been working at the hotel my entire life. Our Reservation Supervisor, Michelle, even made “Welcome Rodney” signs and posted them all over her office. The enthusiasm the departments showed really made it hard for me to leave, but I know that I will be interacting with each of them on an almost daily basis.

One of the most valuable parts of my rotation was the time I spent one on one with the manager of each department.  The managers recapped any information that I may have missed during my time within their departments.  They also explained the ways that their department interacts with the Rooms Division.  Hearing from them was definitely an eye opening experience. I really didn’t realize how often all of the departments interact and partner with each other.

I want to thank the entire staff of the Hyatt Regency La Jolla for being so welcoming from the day I stepped into the hotel. From when my family and I first arrived and were checked in by Vicky, the Front Office Manager, to now, you all have continually shown me so much kindness and made me feel like family. I can’t tell you how many times I was asked during my hotel rotation if I’ve actually experienced what San Diego has to offer or if I needed recommendations.  I really do appreciate it! You’ve made being so far way from my real family bearable and that’s because I now consider all of you as family!

Rotating thorough the departments of the hotel solidified my wanting to be in the Rooms Division. I love all of the departments but I know that my real calling is in Rooms.

 

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NSMH: The weekend in pictures

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A little twist on the usual blog!  In February, our team traveled to Washington, DC for the NSMH (National Society of Minorities in Hospitality) National Conference.  Hyatt is a proud sponsor of the conference.  We love the opportunity to engage with future industry leaders and the talented members of NSMH don’t disappoint!

Heidi, Brook, and I were all on various campuses and met up in DC.  I planned to travel to  Virginia Tech (Go Hokies!) after the conference, so my rollerbags were filled to the brim.

The conference was held at Hyatt RegencyCrystal City.  As the host hotel, the team at Crystal City provided amazing service and the students attending the conference fell in love with the property!  I especially loved the Georgetown Cupcakes (my favorite) that were waiting for me when I arrived to my room.

During the conference, Brook and I participated in the Hospitality Olympics.  This year the Olympics were Boys vs Girls.  Luckily Brook and I didn’t have to actually compete, instead we were “tippers” and helped the Girls team during the last 30 seconds of each event.   I think we “tipped” the scales in their favor, because the Girls team claimed sweet victory!

The  NSMH Conference is one of the events that brings our entire team together.  We also have the opportunity to spend time with our Campus Ambassadors.

Our Campus Ambassadors and Corporate Management Trainees did an awesome job representing Hyatt at our booth during the career fair!  We’re so proud of them and they truly live the Hyatt brand!

After a full weekend of networking, presentations, interviews, and panels, I thought for sure I was overtired and seeing things at the airport.  But I have the picture to prove that Ben Franklin and I were departing the city on the same day.

We can’t wait for next year’s NSMH National Conference!  Hopefully Orlando, Florida will be ready for NSMH!

 

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True story….I left Hyatt, but came back!

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The following blog was written by Stephen Buenaga.  Stephen is one of our Directors of Human Resources.  Here he reflects on the experience of leaving Hyatt and eventually returning.  We’re grateful to have him back and hope you enjoy his blog!

Stephen Buenaga, Director of Human Resources at Hyatt at the Bellevue.

Confucius once said “Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.” This is true of working at Hyatt. Before I got into Human Resources I worked in retail for fifteen years. Every morning I would get up and just dread going to work. In the 6 ½ years I have worked here I have never dreaded coming to work.

I started working with Hyatt Hotels Corporation in February 2002 at the Grand Hyatt Washington as an Employment Manager. I was promoted to Benefits Manager a year later and in August 2004 was promoted and transferred to the Hyatt Regency Philadelphia at Penn’s Landing as the Assistant Director of Human Resources. My goal was to be a Director of Human Resources and I was on my way!  Through a series of events I had to resign in July 2007. While I was gone, I always checked to see if there were any openings with Hyatt because I knew I wanted to come back. I kept in touch and in 2010, a Director of Human Resources position became available and fortunately I was hired back.

