Jiwa, a global authority on storytelling in business and marketing, is the author of eight renowned books on the subject, with “Marketing: A Love Story” her most easy-to-digest book yet. That’s because it’s a compilation of short but powerful blog posts lifted from her website, thestoryoftelling.com. Each blog post underlines a critical point: the importance of mattering to our customers. Jiwa contends that while marketing has become a necessary evil for all companies, we can look at it in other ways: marketing as solving problems, marketing as a way of seeing the world through our customers’ eyes, marketing as a means of understanding what people need and want, marketing as a way of doing better work. The bottom line: forget analytics and quick wins, seek connection before you seek results!

#1: Don’t tell customers what you do, even if you do it really well.

The biggest mistake marketers (and product developers) can make is focusing too much on the product or service they offer and not enough on the customer. This mind-set has to change. Appreciate what your customers’ wants and needs are, and do your best to present solutions. Customers are no longer interested in what you are offering them (even if it is the best); they are interested in how your product or service makes them feel. They need to know that you understand what matters most to them.

#2: And in line with that, your competitive advantage is what your customers believe – not your product/service.

Competitive advantage is an intangible thing; it’s not about the unique feature your product offers or your cheaper rates. It’s not what you tell customers. Jiwa puts it best: “Customers don’t often pay for the actual value the product delivers. If they did, $4 cups of coffee wouldn’t exist, and people wouldn’t buy Macs even though they cost more than PCs. People pay for the intangible value, for what they experience and what they care about.”

#3: Don’t confuse awareness with impact.

In a world where it’s harder to get attention, gaining mind share is a priority for every company. The misconception is that if you can get a few more people to know about your company, you’ll be set. But instead, better to approach it by thinking, why will one person care that you are there in the first place? As Jiwa states, “What’s more important than building awareness is what you plan to do with it once you’ve got it, because top of mind is not the same thing at all as close to heart.”

#4: Don’t fear the competition, be the competition.

Companies obsess too often about what the competition is doing. Instead, channel this obsession to your customers. Obsess over what your customers are doing and then determine how you could help them do it with more ease. According to Jiwa: “Becoming the competition doesn’t always mean using the same old rules to beat others at their own game. Focusing on the tiniest gap in your customers’ desires might be a better strategy.” The message: act as if you are a market of one.

#5: Sell your story.

It’s not difficult to come up with a great idea. But it is, however, difficult to articulate clearly why that great idea should matter to the right people. As a place to start, simply fill in the blanks: “We do _________ so that you can do/feel/be _________.”

Whether creating products or services, or marketing products or services, always ask yourself one critical question:

Why should your customer care about this?

You need to give people a reason to stop and listen to your song.

“What if, instead of spending all that time and money on deciding how to tell customers who we are, we spent more time and money on being who they want us to be?”

We hope “Marketing: A Love Story” gives you a new perspective on what it means to be a marketer. Share with us your favourite wisdom nuggets from the book! And, lastly, support a local bookshop by buying it here: https://bookshop.org/.

Dear Ms. Kern Nyberg, thank you very much for taking the time to talk to us. Can you give our readers a brief glimpse of how the Sinn & Gewinn Hotels are doing in these extraordinarily difficult times?

We can perhaps paraphrase it this way: it is an up and down at a low level. The "up" stands for hope on the horizon. The lockdown hit us hard, from one day to the next we no longer had any guests and in the spring 2020 we were unfortunately forced to close our hotels until Pentecost. With the exception of two pensions, where we mainly accommodate long-term tenants. The following summer was passable and we were able to stay afloat with a lot of savings and good planning. Since the second wave, we've been in almost as bad of shape as we were in the first lockdown. What is helping us now to keep the hotels open are the long-stay concepts that we developed in the summer.

You mentioned the long-term guests in your pensions. We also know that the group is committed to non-profit business. Can you explain the concept of the Sinn & Gewinn Hotels to our readers in more detail?

The Sinn & Gewinn Hotels started 20 years ago with the original idea of creating jobs for women in difficult conditions. The LADYs FIRST Hotel in Seefeld in Zurich was the first to open and will celebrate its 20th anniversary in 2021. Over time, other companies were taken over, always with the aim of enabling women with mental and cognitive impairments to return to the world of work. Since we were able to employ fewer women in the pensions, we integrated the social benefits for the residents: a third of the rooms are always reserved for women in emergency or transitional situations.

When we develop hotel concepts and brands at MAp, we always ask ourselves what the greater purpose is. Since last year, we have noticed that the question of meaning is emerging more and more and is also being discussed by a broader audience. How did you experience this development?

What I have seen in the past few years is that this is no longer just important for selling the product. For me, the fastest moving market is the human resources market, i.e. the employee market. I have the clear impression that it is easier for us as Sinn & Gewinn Hotels to find and keep employees, because we also have meaning and do not exist just for profit. And in general it is simply more humane to work for us than compared to other hotels.

Women play a central role in the Sinn & Gewinn Hotels concept. How have you perceived the change in the needs of your female guests in recent years?

I don't think that needs have fundamentally changed, but instead how we deal with our own demands has changed a lot. Today’s needs are expressed more freely and more clearly than before. And what we also see: there are many more women travelling alone, in the business as well as in the leisure sector.

What is the percentage of female guests in your hotels?

The LADYs FIRST Hotel is our only hotel in which only women were welcomed at the beginning. This has not been the case since 2002 - women and men are very welcome.

Sometimes we have even more men than women as guests. This can be explained by business travellers during the week, a travel segment where the male segment of the population still dominates. However, if you compare the proportion with other hotels in the same segment, we skim off a large proportion of female business travellers.

