Product Description

Discover the secrets of world-class leadership!

When it comes to refined service and exquisite hospitality, one name stands high above the rest: The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company. With ceaseless attention to every luxurious detail, the company has set the bar for creating memorable customer experiences in world-class settings. Now, for the first time, the leadership secrets behind the company's extraordinary success are revealed.

The New Gold Standard takes you on an exclusive tour behind the scenes of The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company. Granted unprecedented access to the company's executives, staff, and its award-winning Leadership Center training facilities, bestselling author Joseph Michelli explored every level of leadership within the organization. He emerged with the key principles leaders at any company can use to provide a customer experience unlike any other, such as:

• Understanding the ever-evolving needs of customers
• Empowering employees by treating them with the utmost respect
• Anticipating customers' unexpressed needs and concerns
• Developing and conducting an unsurpassed training regimen

Sharing engaging stories from the company's employees--from the corporate office and hotels around the globe--Michelli describes the innovative methods the company uses to create peerless guest experiences and explains how it constantly hones and improves them.

The New Gold Standard weaves practical how-to advice, proven leadership tools, and the wisdom of experts to help you create and embed superior customer-service principles, processes, and practices in your own organization.

---

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #23018 in Books
• Published on: 2008-06-13
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 224 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780071548335
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

From the Back Cover

Set the "Gold Standard" for your industry.

• Define and Refine
• Empower Through Trust
• It's Not About You
• Deliver 'Wow!'
• Leave a Lasting Footprint

"Required reading for anyone who wants to learn how to create passionate employees and customers!" --Ken Blanchard, co-author of The One Minute Manager and The One Minute Entrepreneur

“The Ritz Carlton is the best hotel chain in the world because of the unique experience it offers. This book shows you how to install the same customer-focused attitude toward service that makes a world leader." --Brian Tracy, author of The Way to Wealth

About the Author
Joseph A. Michelli, Ph.D., is an internationally sought-after speaker and business consultant whose clients include Bridgestone Firestone, Nokia, The Hartford Insurance Group, and UCLA Health System. The author of the bestselling The Starbucks Experience, he has appeared on The Glenn Beck Show and CNBC’s On the Money.

---

Customer Reviews

How to establish and then sustain a culture of superior service

As a frequent guest of Ritz-Carlton throughout much of my life, I can personally attest to the validity of its reputation for superior guest service in all respects. In fact, such service is consistently of such a high quality that guests take it for granted. Founder César Ritz observed long ago that "people like to be served, but invisibly." I agree while presuming to suggest that the "Ritz-Carlton experience" becomes visible whenever I stay elsewhere.

What we have in this volume is a rigorous and comprehensive examination of The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company that, to the best of my knowledge, has not previously been provided. Joseph Michelli seems to have had almost unlimited access to its senior corporate executives, hotel managers and staff members ("the heart of the house"), and of special interest to me, its Leadership Center headed by Diana Oreck, vice president of global learning. Michelli observes that "From my perspective, the Ritz-Carlton [customer] experience is reflected in leadership committed to unrelenting quality, respect for all of the company's staff encounters, and oddly enough, also a great spirit of candor." Individual initiative is not only encouraged but indeed expected at all levels and in all areas in fulfillment of The Motto, "Ladies and Gentlemen serving Ladies and Gentlemen."

As I read this book, I was reminded of what retired CEO Herb Kelleher says when anyone asks him to explain Southwest Airlines' competitive advantage: "The intangibles are far more important than the tangibles in the competitive world because, obviously, you can replicate the tangibles. You can get the same airplane. You can get the same ticket counters. You can get the same computers. But the hardest thing for a competitor to match is your culture and the spirit of your people and their focus on customer service because that isn't something you can do overnight and it isn't something you can do without a great deal of attention every day in a thousand different ways. That is why I say that our employees are our competitive protection." He could have just as easily been explaining Ritz-Carlton's advantage in another highly competitive industry in which others also have excellent locations, superb facilities, state-of-the-art technologies, haute cuisine, etc.

