Reading
3. Read the text and translate it. While reading try and find answers to these questions:
1. What did a survey of general managers reveal?
2. What division heads did Hans Willimann hire?
3. What is the essence of Donn Takahashi's management philosophy?
ROLE OF THE HOTEL GENERAL MANAGER (Part 2)
(continued)
To be successful, GMs need to have a broad range of personal qualities. Among those most often quoted by GMs are the following:
• Leadership
• Attention to detail
Follow-through — getting the job done
• People skills
• Patience
• Ability to delegate effectively.
Not surprisingly, a survey of general managers revealed that GMs were hardworking and responsible. Each had overcome difficulties and challenges and each had made sacrifices to become successful. But each was also extremely satisfied doing what he or she was doing.
A successful GM hires the best people. The GM of Chicago's Four Seasons Hotel, Hans Willimann, deliberately hired division heads who knew more about what they were hired for than he did. Willimann says he sets the tone — a structure of excellence — and others try to match it. Once the structure is hi place, each employee works to define the hotel commitment to excellence. People who are hired need to be accomplished at what they do, and then they have to fit into the framework of the structure and be compatible with the rest of the group.
As general manager of the Stouffer Wailea Beach Resort, Maui, Hawaii, Donn Takahashi's management philosophy is that to achieve a first-class facility, workers must be viewed as being vital to the operation. He instituted programs designed to cut turnover, engender loyalty, and stave off competition for workers from competing hotels. He says a key to keeping employees happy is making sure there is mutual respect among all levels of workers.
Management functions are generally classified into forecasting, planning, organizing, communicating, and evaluating. Centralized companies such as Marriott give detailed general manager profiles, whereas Hyatt, a decentralized company, does not. Given that the primary purpose of the hotel is to sell rooms and ensure that guests have a wonderful stay, it has been suggested that GMs assume the director-of-sales position and spend up to 75 percent of their time directly involved with sales [1, 121—122].
Vocabulary notes
to delegate ` делегировать, перепоручать (свои полномочия подчиненному)
survey (n. v.) исследование, изучение, исследовать, изучать
to reveal показать, продемонстрировать
sacrifice (n. v.) жертва; жертвовать
to hire принимать на работу, нанимать
to set the tone задавать тон
deliberately намеренно, специально
once... зд. после того как...
to match соответствовать;
to be accomplished (at smth.) достигать совершенства (в чем-либо)
vital жизненно необходимый
to institute устанавливать, вводить (напр., правила работы)
to cut зд. положить конец, прекратить
turnover зд. текучесть кадров
to engender привносить, создавать, вырабатывать
loyalty зд. преданность фирме
to stave off предотвращать; отсрочить
to compete конкурировать
competition конкуренция
mutual respect взаимоуважение
to forecast прогнозировать
profile зд. перечень должностных обязанностей
given that.. зд. учитывая (тот факт), что...
to assume зд. принять или возложить на себя (обязанности)
to be involved (with smth.) быть посвященным (чем-либо)