Not only is the business travel segment predominantly male-dominated, but also the hotel industry. Here, too, there have been major changes since last year. What can we all do to motivate (young) women to work in the hotel industry and to promote gender diversity?

That's a really big topic. As women, for example, we can start showing little girls what we can achieve. I am convinced that a lot has to do with the role models children see. I didn't notice many female hotel managers in the past, but I think that a lot has changed institutionally. That's why I'm happy to give interviews like this one - to show my face in general. I encourage every other woman to do the same!

We have finally left 2020. What are your hopes for this year, the future?

Regardless of how the pandemic develops now, my hope is that a cultured and fact-filled discourse will be conducted. That the “hobby virologists” don't take over and feed the public discourse even more with rumours, “fake news” and conspiracies. I wish for a victory of reason.

At MAp, we often say when "Shit happens, Shift happens." In our last blog posts we tried to show how many options there are in this time of crisis. What positive things did the Corona pandemic period bring you? What did you learn from it?

An unbelievable amount of commitment, flexibility, adaptability, forward thinking: what do we need now? Where do we have to start? We have done things, are still trying them and changing things again, none of that would have been imaginable for me a year ago. Personally, I can say that I am growing from this current situation.

At MAp, we are experts in concept and brand creation and often find that when everything is running smoothly, long-term issues such as strategy development, positioning, etc. are often pushed aside. We have a double question about this. On the one hand: How do you see this development in the market? And the second question: What is a good hotel concept for you personally?

The market is the place where demand and supply meet. The demand is at a low and this means that the providers have to work harder and position themselves. Those providers who look ahead with commitment and who don't bury their heads in the sand need positioning and a clear focus more than ever before. Hotels that see hope for themselves that they can get out of this crisis are now clinging to the concept and positioning.

And to answer the second question: For me, a good hotel concept is when the advertising statement on the website matches what I find when I go to the hotel. Furthermore, the employees should then also fit in with the whole and fully support the hotel philosophy. For me, a good hotel concept is when everything is from a single source and is well-rounded.

What other messages would you like our readers to take away from this interview?

“Those who fight, can win. Those who do not fight have already lost!” That's actually my saying and I think it fits quite well at the moment.

Our blog post, “When sh*t happens, shift happens”, says it all. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, people’s needs and wants have fundamentally shifted, which has in turn ushered in a wave of trends. At MAp, we believe that your people should always be at the centre of what it is you do, so success will ultimately hinge on how hotels respond to the key trends poised to shape the year ahead.

We’ve taken the time to monitor the market’s new developments and pick the most important ones. Without further ado, MAp presents our top hotel concept trends to watch for in 2021:

You’ve heard of sustainable travel, but have you heard of regenerative travel? The principle of regeneration goes one step further than sustainability, which aims toward neutral impact, to reverse and repair the damage to our environment and local communities. It’s no longer about minimising impact, but taking critical actions to heal the earth and its people, or as the New York Times puts it simply: “leaving a place better than you found it.” For hotels, regenerative measures include providing guests with opportunities to partake in restoration projects or funding educational initiatives.

Regenerative values are emerging as the future of travel, as COVID-19 has forced travellers to reflect on the basic notions of why and how we travel, creating a paradigm shift in the industry and a demand toward making net-positive contributions to all stakeholders. And travel as a force for good is needed now more than ever, as destinations heavily reliant on tourism have been decimated by the pandemic, creating an acute need to rebuild impacted communities.

Considerations for your hotel concept:

According to Regenerative Travel, the following principles should guide hotels in developing hotel concepts that are truly regenerative.

• Incorporate whole systems thinking. Consider all stakeholders and elements, such as the physical land, in your decision-making, taking into account potential ramifications.
• Honour the sense of place. Weave the local community – its culture, practices, history, heritage, etc. – into every aspect of the guest experience.
• Partner with and include the local community. Bring in the diverse expertise and intimate knowledge of community members when planning, constructing and operating your hotel.
• Have a purpose. At MAp, we believe purpose is key! Determine what your purpose is, and from that create an aspirational vision and mission that inspires your guests.

Inspiration: Fogo Island Inn

If there’s anything we’ve learned from the pandemic, it’s that remote working is here to stay. And while some will opt to #workfromhome, others will opt to #workfromhotel, taking their work on the road with them as they set out to explore the world. Hotels, therefore, should be well-positioned to support this mobile and global workforce – and that means going beyond the lobby-as-co-working space model.

Instead, hotels should strive to understand what it is this segment wants and needs – and deliver! Remote workers have extremely high standards when it comes to their ability to do their jobs, so be focused on creating private and productive working environments, upgrading your tech capabilities and giving guests the amenities they need be at their best – on and off the clock.

Considerations for your hotel concept:

• Build a community. Provide opportunities for remote workers to connect with, learn from and support each other.
• Be functional and flexible. No one works the same way, so make your rooms work-friendly and flexible (that’s right – put those desks on wheels!).
• Strike a balance between work and pleasure. Give remote workers what they need to be productive, but also what they want when it comes to unwinding after a long day “at the office.”
• Don’t forget the locals. Cater to local workers looking for a change-of-scenery from their home offices.

Inspiration: gravity haus

Times are tough and budgets are limited. And this has led to the resurgence of the “value traveller” – not to be confused with the “budget traveller,” often associated with the term cheap.

Value travellers are looking to stretch their money as far as possible. While they are cost-conscious, they are willing to spend where their priorities lie. But what they’re not willing to do? Sacrifice quality or comfort. They are well-travelled and have just as high of standards as the next guy.

Value travellers seek out transparency on cancellation and refund policies, free breakfasts, activities at little to no extra charge. But also comfy beds, room service, luxe amenities. For this segment, it’s about finding the right balance.

