| As a manager, your main value to your company is | | | | contributions that you will only get by having a diverse |
| your influence. Good managers influence their | | | | employee pool. |
| company far more than average employees by | | | | 3. Technology is your friend - use it! Spending on retail |
| trickling ideas both down and up the ladder. | | | | software will exceed $20 billion by 2014. Technology |
| Mary Kay Ash once said, "People are definitely a | | | | has transformed industries and changed the very |
| company's greatest asset. It doesn't make and | | | | nature of business. Minimally, e-business practices will |
| difference whether the product is cars or cosmetics. | | | | reduce your cost of communication. If used effectively, |
| A company is only as good as the people it keeps." | | | | e-business technologies can have a far greater |
| If people are the greatest asset of a company, then a | | | | positive impact on your profit margin through |
| good manager is invaluable. Here are four ways to | | | | accelerated decision making, broadened |
| help you be the best manager you can be: | | | | communication, expedited handling of employee and |
| 1. Pay attention to improving your company's | | | | store issues, more thorough hiring practices, and the |
| competitive advantage. Remind employees that the | | | | many benefits project and employee management |
| first law of business is "take care of the customer". | | | | software can offer. If you incorporate the right |
| Encourage your employees to innovate and create to | | | | management software in your business, scheduling, |
| prevent your competitors from having better ideas | | | | tracking, communication, and hiring employees can be |
| than you. In the hospitality industry, it's easy to get | | | | faster, easier, and considerably more efficient |
| caught up in the mundane repetitiveness of day-to-day | | | | financially. |
| activities. Spice it up by incorporating a "new ideas" | | | | 4. Don't forget yourself. While managing in the fast |
| segment into weekly staff meetings. Quality of | | | | paced hospitality industry, it can be easy to |
| product, quality of service, and overall quality of | | | | compartmentalize your life - home life and work life |
| experience must be exemplary in the hospitality | | | | need not intertwine. This can be beneficial to your |
| industry in order to prevent loss of your customer | | | | sanity, but it can make you feel like two different |
| base to a competitor. Ensure rewards for employee | | | | people. When making decisions at work, be sure to |
| efficiency. | | | | remind yourself who you are and what your ethics |
| 2. Diversify! To make sure your company has a solid | | | | dictate. In today's high pressure climate in one of the |
| ladle of the melting pot, hire people of every age | | | | most competitive industries, the need to meet quotas |
| range, race, ethnicity, and gender. By 2060, half of the | | | | and deadlines can leave you facing some major ethical |
| American population will be made up of ethnic and | | | | dilemmas. Consider the implications of your decisions, |
| racial minority groups. Also, familiarize yourself with | | | | and whether the decision fits into your life plan. Be sure |
| global cultures, especially if your company plans to | | | | that your company's culture fits your compass of |
| expand internationally. It is important to diversify your | | | | ethics, as it can be difficult to juggle bosses, |
| employee pool in order to not only keep up with your | | | | subordinates, your daily workload, and two conflicting |
| customer base, but also to ensure the organizational | | | | sets of rules. |
| strength of your company by maximizing the diverse | | | | |