Interviews

Mahmoud Sedky

Tarek Lotfy

Nageh Gergis

Lead with passion by: KLaus Christandl

What is passion and how does it feel?
Passion is the emotion
of feeling very strongly about a subject

Show passion for what we do

How do you know that someone is passionate about his job?
Someone who IS passionate about his job does NOT:
…Spend time worrying about what to do next
…Think about how to get out of doing something
…Waste time dreaming about the next vacation
…Sit passively through another boring meeting

How do you know that someone is passionate about his job?
Someone who IS passionate about his job DOES:
…Look forward to going to work
…Feel like time is flying by
…Not settle for anything less than their best
…Find innovative solutions to difficult problems
…Work through interpersonal conflicts
…Ask for the impossible
…Lead by example
…Get excited when talking about work
…Radiate with energy (“Sparkle in the eyes”)
…Pour all their thought and energy into doing the job well

Inspire, celebrate & promote team success
INSPIRATION:
A mediocre idea that generates enthusiasm will go farther than a great idea that inspires no one. (Mary Kay Ash)
If we take people as we find them, we may make them worse. But if we treat them as though they are as they should be, we help them to become what they are capable of becoming. (Johann Wolfgang von Goethe)
By asking for the impossible, we obtain the best possible.
(Giovanni Niccolini)

CELEBRATION:
A definition:
1.To observe (a day or event) with ceremonies of respect, festivity, or rejoicing
2.To perform
3.To extol or praise
4.To make widely known or display
Different types of celebration:
Clap on the shoulder
Thank you letter
Monthly associate party

HOW TO HIGHLIGHT TEAM SUCCESS?

Lead by example and walk the talk

Flex your style (Lean Thinking) by: Islam Mahrous & Wael Erian

The difference between Six Sigma and Lean Thinking

The Lean Paradox
Logical but not always intuitive…
- Organizations have a tendency to optimize “sub-parts” of their processes at the expense of the process “Value Stream” as a whole
-Assumptions, theories and conclusions gained through past experience about the “best” way to produce and deliver your products and services are sometimes wrong
For Example:
-Many companies set up accountabilities to encourage managers to optimize their departmental cost
-Some departments may reduce their own costs by:
-Passing cost or work on to another department; or
-Reducing Service or value to customers

The result ? WASTE!!!

Looking at the process from end to end can also help the organization become “boundary-less” by removing silos, or functional areas that sub-optimize their own processes at the expense of others. So ALWAYS look at the ENTIRE pro

The basic idea of LEAN is ELIMINATE THE 7 WASTES

1- OVERPRODUCTION
Difference between what, when the customer requires the product and what is actually produced

Making more than is required by the next process
Making it earlier than is required by the next process
Making it faster than is required by the next process

Physical Examples:
• Producing product to stock based on sales forecasts
• Producing more to avoid set-ups
• Batch process resulting in extra output
• Misuse of automation
• “Just-in-Case” logic
Information Examples:
• More information than the customer needs
• More information than the next operation needs
• Creating reports no one reads
• Making extra copies

2-TIME
Delays or waiting resulting in idle people or assets.

Idle time created when waiting for……?
Physical Examples:
• PARTS
• PRINTS
• INSPECTION
• PLANS OR INFORMATION
• MACHINE REPAIR
Information Examples:
• FAXES
• SYSTEM TO COME BACK UP
• COPY MACHINE
• CUSTOMER RESPONSE
• A HANDED-OFF FILE TO COME BACK

3-DEFECTS
Difference between what is produced and the specification, resulting in scrap or rework.

INSPECTION AND REPAIR OF MATERIAL INVENTORY
Physical Examples:
• REWORK
• PRINTS WEAK PROCESS CONTROL
• DEFICIENT PLANNED MAINTENANCE
• INADEQUATE EDUCATION/TRAINING/WORK INSTRUCTIONS
• PRODUCT DESIGN
Information Examples:
• DATA ENTRY ERROR
• PRICING ERROR
• MISSING INFORMATION
• MISSED SPECIFICATION
• LOST RECORDS

4-PROCESS INEFFICIENCY
Inappropriate levels of processing, complexity or non standardization that results in doing more or less than what the customer values in a consistent way.