Here is what makes Hyatt different and why I love working here!  During my time away from Hyatt, I worked for two different companies. Both companies did some type of an employee opinion survey but when the results came in nothing was done with it. We looked at the results and just filed them away until next year. I felt like they were telling us “don’t worry about them, get back to work”. Why put in the effort if we aren’t going to do anything with it? Here at Hyatt we do something with it. We get all of the associates to participate in planning meetings so we can get their feedback and create change.

Here at Hyatt our full-service hotels have Employee Dining Rooms.  Ours at Hyatt at the Bellevue is called “8-Teen Café” (because it is on the 18th floor). Every day we have a hot meal, and a salad bar and it is all free. You can imagine how much it would cost a day to buy lunch or dinner; my guess is I save about $50 a week by being able to eat in the Employee Dining Room. But more importantly it gives me a chance to get out of my office, away from work, and to spend time with my co-workers.

Also when I was rehired with Hyatt, I received credit for my prior service. Meaning that the five and a half years I worked for Hyatt would be counted towards my rehire service.  So I came back to Hyatt with the same amount of benefit time that I had when I left, which for me was 3 weeks of paid vacation, sick days and holiday pay.

I planned to write only 3-5 paragraphs for this blog and you can see I went a little over, but it is very easy to write and talk about something when you feel so passionately. I feel passionately about the company I work for and the people I work with are my family.

 

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The CMT Chronicles: “Choosing Hyatt”

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The following piece was written by Rodney Smiling.  A recent college graduate, Rodney is currently a Rooms Corporate Management Trainee at the Hyatt Regency La Jolla.  In the “CMT Chronicles” Rodney gives insight into life as a Hyatt Corporate Managment Trainee.  Enjoy!

Hyatt Regency La Jolla's newest Rooms CMT, Rodney Smiling

It’s hard to fathom that 3 months have passed since I made the decision to join Hyatt’s Corporate Management Training program. In that short time, I graduated from Johnson & Wales, Providence, moved cross-country from Rhode Island to California, and completed 5 weeks of my training program in the Rooms Division of the Hyatt Regency La Jolla. The decision to leave the East Coast, join Hyatt, and move far from my family and friends was definitely not easy.

Maybe I should backtrack a little to the point when I was deciding between offers. This is the ability that all college students strive for, the ability to choose!   I received an offer from another hotel company to stay on the East Coast and also an offer from Hyatt Hotels Corporation to move to California. I was extremely excited about both offers and nervous about the decision.  My choice would impact my future and dictate the direction of my career path in the hospitality industry.

Once I received both offers, my mind went into decision mode. I made a list to compare everything that would come with both offers. I considered the cost of living in the two areas, expenses such as housing, transportation, groceries, and entertainment. I researched apartments close to the hotels because I wanted a place that was close enough to walk to work if possible. After making my lists, I realized that the offers were dead even.

I then began examining each company’s culture again to see which one was truly the best fit.  I also asked friends who had worked for either company about their experiences. Their feedback was great!  In fact, I recommend that when you’re considering an organization, talk to the people who are within the company, their unbiased opinions can give you “both sides of the coin”.  Unfortunately for me, even after hearing the opinions of my friends, the offers still appeared even.

Ultimately the thing that made me choose Hyatt over the other company were the two Hyatt Recruiters I interacted with throughout most of my college career.   Heidi and Ronisha offered pure honesty and their excitement for Hyatt really won me over from the beginning.  In fact, when I told my mother of my decision and how I came to it, she said “My little boy is growing up (tearing up a little), but I could tell you wanted to go with Hyatt before even hearing about the other offer.” She was definitely right and now I know that this was the best decision of my life!

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The Young Hotelier: “Back to School?”

