Howard Schultz, the founder of Starbucks, says that culture trumps strategy any day.
If your business’s goals aren’t aligned with the values, beliefs, and culture of your company, there’s no way to achieve sustainable growth. The word “culture” is often thrown around in business. But at Vision Hospitality Group, culture is very real and at the core of what we do every single day. Before anything, you need to understand the business you’re in. We are in the people business first, not the real estate business. The people who work at our hotels are the heart and soul of our company and will always be the foundation of our culture. A happy and loyal team will take care of our guests – and it all starts from the top. First and foremost, you have to surround yourself with great people with great attitudes, because you can’t teach attitude. Secondly, it’s our job to place them in a position where they have the best chance to succeed. I often say “put the squirrel in the tree and the fish in the sea.” People are inherently different, and in my opinion, your best chance of success is to make sure you’re leveraging their strengths; let their passion and confidence be their guide. And finally, the most important thing that you can do, and this is where people often fail, is that you have to take care of your associates. Treat your associates the way you would want to be treated. Associate loyalty and happiness is directly proportional to the relationship that you have with them. We hope that our associates see this as a career. We hope they are very proud to be a part of our company and feel they have an opportunity to grow and be happy. We strongly believe that our commitment to our people and corporate culture will ultimately define our destiny.