EFFORT THAT ADDS NO VALUE TO PRODUCT OR SERVICE FROM THE CUSTOMERS’ VIEWPOINT
Physical Examples:
• MULTIPLE CLEANING OF ITEMS
• PAPERWORK
• PRODUCT CHANGES WITHOUT PROCESS CHANGES
• REDUNDANT APPROVALS
• AWKWARD TOOL OR MATERIAL DESIGN
Information Examples:
• CREATING REPORTS
• REPEATED MANUAL ENTRY OF DATA
• UNNECESSARY DATA
• DOUBLE-CHECKS
• TRIPLE-CHECKS!!

5-TRANSPORTATION
Non necessary, non-value adding movement of material, information or people

MOVEMENT OF MATERIALS OR INFORMATION THAT DOES NOT ADD VALUE
Physical Examples:
• MOVING ITEMS IN AND OUT OF STORAGE
• MOVING MATERIAL FROM ONE WORKSTATION TO ANOTHER
• MOVING PRODUCT – ANYWHERE!
Information Examples:
• RETRIEVING OR STORING FILES
• CARRYING DOCUMENTS TO AND FROM SHARED EQUIPMENT
• TAKING FILES TO ANOTHER PERSON
• GOING TO GET SIGNATURES

6-INVENTORY
Inappropriate levels (high o low) of material, goods or WIP (Work In Process) including paperwork or information.

MORE MATERIAL OR INFORMATION ON HAND THAN THE CUSTOMER NEEDS RIGHT NOW
Physical Examples:
• RAW MATERIAL
• WIP
• MISCONCEPTION THAT THIS PROTECTS THE COMPANY FROM INEFFICIENCIES AND UNEXPECTED PROBLEMS
• UNRELIABLE SHIPMENTS FROM SUPPLIERS
Information Examples:
• FILES OR WORK WAITING TO BE WORKED ON
• OPEN PROJECTS
• OFFICE SUPPLIES
• UNUSED RECORDS IN THE DATABASE
•EXCESS CAPACITY TO DO WORK

7-MOTION
Excessive people movements, actions, effort driven by poor ergonomic, process layouts, or organizational configurations.

ANY MOVEMENT OF PEOPLE OR MACHINES THAT DOES NOT ADD VALUE TO THE PRODUCT OR SERVICE
Physical Examples:
• SEARCHING FOR ITEMS, TOOLS, SUPPLIES, ETC.
• SORTING THROUGH MATERIALS
• REACHING FOR TOOLS
• LIFTING BOXES OF ITEMS
Information Examples:
• SEARCHING FOR FILES OR INFORMATION
• EXTRA CLICKS OR KEYSTROKES
• CLEARING AWAY FILES ON THE DESK
• GATHERING INFORMATION
• “PREPARATION” FOR WORK
• HANDLING PAPERWORK

Deliver Results by: Karam Beshara, Khaled Said & Khaled Abdallah

Steps of Excellence in bringing the Result
Setting goals
Establishing measures and resources
Testing changes

Goal
•Make your goal clear and with the back-up plan
•Focus and write down all the information
•Share your goal and make it realistic
•Ensure your goal is positive and environmental

Measures and resources as basis of successful project
-Financial and Human support share the same priority in completing the project
-Ensuring that company has materials they need for production is on the top of the list for a good operation.
-Seek effectiveness in measuring data over time

Testing changes
Every managing for results is nearly always followed by changing condition during the process.
Use these strategies to resist:
►Solve problems using creative solutions and back-up plan
►Monitor and evaluate your operational system
►Track the progress

If you want to deliver results, you need to:
•Know what you want
•Have big picture and great team
•Be flexible
•Take ownership
•Do delegation
•Be a LEADER

Some great values and personal qualities that will help you to deliver...
Belief:
"The only thing that stands between a person and what they want from liefs often the will to try it and the faith to believe it's possible."--Rich Devos
Courage:
"Courage is the door that can only be opened from the inside."
--Terry Neil
Excellence:
"It is a funny thing about life: if you refuse to accept anything but the best,
you very often get it."
--Somerset Maugham
Discipline:
"To get what we've never had, we must do what we've never done."
--Anonymous
Knowledge:
"Knowledge is like climbing a mountain;
the higher you reach, the more you
can see and appreciate."
--Anonymous
Perseverance:
"In the confrontation between the stream and the rock,
the stream always wins...
not through strength but by perseverance."
--H. Jackson Brown
Responsibility:
"EXCUSES are the nails used to build a house of failure."
--Don Wilder
Passion:
"Many things will catch your eye, but only a few will catch your heart...
PURSUE THOSE."
--Anonymous

Final thought on how to deliver
-Be aware that any task is possible to do, if you have all lifetime ahead of you.
-Big challenge is to stay on the time track…
-Have strong will and a good calendar!
Make your decisions based on the result
-Results-based decision making has foundation in monitoring the results of an operation itself, more than the activities.
-Receive feedback about the success of your operation and use this feedback to alter future operations and increase their success.