Considerations for your hotel concept:

• Throw in freebies. Everyone appreciates a good freebie!
• Determine amenity must-haves. Figure out and incorporate those amenities that matter most for your target audience.
• Create a loyalty programme. Reward return guests with extra – and free – perks.
• Sell hotel packages. Combine accommodation, transport and activities into one attractive rate.

Inspiration: 25hours Hotels

The year 2020 proved that privacy is the new luxury. As we’ve seen, private forms of accommodation have surged during the pandemic. Travellers are seeking out more remote, secluded and off-grid destinations, away from the crowds and nestled in nature – that’s what people crave after all this time spent indoors! And on top of that, they’re travelling in small groups or with family members (expect a swell in multigenerational travel), therefore opting for villas, cabins or holidays homes that are more spacious, accommodating – and you guessed it - private.

This trend has been a boon for Airbnb and Vrbo, but not for traditional hotels that simply can’t offer the same levels of privacy. However, hotels that cater to this new mindset will reap the rewards of more reservations.

Considerations for your hotel concept:

• Weave in nature. Wherever possible, provide opportunities to soak up surrounding nature through guided hikes and the like.
• Consider the destination. For any future hotel projects, the rule of thumb is: the more secluded, the better.
• Provide luxury services. Think airport pickups, dedicated butlers and private chefs.
• Rethink the hotel room. Switch up the standard by introducing private villas or even tents.

Inspiration: Casa de Campo

As a purpose-driven boutique consultancy, this is a trend we’re excited about!

After a year of sitting inside, it seems that travellers have acquired a taste for a slower pace. That’s where the concept of “slow travel” comes in. Slow travel aims to give travellers a rich understanding of life in a destination through interactions with locals and immersive experiences. We expect to see travellers spend more time discovering a destination and visiting fewer places during a single trip - while enjoying more experiences, culture and traditions.

And this goes hand-in-hand with “purposeful travel,” or the idea of travelling more responsibly and with purpose. It’s intentional and immersive, conscious and connected —with yourself, the destination, and the greater world.

Considerations for your hotel concept:

• Connect to place. As stated above, incorporate the destination into all aspects of your hotel – from the design, to the food, to the services, and beyond.
• Create immersive experiences. Give guests the opportunity to immerse themselves with and learn about local people, culture and heritage, and history.
• Take it slow. Focus on creating a relaxing retreat where guests can unwind.
• Be more purposeful. Determine your own “why” that drives you. As we at MAp like to say: “You first have to stand for something, before you can stand out for something.”

Inspiration: Nihi Sumba

That’s a wrap on MAp’s top hotel concept trends for 2021! While the hospitality industry has been forever changed (and as evolution tells us: when something changes, it’s usually for the better), we can agree that it has to evolve and reinvent itself in order to take advantage of the opportunities and cope with the challenges it faces. Ever the unshakable optimists, we believe the industry will come out on top!

#onwards

Photo Credits: Fogo Island Inn, gravity haus, 25hours Hotel, Casa de Campo, Nihi Sumba

Rosenberg, an American psychologist, developed and coined the term “Nonviolent Communication” (NVC), which is a theory of communication that teaches people to express themselves clearly and honestly, while being respectful, empathic and focusing on what is being said as opposed to diagnosing or judging; or, as Rosenberg puts it simply, “a way of communicating that leads us to give from the heart.” He contends that, for centuries, people have been taught to speak and think in ways that can in fact perpetuate pain, conflict or even violence. This is where NVC comes in: to reduce these issues, build trust, strengthen relationships and promote peace – one interaction at a time. Through useful anecdotes, inspiring stories and practical exercises, Rosenberg introduces a framework for NVC and shows us how to authentically express ourselves in any type of heated situation (internally, in business, in relationships and more).

#1: In order to be successful at NVC, we must focus on four key components: observations, feelings, needs and requests.

The process of NVC is as follows: 1) Observing a situation, 2) recognising the feelings that this situation awakens, 3) identifying what needs are connected to those feelings, and lastly, 4) looking at what we can ask for to satisfy those needs. When used in a sentence: “When ___, I feel ___, because I am needing ___. Therefore, I would now like ___.”

To practice NVC is to express these four components verbally (or by other means), but also to receive the same four areas of information from others. That is to say, sensing what they are observing, feeling, needing and requesting so that we can determine how we can best help them. When we use this process, we create a flow of communication that leads to compassion from both sides.

#2: When there is an emotional response to a situation, it's always based on an unmet need, so don’t be quick to judge or blame.

Judging or blaming someone is the worst thing we can do if we want them to listen or change their behaviour. Instead, Rosenberg suggests a foundational habit for NVC: that we learn to separate observations from judgments or blame, keeping our observations objective and neutral.

Better yet, understanding others’ behaviours as manifestations of their unmet needs helps to humanize conflicts and create empathy. And if we show empathy and true understanding for one’s needs, we’re likely to receive a respectful response to our requests of them.

#3: Connection to self (being at home with our own feelings and needs), enables us to form better connections with others and thereby become better communicators.

According to Rosenberg, NVC’s most important use may be in developing self-compassion. As he states, “When we are internally violent towards ourselves, it is difficult to be genuinely compassionate towards others.” Therefore, it is important to employ NVC in our own moment-to-moment evaluation of ourselves in a way that helps us to learn, grow and make decisions that serve us – rather than turning to self-hatred. By being better in tune with ourselves and assessing our behaviours in terms of our unmet needs, not only can we cultivate self-compassion, but we can better communicate our requests of others and thus be better communicators.

While NVC can be applied to any aspect of one ‘s life, let’s look at how it can be utilised in the world of business (we are consultants after all).