The framework of Michelli's narrative is based on Ritz-Carlton's five principles that any organization (regardless of its size or nature) can establish and then sustain, creating a "gold standard" of its own: define core values and refine by leveraging continuous improvement; empower people with authority as well as responsibility through trust in their ability and eagerness to live The Motto; "It's not about you" (i.e. focus on serving associates as well as guests); deliver WOW! (i.e. a "thrilling customer interaction," especially when problems develop unexpectedly, as they i vitably do); and "leave a lasting footprint," an enduring legacy of great service for generations to come. Michelli explains with meticulous care how any other organization can to create its own "gold standard." Consider this statement by Ed Staros, co-founder of the Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company:

"We have not created the ultimate experience. It's still out there. It's that magic carrot we keep trying to approach. If you can come to work every single day focusing on how much better you can be today than you were yesterday, you will draw nearer to that carrot. You might never touch it, but you'll get one step closer."

Throughout the Ritz-Carlton organization, top to bottom, perfect service is a never-ending journey of continuous improvement rather than an ultimate destination. Michelli inserts dozens of real-world incidents throughout his narrative that illustrate that this journey proceeds one guest at a time.

For example, because members of the Ritz-Carlton staff are fully empowered, the Ladies and Gentlemen in Dearborn learned that a 13-year old champion figure skater, Natalie Salazar, had been diagnosed with osteosarcoma and her chemotherapy treatments proved unsuccessful. She was told by her doctors that she was going to die. Her biggest regret was that she would never be able to go to her high school prom. Technically, she was not a guest. However, according Laura Guitierrez, area director human resources, here's what happened. "We hosted Natalie's Prom in our ballroom, and it was attended by 18 classmates and 7 of her championship ice skating team members. Our audiovisual technician was the disc jockey, our IT technician was the photographer, our banquet director provided security, and everyone pitched in to make this an extras special event." Prince Charming guided her down the red carpet to her favorite song, "Sweet Escapes," and the room was fully decorated with photos of Natalie and her classmates from kindergarten to eighth grade. She danced every dance and ate her favorite foods. She died on September 20, 2007. The seamstress at Ritz-Carlton who made her prom dress also made the dress in which she was buried later. Michelli suggests that "While many other companies support members of their community, the Ritz-Carlton culture of service routinely delivers caring such as that provided to Natalie's family." And this is but one of several dozen real-world situations that Michelli cites, not an isolated incident or rare example.

Fortunately, thanks to Joseph Michelli's exceptionally informative as well as eloquent book, other organizations can now learn about the unique culture of The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company and then apply (with appropriate modification) the core principles that continue to serve as that culture's foundation. And thanks to the Leadership Center, their leaders can gain a broader and deeper understanding of how service excellence and the quality of their own commitment to it can achieve a substantial ROI, not only in terms of dollars but also in terms of the lives that are enriched within their own organization as well as the lives of those whom they are privileged to serve.

A great book about how a great hotel does things that make you say, "Wow!"
It seems like everyone who's ever stayed at a Ritz Carlton has a story to tell. I guess we just tell them to each other because this is the first book I've ever seen about the marvelous organization that is the Ritz.

In The New Gold Standard, Joseph Michelli does an excellent job of describing why the Ritz is an icon for great service. He starts with the story of the Ritz, from Cesar to the present. Then he tells the purpose of the book.

"The New Gold Standard is primarily intended to help managers, owners, and leaders understand the driving principles, processes, and practices that have generated unusual staff loyalty, world-class customer engagement, and significant brand equity for Ritz Carlton."

He does that and more. Besides the view from the top, Michelli gives us the view from behind the counter and other places at the frontline. He structures the book by using five key principles that he thinks can guide any business that wants to deliver consistent, world-class service.

Principle One, Define and Refine is the foundation. You can't expect it if you can't articulate it. You can't expect it all the time unless you make it part of the culture.

This is not simply the "Credo Card." Many companies have something similar. It's working the card into discussions and instructions. It's sharing the card with guests.

It's the motto: "Ladies and gentlemen serving ladies and gentlemen." There's an old-world quaintness about the language, but there's no mistaking the meaning. People who work for the Ritz are "ladies and gentlemen." Their guests are "ladies and gentlemen," too.

There's attention to shared standards. Those include the Three Steps of Service and the 20 Basics.