Success is coming from the environment where quality counts, innovation is celebrated , and the people are what matter the most

Distinguishing the challenge
-Sizing up the challenges you face in your new position is your first task. Some of the challenges will be technical ones, and some will be adaptive ones.
-It is important to distinguish between these two types, as your approach to them will differ dramatically
-Technical challenges are answered by technical solutions: a new procedure or piece of software, more resources, a better mousetrap
-Adaptive challenges are much more problematic – although technical challenges can be complex, they are not as sweeping in scope. Adaptive challenges result when what made us successful in the past is no longer relevant – they don’t respond to technical fixes.

The principle difference between leading adaptive work and leading work is that adaptive work presumes the constancy and necessity of change.

The Iceberg phenomena is also applicable on human beings

THE CAN DO ATTITUDE
-You CAN DO everything, but not all at once.
-You CAN DO everything, if it’s important enough for you to do.
-You CAN DO everything, but you may not be the best at everything.
-You CAN DO everything, but there will be limitations.
-You CAN DO everything, but you’ll need help.

BEST QUOTES ON POSITIVE ATTITUDE
-A positive thought is the seed of a positive result.
-If you don’t like something, change it. If you can’t change it, change your attitude. Don’t complain.
-The most significant change in a person’s life is a change of attitude. Right attitudes produce right actions.
-If you really want to be happy, nobody can stop you except ALLAH.
-Whether a glass if half-full or half-empty, depends on the attitude of the person looking at it.
-There is a better way for everything. Find it.
-A positive attitude is not a destination. It is a way of life.
-The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of knowledge, but rather a lack of will.
-The positive thinker sees the invisible, feels the intangible, and achieves the impossible.
-The man with confidence in himself gains the confidence of others.
-You will only go as far as you think you can go.
-The biggest mistake of all is to avoid situations in which you might make a mistake.
-A positive attitude is like a magnet for positive results.
-Our life is a reflection of our attitudes.
-Positive attitudes create a chain reaction of positive thoughts.
-Attitude, not aptitude, determines your altitude.
-No man fails if he does his best
-Sooner or later, those who win are those who think they can.
-A creative attitude is the fuel of progress and growth.
-Either I will find a way, or I will make one.
-Be the change you want to see in this world.
-Forgive others and you will be forgiven.

Scouring the Terrain for Resources
You’ve accepted the position, sized up its challenges, and articulated
a vision for what you want to accomplish. Now it’s time to assemble the resources- -money, personnel, time, advice, and good will- necessary to accomplish the task. (This is specially important if you are heading up a new initiative.) Essentially, you need to build a coalition of people inside (and often outside) the company who are convinced of the urgency of your task and willing to supply the resources you’ve requested.

The vision itself will be a crucial tool in this effort. So will your own credibility and influence : they will function as seed capital in your quest to gain buy-in.

Armed with the vision and your own credibility, influence, and political sensibility, seek out those above you and alongside you, as well as those outside your company in your quest for support.

-Support from above An early champion-preferably at a very senior level- is the most likely source for the money, personnel, and time you need to accomplish your task. But she can also provide leverage in persuading others of the importance of the vision, access to additional resources, and help removing obstacles.
-Lateral support Allies in other functional areas of the company can provide expertise that is critical to the success of your work.
-Support form allies outside your organization Depending on what you’re trying to accomplish, it may be helpful to bring vendors, suppliers, and customers on board.

Keeping your staff and Allies Motivated
Regardless of whether you are putting your staff together or whether they are already in place, the importance of the ongoing support of your subordinates cannot be overemphasized. At the beginning of a new initiative, motivation usually isn’t a big problem- unless people are
confused about what is expected of them.

As the work proceeds, however, the long hours add up and tedious tasks seem to become even more tedious. Opposition to the initiative may suddenly materialize.
Allies’ attention and support gets diverted. Unforeseen events disrupt even the best plans. It’s natural for people to begin to drag their feet, forget about details, lose steam, or give in to opposition. How do you counteract these tendencies?