• Sales + Marketing: An NVC approach to Sales + Marketing is listening to your target audience and letting them know how you can meet their needs and make their lives more enriching. This should be nothing new!
• Money: When evaluating an incoming offer, whether it be for a product, service or salary, ask yourself, “does this amount work for me in relation to my needs, or my business in relation to its needs?” 
• Stress Management + Team-Building: There is a lot of stress in the business world. Therefore, feelings and needs awareness, of self and others (aka showing empathy), is crucial to stress management and creating a productive working environment.

“The objective of Nonviolent Communication is not to change people and their behaviour in order to get our way: it is to establish relationships based on honesty and empathy, which will eventually fulfil everyone’s needs.”

We genuinely hope that you read this book and share it with whoever is important to you. If you do, let us know what you think!  Support a local bookshop by buying your book here: https://bookshop.org/. You can also find further valuable information on this website: https://www.nonviolentcommunication.com

In a world in which we are all looking to make an impact, improving the way we communicate is an important first step.

Dear Eva, it is such a pleasure and honour for me to interview you today. It’s December 2020 – which means we’re at the end of 2020, an extraordinary year for the world and a special one for you and your boutique management consultancy, as you’ve celebrated the 11th anniversary of Human Facts.  And of course, this gives me an amazing opportunity to ask you 11 questions that fall into three categories. First, I would love to look back with you – at how it all started. Then, it would be so inspiring for me and your audience to learn more about the lessons you’ve learned, and what you can share with us. And then of course, let’s take a look at the future. Let’s go back to 2009 with our first question: 

1. What inspired, motivated and pushed you to found Human Facts 11 years ago?
Well I think I have to give a bit more context to answer this question. At that time I was working in a large, multinational corporation in the financial industry. Mainly, we tried to unleash a more collaborative mindset among leaders and a “We-Culture” across functional or geographical boundaries and I really loved it. However, despite a senior management affirming all the time how important these topics were, it was always a battle to get the so-called “soft topics” on the management agenda. It seemed that managers gave “hard topics”, such as revenues, technical issues etc. clear favour, valuing them as more important. 

I realised that this was a manifestation of a general deep divide between the business world and humanity. To be a “tough cookie”, to be fact and number driven, rational, distant and a demanding negotiator, condensing all you have to say into three bullet points, was what was highly valued and expected as professional business behaviour. I remember wearing only black polo-neck jumpers to cover anything that would reveal that I am a multi-dimensional and colourful human being. There was no place for humanity, all that makes us human, such as feeling with all senses, being creative, kind, helpful, caring, giving, having emotions, love, compassion, solidarity, empathy, forgiveness –  these behaviours were an absolute no-go, not business-like at all. 

I increasingly suffered from this divide in my outside world and inside my own life – here my business-self and there, apart from it, my human self with all my senses and feelings, my love to care for others, to be close and to feel with them. So it was both, an outside and an inside push that led me to found Human Facts, to stand-up and bridge this divide and to help give an inclusive management approach a voice.

Thank you so much for these insights Eva. And I’m beyond happy that when I look at the Human Facts website today, it shows colour, personality and emotion. And it also shows that the main driving force, your WHY, has never changed – “the value of we.” I can assume that sticking to your core wasn’t always easy and is for sure something to be proud of.

2. Staying with this topic, Eva. What are you are most proud of when looking back at 11 years of Human Facts? 
There are two things. First, not giving up when things did not work out as expected. Particularly in the beginning, which was quite painful to be honest. A lot of colleagues kicked-off their businesses with existing clients. I literally started off with 0. The very first mandate I got from a friend – thanks again Dolores! - who worked for a church in a very small community in Switzerland. She invited me to hold a speech about “How managers tick”. It was in the midst of the financial crisis and there was huge public distrust against managers in general. I was standing in a large hall prepared for about a hundred people. Embarrassingly only a few people showed up – I think not even ten. However, I gave my speech and we ended up having a very insightful and engaged discussion with the few people around. It was certainly not the glorious and shiny beginning one would have wished for. 

But in retrospect, it guided me in the right direction: focusing on those who want to work with you – they are the right ones. And do not go only for quantity but for what feels right, resonates and has the potential to co-create meaning, and as well, joy and fun. 

The second thing I am very grateful for, is the fact that more than half of my clients have become recurring clients and have stayed with me for years or recommended me to others. We were able to develop very sustainable, longterm and enriching partnerships, and in some cases, even friendships that I appreciate very much.

Looking at the other side of being an entrepreneur:

3. Can you share with us the most painful insight you had to acknowledge over the last 11 years? How did you handle it and what did you learn from it?
Well, I guess my most painful - yet most important - learning was that I was not prepared at all to market my business, respectively myself. As embarrassing and naive as it may sound, I had the wishful thinking that clients would come to me as soon as they learned about the experiences and competences I offer. After digesting this shock, I slowly realised: to be competent is one thing, to market it is another. So, I started to move myself out of my comfort zone and tried to learn about acquisition and marketing, actively approached people and clearly asked for help. 

It’s still not the favoured part of my business today but I learned that it is not necessary to like everything you do – but you should be capable of doing it.

I think a lot of our readers, viewers and listeners resonated with the statement that as an entrepreneur you do not necessarily need to like everything you do and that it is so important to continuously move yourself out of your comfort zone. Staying in this line:

4. What ONE thing do you wish you’d done differently? 
Overall, I think I would have started together with others and not alone anymore. Today, I appreciate so much to think together, to share ideas, to co-design, co-create and co-work with all my wonderful partners – such as with you for example. I truly believe we can serve people and planet better together – and above all else, it’s much more fun :)

You have had such a wonderful career. And I’m so thrilled to ask you about some insights and advices, especially for young and aspiring entrepreneurs. 