One thing that makes Ritz special is that the application of all of those principles and rules is not rigid at all. And Ritz is always seeking ways to do them better.

Principle Two: Empower Through Trust. Ritz understands what many companies seeking "talent" do not and what many management theorists do not. Empowerment starts with making sure the right people are on board. That means "Select don't Hire."

Then pay attention to training, both to impart skills and as the carrier of culture. There are rituals, like celebrating service anniversaries that encourage people to talk about their service and the company.

Trust is vital. Ritz understands that trust is a matter of making and keeping promises. They also understand that trust and respect go hand in hand. The result is one of the most engaged workforces on the planet. They know this because they measure it, professionally and often.

This all brings us to empowerment. In many companies that's the word they use when they want you to "take risks." Ritz Carlton allows any staff member to spend up to $2000 per guest per day if, in their judgment, it needs to be done.

That doesn't encourage people to "take risks." Instead it does a much more effective thing. It allows staff members to make judgments and act on them without risk.

That brings me to my Ritz story. I was finishing up a book at the time and I had a speaking engagement at the Ritz Carlton in Philadelphia.

I decided that I could stay on at the hotel through the weekend and get the necessary writing done. It was a great spot for that, except for one thing.

The desk in my room was at a height for writing by hand. When I put my laptop on it and sat in the non-adjustable chair, my shoulders started to cramp after an hour or so.

As I was going out for my afternoon walk, one of the staff asked me if everything was alright. In passing, I mentioned the stiff shoulders and went on my way.

When I got back to my room, about an hour later, the standard chair had been replaced with an adjustable desk chair. I was much more productive that weekend.

Principle Three is: It's Not about You. Peter Drucker suggested that the way to success was to "focus on contribution." The Ritz takes that farther. They try to build their business on contribution to others, including guests and each other.

Frontline workers are the key. They are the hotel to the guest. You may never meet the General Manager, but you will certainly deal with staff at the desk, at the doors, and in the halls. Ritz knows they're the key to a great guest experience

Quality programs have a place here. But listening is the most important thing. As theologian Paul Tillich advises us: "Listening is the first act of love."

Principle Four is Deliver 'Wow!' Just about every company on the planet says they want to do this. They want to create what Ken Blanchard calls "Raving Fans." So why do so few companies do it?

The answer is simple. The Ritz can do it because it's done all those other things. They're clear about what they want. They select people who will fit, then spend time training, inculcating culture and empowering those people. When it's time to "deliver Wow!" most of the heavy lifting is done. It's easy.

Other companies want to jump over all that selecting and training stuff. They're not sure they can trust their people to make decisions on their own, so they don't really empower them to do so. You're not going to get a lot of wows out of that.

Principle Five is: Leave a Lasting Footprint. Michelli titled the first chapter in this section: "Aspire, Achieve and Teach."

What he doesn't say explicitly, but what I saw from his examples in the book, is that the Ritz sees training and supervision as two parts of the same process. It's how staff members learn every day what's important and how to do it.

But Ritz goes beyond that to find ways to bring lessons learned into the mainstream. They also find ways to be a good citizen. And, unlike many of the Corporate Social Responsibility advocates, they understand that both profit and individual choice are necessary.

This book does a great job of giving you a ground level view of how a great service organization works. It's a wonderful how-to guide if you want to create a similar service culture in your company. It shows you how to do things that are simple but not easy, long lasting but not quick, to become an organization that customers tell Wow! stories about.

Here's the second half of mine. Later that year, after the book was done, I was asked to speak to a group that was meeting at the Ritz Carlton in Aspen.

When I checked in, the clerk greeted me by name. He asked if I had stayed at that property before. When I said that I had not, he gave me a brief orientation. He asked if I had any special requests. I said, "No." It was all very nice and very polite, but not different from other top line hotels I've stayed at.

Then I went to my room. There, in front of the desk, was an adjustable office chair. I thought, "Wow!"

This review first appeared on my Three Star Leadership Blog.

Casebook for Services Management Class
Although it is a bit of an infomercial for Ritz Carlton,this book has good material for any service manager and is used for a services management class in the MBA program at my university. It also illustrates service marketing, quality, and managment concepts and how they are implemented at in the operation.