Chapter 7 Careers in Hospitality
117
In November of 1988, I went to work as general manager of The Harbor
Club. I quickly learned why others had rejected the notion of operating the
club. I was faced with my first payroll and our checking account was on
empty. What I failed to see was that in the week prior, the steam water boiler
had blown and all cash went to repair the boiler. I quickly began calling
members asking if I could stop by and collect their accounts we had just
billed. From that humble beginning, we have added a third more square
footage to Seattle Harbor Club, taken over another failed private club,
and now we operate another formerly failing century-old club in Arizona.
Recently, we opened an employee cafeteria for a financial institution.
In food service there is no typical day. As CEO, I find my workday
starting quite early. We are open for three meals a day. I find approximately
50 percent of my day is spent in meetings. Approximately half of those
are with key direct-report staff, and the remainder is with members and
committees of the club. I have learned the skill of coaching. I view myself as
a constant coach as the team I have assembled takes my constant direction
as I empower them to make the “play.” The food and beverage industry
is always undergoing change. We must constantly reinvent our business
model. While we have a tradition to follow in regard to our menus, facilities,
and marketing, our team members must all adapt to our changing society. I
am charged with directing this change.
What does your
“typical” day entail?
As the coach/manager, I take great pride in putting together a team and
then mentoring the team with the goal of stretching and growing people’s
lives when possible. Eventually, it is my hope that I will send some of my
team off to new opportunities. In my many years in the food and beverage
industry, I have seen employees grow beyond our organization. Thanks to
individual development, I have sent employees to other larger organizations
(with more pay and responsibility). Our former catering team members
have gone on to run Safeco Field, the Seattle Convention Center, and
Seattle Westin Hotel Banquet Departments. The same can be said of taking
current staff and moving them up to higher positions. For example, I have
seen dishwashers move up to talented cooks, former cooks move up to
chefs, servers to banquet managers, and a server to the position of general
manager of a golf club.
Thanks to my position, I feel I touch the lives of many people on a daily
basis. I have been blessed in my ability to mentor and coach and, therefore,
influence the lives of many people for the better.
How do you fulfill the
mission of family and
consumer sciences—
that is, how does your
work improve people’s
quality of life?