5. What are your three main suggestions for new / young / aspiring entrepreneurs and leaders?
To be honest, I am very reluctant to provide suggestions as I believe there is no such thing as “best practices” that you can pass on – everybody needs to find his or her own journey. So maybe that is my most important suggestion. :) But I am happy to share my personal top learnings from my 11-year “entrepreneurship” journey: 

First, make every experience a chance to learn. If you don’t always take the turn you wanted or expected, be confident that there is something to learn in it. What a turn might bring, you will recognise only from a distance. 

Secondly, most clients prefer that you serve them in an authentic way. In other words: it’s not about sugarcoating. It’s about respectful candour and care. Don’t fear difficult conversations or conflicts. Interestingly, the client relationships that started off with a conflict ended up to be the best ones. 

And thirdly, find a balance between give and take.You only survive on your little boat in this big “ocean” called the global market if you care and give back to others. Much more of our career, business or personal success than we might be conscious of is a result of many others who graciously connected us to people, shared their knowledge with us, helped us develop ideas, passed business opportunities to us or simply encouraged us. Even if you can’t give back to each and every person who helped you along the way, pass it forward to somebody else. Don’t take it for granted. Care for and cultivate all your relationships – not only the ones with clients. The world is circular – what you share comes back to you.

Thank you for your advice. Especially the third one – finding a balance between give and take – it really resonates with me. For me, that’s one of the main characteristics of an inspirational leader, an inspirational leader such as you, dear Eva. I know that during the course of your career you have worked with many inspirational leaders. 

6. What values and personality traits do inspirational managers and leaders all have in common?
At least two outstanding inspirational leaders come into my mind I had the chance to work with. I witnessed that they make a difference particularly in critical situations. 

For example, during a townhall with a hundred leaders, where a C-Level colleague got under fire from the audience, the CEO stood up and said “This is not how we solve things here - we do not shoot at people. We are in this boat together and we find solutions and answers together”. Another one, when it came to a rollout of leader assessments in order to change leader behaviour, put himself in front and said: “I will take part in it, I’ll do the assessment, too”. 

Both, in my eyes, showed what I think inspirational leaders do: They not only inspire by words, but by living-up to the change for which they seek. It’s not only about how to change others, they put themselves in the equation, too.

Above all, they are great listeners and great learners, ask questions, seek out people with diverse opinions from themselves, ask for feedback and admit what they do not know or apologise for mistakes, are empathetic and respectful to everybody. And finally, they have a great portion of humour and can laugh at themselves too.

7. From your experience, if you have to pick one single trait: Which one is the most dangerous trait in a leader? 
Overconfidence. They underestimate their own “blindness” caused by the hierarchical system they are operating in. For example, when another firm experiences a scandal or derailment, they tend to attribute those issues to the character of a certain leader and feel like “This will never happen to me.” Whereas this mostly happens due to the “locked-in” phenomenon that all hierarchical systems suffer from and which can hit all of us.

8. You often talk about asking the right questions: What are the top three questions that have inspired change and action in your career? How have these questions changed over the years? What were questions you asked at the beginning of your career and what questions are you asking yourself lately?
In my early career it was a question that I was asked by a seasoned manager I met at one of those corporate business dinners: What is your big dream that you want to fulfil in this life? I was speechless. It provoked many sleepless nights. Finally, it led me to stop my corporate career and go back to university for a PhD, which I found out had been a dream for me. It indeed became the seedbed for my lifetime mission and a vessel for a lot of wonderful, enriching relationships.

Later on it was “What about you do you want to stick in people’s hearts?” So, for example, do you want that people experience you always in a hassle? Always pointing out problems? Always being perfect? Do you want to leave them feeling discouraged or encouraged, appreciated or disregarded? Included or offset? Up to then, I was very much concerned about what I say, i.e. words and content. But from then onwards, I realised that we also leave an unspoken energetical footprint – mostly subconsciously - with others. And we should in fact be more conscious of the energetic mark we leave with others.

Lately, I’ve been inspired by questions like: How can I become who I am destined to be? What if it’s not so important what happens in my life but how I respond to what happens?

These questions let my focus shift from the “wanting” of something specific in life to the “how” can I respond or transform what has been offered to me?

We’ve arrived at our last section of questions - looking into the future:

9. What concerns you the most when looking at the current business environment, when thinking about the future? 
The lack of partnerships. To solve the most burning issues of our times, such as inequalities, climate change, and the like, is not a question of money. We need the ability to partner across any kind of boundaries, such as different disciplines, different cultures, geographies, nations, demographics, organisations and so on. After a long period of “what’s in it for me” and “me comes first” we have all learned how to pursue our own advantages and are, in a sense, “best-self” driven. But how to become “best partner” driven? How can we learn to shift from “what’s in it for me” towards “what’s-in-it-for all-of-us”? Not in a selfless sense but in a sense of developing and partnering towards a shared purpose, that benefits us all? This needs a conscious paradigm shift and renaissance of our social cooperative roots and strengths.

10. What are the keys to developing the next generation of leaders in the world?
I think this holds true not only for the next generation, but us all: How to enable collaboration among distributed people across any boundaries, and above all, consciousness, gratitude, ethics and the aspiration of becoming a best partner.

11.What do you hope will be different in the business world / leadership area in 11 years from now?
I have indeed some hopes: 

First, I hope that businesses will exist only to serve humanity in the short and the longterm. Not as a social responsibility add on, but as their true legitimation and purpose. Second, I believe that stakeholder relationships of companies, and particularly the quality of these relationships, should become its own intangible asset class on the balance sheet – maybe called Network-Capital or the like. It should form the base for any risk evaluations of firms and be taxed. And finally, as a result of this, I hope that leadership will be much more collaborative and truly partnering. I hope that we will see leaders get rewarded, appreciated and receive applause for how many collective partnerships they enabled that generated sustainable impact for the benefit of all-of-us.