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The following piece was written by Joe Hayes, a former Corporate Management Trainee and current Overnight Manager at the Grand Hyatt New York.   “The Young Hotelier” is an ongoing series Joe writes for HotelsMag.com

I’m in a constant battle with myself about going back to college for my master’s degree. The idea of going back to college sounds amazing, but I know post-grad is NOTHING like undergrad. Even if it was exactly like it, I’m not sure I could handle another four years of that kind of that lifestyle, as awesome as it was.

This internal debate has been going on since well before I even graduated undergrad (granted, that was only a little less than two years ago). I’ve broken it down to the following options:

•Suck it up. Go to school. Go to work. It’ll be tough, but just do it.

•Take a year off from work and get it over with.

It’s just daunting to picture how my life would be if I had school on top of all the hours I put into my property. I know I would do it because I would have to, but do I really want to spend a very prime year or two of my life being a stressed-out student on top of being a stressed-out operations manager? The question to that is easy: “No!” What you have to look at is the ROI. Would the years following be that much more prosperous? Would I look back and say, “Wow! That was really worth it.” I’m thinking probably. Then again, it’s never the afterthought that prevents you from doing something.

Another question to ponder is, “Do I really want to go into more debt?” Another obvious answer: “No!” But once again, what about the ROI? Will the money I earn from having my master’s even out the debt I will initially incur?

To ease my way into the process, I’m taking a professional development course in hotel real estate and asset management from Cornell University (I’m shooting for a master’s in real estate development if I take that route). It’s extremely flexible, and although I’m not sure of the course load, I believe this will give me a good grasp on how I manage school and work.

Time management has always been an issue with me. I’ve become much more efficient with my time, but I have the tendency to jump from project to project without finishing the initial task at hand. If you ever interview me, there’s my “Where is your opportunity for growth?” answer.

One of the benefits of this blog is the opportunity to reach out for feedback and advice, which I am always grateful for. Maybe some of the hotel vets out there can weigh in on my dilemma? I’d also love to hear from the younger hoteliers who have gone through this process and can offer some insight.

Thank you!

 

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Travel the “Career Lattice”

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Editor’s Note:  The following piece was written by Yves Givel, Coporate Director of Human Resources - International.  During his career, Yves has worked in over 12 countries, and crossed over into several functional areas.  He is now based at Hyatt’s Corporate Office in Chicago, Illinois. 

I recently was invited as a guest speaker at a university.  During the subsequent question and answer session, one of the participants asked, “What career advice can you give us?”.  My response to the question: don’t only look at traditional career paths, also consider non-traditional paths with lateral moves.  Think “career lattice” instead of “career ladder”.

“Career ladder” thinking is a one-size-fits-all approach to career management, and often works in more traditional, hierarchically structured organizations. More flexible career management can be delivered in form of the ‘career lattice’ approach, where one can choose multiple paths upwards, change direction, and accelerate or decelerate based on personal desires.  The benefit is the opportunity to learn more about other functional areas, gain more depth and breadth of experience, and foster a certain work-life balance.

Early in one’s career, things cannot happen fast enough: fast pace, willingness to increase quantity of work, high mobility, 24h availability, and the drive to grow into a leadership role overnight. But circumstances can change, and a number of factors can influence one’s career. The same employee might get married and/or have small children, and would like to decelerate his/her career, decrease the quantity of work for a while, not relocate for a year or move to a specific country with better facilities, be available during specific hours only, and does not necessarily want to have additional leadership responsibility at this stage. A couple of years later, once life circumstances change again, he/she might be ready to accelerate the career again.

A lateral move does not have to be a demotion or a ‘taking off the succession plan’, but can be a planned intervention in one’s career. Embracing a “career lattice” approach to your professional career, could provide you with the opportunity to strengthen current skills and build further expertise.  As Benko and Anderson said: a “potential career enhancement is the new career advancement”, providing more challenging and diverse job responsibilities.  After all, isn’t that what we are all looking for?

 

 

 

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