Eva, we’ve reached the end of our interview. It was as inspiring, kind and heart-opening as I expected. Thank you for all you’ve done to bring more humanity to the business world over the last 11 years and thank you as well for continuing to do so, because the world will need it more than ever. I allow myself to conclude this interview with our personal mantra, that matches this conversation so well: onwards together. Thank you, Eva.

In his book, Simon Sinek teaches an important lesson that all business leaders should know: in order to be successful, you must lead with your why. In this 250-page book, Sinek answers the question: why are some people and organisations more innovative, more influential, and more profitable than others? He looks at the evolutionary reasons behind human behaviour, draws on real-life stories and points to examples of some of history’s most inspiring leaders who have been driven by their why (think Steve Jobs and the Wright Brothers). Additionally, Sinek provides a clear and proven framework for how people and companies can become more purposeful in what they do. This book is therefore perfect for anyone who wants to inspire others and have long-term success with their businesses.

#1: Why is more powerful than what or how.
Why you do something is more important than either what you do or how you do it. It’s those products or services that are infused with and based on the why of a company that are more successful than those that are based on the what or how. Therefore, the world’s most influential and inspired leaders lead with the why (belief), follow that with the how (actions) and then address the what (products, services, etc.). All must be in harmony in order to be a truly authentic brand. This is demonstrated by The Golden Circle, a framework upon which organisations should be built.

#2: To have real impact and garner loyalty, you need to consistently communicate your why.
It’s critical that you consistently communicate and refer back to your higher purpose, cause, or belief as part of your messaging. Those with similar values will be able to relate to, buy into and align with the greater cause you are pursuing. As a result, your message will have a more lasting mass market success, as it is vision and charisma that ultimately attract innovators and early adopters (aka those people who will pay a premium and be loyal to you in the long-run).

When your why is clear, those who have the same belief can help you bring your cause to life and make it a lasting success.

#3: Inspiration is more effective at influencing human behaviour than manipulation.
Manipulative techniques are often used in sales and marketing. These can include dropping the price, running a promotion, using scarcity or peer pressure to get people to buy, etc. Manipulative strategies come at a cost (especially when you lower prices) and do not result in long-term success.

On the other hand, inspiration talks directly to the limbic brain, which is the section of the brain responsible for feelings and that controls decision-making. It is your limbic brain that is more powerful and drives your behaviour.

In order to apply the principles set out in this book and find your why, answer the following fundamental question:

Why do you exist beyond making profit?

Put the answer to that question at the very centre of The Golden Circle. From there, address the how and what: how do you do what you do? How is it different or better than others? What do you do?

With the answers to these questions, you’ll be able to determine what makes you unique, who can support you and bring your vision to life, what products and services you can offer, and more. But do take heed – ensure your answers always touch back to and are consistent with your overall why.

"Very few people or companies can clearly articulate WHY they do WHAT they do.
When I say WHY, I don’t mean to make money—that’s a result.
By WHY I mean what is your purpose, cause or belief?
WHY does your company exist?
WHY do you get out of bed every morning?
And WHY should anyone care?"

Have you read “Start with Why?” We’d love to hear your feedback and what your why is – in business or in life. Support a local bookshop by buying your book here: https://bookshop.org/

Stay tuned for future reviews and have a purposeful new year!

Dear Harsha, thank you for taking the time to meet with us. To start, can you please share the story behind Saira Hospitality and how it came to be?

My four sisters and I were strongly influenced by my father’s philanthropic work with Mother Teresa and I always sought to merge a deep-rooted dedication to philanthropy with my passion: luxury hospitality. In 2011, I visited Cambodia where I came across a non-profit that was training women, who would otherwise fall into sex trafficking, in hospitality to be employed as housekeepers. They had a 90% plus success rate of placing these women into employment at luxury hotels which I found hugely inspiring and was grateful to see firsthand how these two worlds of philanthropy and hospitality could be connected. After years of working for international hotel brands including Six Senses Resorts and Residences, the Fullerton Hotel and André Balazs properties, I enrolled in the MMH graduate program at Cornell University’s School of Hotel Administration, where I began developing the concept for Saira Hospitality. During our Winter break, I was working at the Aman Galle when I overheard an interview between an Italian General Manager and a local Sri Lankan. The GM clearly wanted to hire the local Sri Lankan man as a pool cleaner for a variety of reasons I guessed: the cost would be less than hiring an expat, locals add to the guest experience and wanting to do the right thing by the community. From what I could see and hear, the local Sri Lankan man seemed to truly want the job, be on time for the interview, arrive well dressed and appear positive yet he didn’t have the simple interview skills he needed to be hired. The non-profit hotel school concept was clear at this point and seemed to be meeting a need on both sides. Hotel operators often cannot find well-trained, local talent and local communities are seeking opportunities and employment but lack the skills they need to be employed. Saira Hospitality won first place at Cornell University’s Business Plan competition in 2014 and it was at this point that I recognized the strong correlation between hospitality and philanthropy. Both are linked through the hospitality gene, the gene of service: service to the guest and service to humanity.

What is your approach and what kind of content do you cover as part of your training programme?

We partner with hotels around the world and launch pop-up hotel schools for local communities, providing hospitality operators with higher retention, community diplomacy and local talent upon opening. We identify their future hiring needs and incorporate as much of the brand's orientation, culture and training as possible into the curriculum content so students at the end of the program, form a pool of well-trained, local labor for the brand to hire from on schedule.

After a rigorous four-step interview process, applicants are accepted and students are taken through two to eight weeks of hospitality training provided by hospitality experts, including Cornell Hotel School graduates. During Saira’s training, students engage in both theoretical and experiential learning. We teach the key skills we feel they need to gain employment with partner hotels, emotional intelligence, cultural intelligence, leadership, communication, service recovery, mindfulness and so on.

We also focus on hands-on learning, typically in the departments of Food and Beverage, Front Office and Housekeeping but we can also train for those skills needed in other departments, according to the needs of our brand partner/s. Hospitality, as a people industry, is incredibly subjective and emotional, which is why Saira can even exist. You don’t need to have a formal education to be successful in hospitality — to be successful in hospitality you have to be empathetic and understand human behavior. Saira’s role is about nurturing what we call “the hospitality gene.” We believe in teaching skills that can be applied both when working in hospitality but also to the personal lives of the students. Some of our students in the past have managed to heal broken marriages by learning about the communication skills we teach in class. Much of what we teach enriches both the professional and personal lives of our students.

What hotel brands have you worked with and what kind of benefits have they seen as a result of your partnership?

Today Saira has graduated 250 students with an average of 10% turnover to participating hotel partners, including Virgin Limited Edition, Rosewood Hotels, Autograph Collection, Bunkhouse Hotels and Habitas in downtown Los Angeles, Mexico, British Virgin Islands and Namibia. They have also met 100% of their hiring needs from our graduates within the local community.

What is the impact you have on local communities?

Everything we do is centred on empowering local communities. I believe offering a free, high standard of education to communities that may not have the privilege to access information is one of the most valuable commodities that you can provide someone. In our most recent project with Habitas that took us to Namibia, we had more than 300 applications and encountered people that hadn’t had a job in eight years, who, when asked out of curiosity in Saira interviews how much money they needed to survive each month, some were happy to earn even $50 USD per month from any job they could get. In countries that are experiencing socio-economic hardship, Saira is providing a platform for a career in hospitality, and at the very least, some belief in themselves that they can achieve one.

After our BVI pop-ups, we had the following results:

• 98% of Saira graduates now see hospitality as a career
• 80% of graduates currently work in hospitality
• 94% of students found the program beneficial to work performance
• 69% of graduates hired were previously unemployed
• 91% of Saira graduates are currently employed or in school

Where do you envision the future of hospitality going as it relates to social impact? And what steps can hoteliers take to increase their social impact?

We partnered with Porter and Sail in the hope of raising funds from potential guests who want to play their part in educating and empowering local communities. We hope these kinds of partnerships will eventually allow us to launch schools with smaller, independent hotels that may not have the resources to fund 100% of the school themselves but are still wanting to train and hire the local community. Guests today have a conscience and want to travel more thoughtfully - they are travelling more mindfully than ever which we need to take advantage of as we don’t know how long it will last for. We need hotels and OTA’s to take responsibility and to listen to the needs of the community to be able to provide the guest a variety of options where they can easily give back while traveling. We often think that donations involve financial resources but I believe volunteering even a couple of hours of your time on vacation can be life-changing, shifting someone’s mindset, sharing knowledge.

If you can afford to travel, share your knowledge with those who can’t afford to. We need the next generation of guests to help us spread awareness of what we do, so that the industry stops using an ancient model of hiring and instead creates a responsible and sustainable future for hospitality.

We at MA people are specialised in crafting innovative hotel concepts and brands: what makes a hotel experience a truly outstanding one for you personally?

For a hotel experience to be outstanding for me, it has to be a thoughtful experience. I always think first of the service. As we teach at Saira, 70% of an experience is emotional. How did the experience make you feel? How did the service make you feel? The product can be of the highest design and quality but if the service doesn’t match the product, the experience won’t stand out. Even at the most expensive hotels, if the service doesn’t feel genuine and thoughtful, it becomes just another five star hotel with high end amenities and scripted service that doesn’t meet the needs of each unique guest.Then, once I’m fascinated and excited by the level of service, only then will the design of the hotel, the flow of the experiences, the F&B offerings, the picturesque views and so on... only then do they come alive.

The MA people vision - our ultimate goal - is to make this world a happier place through happier huMAns – hoteliers, guests, employees and partners alike. Therefore, we put people at the centre of everything we do, including this blog post, which is why we’re writing about employer branding - a topic that’s becoming increasingly more popular within the hospitality industry and among our clients. 

Before we start off with our employer branding MAdvices, let’s make sure we are all on the same (web-) page and establish what employer branding is all about. 

The German Employer Branding Academy DEBA defines it as following: ​“Employer branding is the identity-based, internally and externally effective development and positioning of a company as a credible and attractive employer. The core of employer branding is always an employer brand strategy that specifies or adapts the corporate brand. Development, implementation and measurement of this strategy aim directly at the sustainable optimization of employee recruitment, employee retention, motivation and corporate culture as well as the improvement of the corporate image. In addition, employer branding indirectly increases business results, brand value.” 

​“Clients do not come first. Employees come first.
If you take care of your employees, they will take care of your clients.” 
Richard Branson

We couldn’t agree more with Sir Richard Branson. Your employees are amongst the biggest and most important guarantors to long-term business success. But what if you cannot retain or even find great employees that can take care of your clients? The war for talent, lack of skilled employees and high staff turnover are increasingly becoming key challenges for many hoteliers and general managers in today’s highly competitive hospitality market. 

Therefore, developing and communicating a strong employer brand, both internally and externally, and building out a talent dimension as a key part of the corporate brand, is crucial. As such, a strong employer brand is not only relevant to attract, engage, retain and motivate the best people over the long term, but also to deliver on your overall brand promise. In fact, we, MA people, believe that your hotel brand needs to be seen as ONE overall brand. The employer brand should never be seen disconnected from your corporate brand and the core drivers of your business.

“Branding is a promise to your CUSTOMERS.
Employer branding is a promise to your current and future EMPLOYEES.” 
Kathryn Minshew

Jobs are becoming products, employers are becoming brands and employees want to be proud of the business they work for, since work is a big part of our lives. An employee’s performance and productivity depends very much on the working conditions. Therefore, “well-being” workplaces are not an employer's charitable attitude, but first and foremost a commercial calculation. Happy employees who trust their employer and perform at the highest standards are crucial to the success of any hospitality business – both economically and in terms of the client experience.

In times of a shortage of skilled employees, a strong employer brand is as important for the attractiveness of a hotel business as the hotel brand itself. It is also another way to stand out from the competition. 

1. Clearly define what values your hotel business represents - your corporate culture, your great-place-to-work message and your employer value proposition: Working environment, career development opportunities, compensation, training, team incentives, workplace design, flexible working hours, chances for lateral entrants/employees, childcare, etc.

2. Define what your unique selling points as an employer are: what distinguishes your business as an employer from other industry players?

3. Define what services and ancillary services you can offer to your employees. Start internally and ask your employees with which services they are happy and what additional services would improve their daily worklife: why should skilled employees apply to your hotel business?

4. Seek cooperation with other hotel businesses or your destination organisation and jointly work on relevant services and incentives for your employees.

5. Professionalise your employee journey management: from application/onboarding to leaving procedure and regularly train, familiarise and get the buy-in of your team via workshops and coaching sessions. Always keep in mind, that your employees are your best brand ambassadors. And unlike your hardware, your competitors can't copy your relationship with your employees and their relationships with your guests!

Now you know WHY employer branding is crucial for your success and why it needs to grow out of your established hotel brand. As always, feel free to share this blog post and don’t forget to let us know your thoughts on hotel employer branding in the comments below. 

Thank you,
Your MA people

Service quality is crucial

Outstanding quality in all areas is a must for luxury hotel guests. This is in terms of equipment, furnishings, design, food and facilities. From exquisite bed linen to fine tableware, the guest experience must be consistently characterized by the highest of standards. However, it is the quality of service that makes the real difference. The smallest gestures can make the greatest difference to the guest experience. Spontaneous human interaction is not easily reproducible and creates a truly unique, authentic and memorable experience for guests.

Consistency of service is also crucial. Only those luxury hotels able to provide the highest level of immaterial service components, 365 days a year, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, are regarded for years, and often decades, as truly the best.

A human approach makes the character of a hotel distinct and unmistakable

When it comes to providing services in luxury hotels, it is not, as often falsely assumed, absolute perfection, but rather a matter of conveying a sense of perfection to the guest. There will always be room for small errors. However, it is the way in which a hotel responds to and resolves these that is crucial for the luxury perception of the guest.

In order to provide an almost perfect service, hotels need people who not only truly understand and are interested in the needs of the guests, but are extremely passionate about taking care of and responding to these individual needs. It is about having the right attitude, the willingness to live the company culture and ultimately to be innovative, caring, passionate, dedicated and "human". Employees that embody these intuitive characteristics are like gold dust, as these traits cannot be achieved by targeted training from the company alone.

Trust is the key to success

Happy employees do more than just their job. Not because they are paid for it, but because they really want to do it. It is exactly this character trait that distinguishes an outstanding luxury hotel from competitors and ultimately justifies the higher price that can be achieved and is accepted by the market.

But how do you get your employees to do more than just their job? Among many different factors, the basis is definitely to create a culture of trust in which employees are empowered to make decisions by themselves. Such a culture creates optimal conditions that motivate employees to express their talents and ideas, and enables open and effective communication. This guarantees transparency and leads to an increased level of trust in the management. The proof is in the pudding - hotels with an established trust culture experience staff turnover rates well below the average as well as exponentially increasing business results.

Best practice example: the Hotel Ritz Paris

The Hotel Ritz Paris took a different approach to many hotels in 2016, after a renovation that kept its doors shut for nearly four years. Instead of employing a new and cheaper workforce once the refurbishment was completed, the company took a strategic decision to retain over 200 former employees despite incurring a significantly higher cost structure. The management consciously opted for the former hotel staff, as they had the necessary knowledge, the sound training and valuable experience the hotel needed to succeed. These characteristics were and are crucial to the Hotel Ritz Paris in order to maintain the outstanding quality and guarantee the prestigious personal service and the absolute consistency in the service provision.

The management of the Hotel Ritz Paris recognized the long-term value of their staff recruitment approach as they appreciated the importance of familiarity and consistency of staff and service to their many regular guests. Maintaining the human component has been attributed to ensuring the character and soul of the Hotel Ritz Paris remained, as well as ensuring the long-term economic success of the hotel.

Finally, our MAdvice to hoteliers

Gaining the confidence and trust of your employees is crucial to success – both economically and in terms of the guest experience. This process requires change, rethinking and buy-in from the corporate management. Happy employees live the corporate culture, the DNA and the spirit of the hotel every single day. Their service style, which is based on the corporate value and service philosophy of the hotel, defines the culture of the hotel and forms the character and soul of the hotel.

Ongoing employee training and education is also key to customer satisfaction and ultimately to financial success. However, maximum success can never be achieved unless employees are entrusted and can truly "serve", in an authentic, genuine and human way.

In this spirit, we advise you all to learn from successful entrepreneurs and to treat your employees not only good but very well. In order to win in the long-term, employees no longer have to be seen as the biggest cost factor and saving potential, but as the biggest and most important guarantor to long-term business success.

We look forward to hearing from you and as always feel free to share this blog post.
Thank you and all the best with putting employees at the heart of your hotel!
Your MA people