Create a holding environment
A holding environment is a relationship based on trust in which the leader holds staff members’ attention. A holding environment :
•Reinforces trust among members
•Forces people together so they can focus on issues
•Helps a leader regulate the conflict necessary to do the job
•Upholds principles of mutual respect and consideration
•Focuses on behavior, not personality
•Gives workers a sense of purpose
•Creates opportunities for others’ professional growth
•Fosters a positive attitude
•Protects its members.

You can establish a holding environment that enables employees to feel protected and heard, so that they can do their best work:

•Treat everyone, at every level of the hierarchy, with the same respect and consideration
•Give everyone’s ideas serious consideration
•Be fair, kind, and courteous at all times
•Never put other people down
•Be honest. Admit it when you make a mistake or when you don’t have the answer
•Protect your group. Define a boundary around your group and shelter them from interference. Go to bat for your team to get the resources you need. Show courage in sticking up for your people
•Do not tolerate scapegoating or misapplied blame
•Use every reasonable opportunity to foster others’ professional growth

The members of your staff have different capabilities, needs, and growth potential. Stay flexible in dealing with them, try to respond to them in ways that address their particular needs and interests.
-Be directive with people who are just learning a new skill. They need very specific instructions and ongoing feedback.
-Support people who are learning skills but are still gaining experience. They need direction, but also the freedom to make some mistakes, and encouragement to keep going.
-Encourage people who may be highly competent, but who may lack self-confidence. Use positive reinforcement to help them recognize their developing abilities.
-Delegate to highly motivated and experienced people. Don’t just delegate work that you find unpleasant. Determine whose expertise or personal experience is suited to a “stretch” assignment, then give that person the freedom and support she needs to succeed.

Deliver Results

Leadership is the capacity to translate vision into reality.
Warren Bennis

Connect with guests by: Abdel-aziz Ahmed & Abeer Sobhy

Why Connect with People?
Connecting with people "is not about being phony or acting like someone you are not; it's about creating a favorable link between your internal nature with its beliefs and values, and the external world where you go to work." Learning to connect fast with your customers, colleagues, bosses, employees, and even total strangers by taking full advantage of your body, your mind, your voice, and above all your imagination will give you a significant competitive edge. It will help you maximize the potential in every relationship, be it personal, business-related, or social.

Why do we connect with guests?

First Impressions
Research has shown that people will form an opinion about someone within the first seven seconds of seeing them.
What creates that first impression?
-Eye contact
-Smile
-Posture and body language
-Grooming
-Dress Style
-Condition of Clothing
-When on the phone, that first impression is made through:
-Level of Enthusiasm
-Vocal Quality (tone, pronunciation, volume)
-Grammar, Vocabulary
-Level of Formality

Interaction

Types
-Face to Face .
-Through Telephone.
-Through E-Mails.

To give real service you must add something which cannot be bought or measured with money, and that is sincerity and integrity. Douglas Adams, Author
Transactions are where the service is limited to the exchange of money. You give the customer a product or service, they give you money = transaction.
Transactional service is not what we strive for here at Sheraton.
-Transactional service does not create emotional connections;
-It does not create guest loyalty
-It does not align with our core values. ( W,C,C )

When you take care of guests and really make their experience wonderful, really create the emotional connection, they will not only come back, but they will also tell their family and friends about their experience.
How?
Interactions begin with genuinely caring about the individual. To build relationships we need to be listening generously and engaging in dialogue at every opportunity.

Home is not where you live, but where they understand you.
Christian Morgenstern, German poet

Our guests cannot be simply categorized into “business, leisure and group”
They are also parents, children, Honeymooners, explorers, gardeners, and musicians.
Each guest is unique and has unique needs, wants, expectations and emotions

Lessons to Remember
-How many Person you connected with for the first time today ?
-How many person gave you hard time to assist you ?
-What was the most difficult interaction you faced ?
-How many person you discovered only today that they are very helpful ?
-Connecting with others easy or difficult?
-What did you learn the most form this exercise?
-What will you do differently from now on when you interact with others?

Emotional Intelligence
Emotional Intelligence – Self-management
Self-management is about how you choose to respond to your emotions and manage your behaviors.
Benefits of enhancing our ability to self-manage include:
-Better Relationships With Each Other and our Guests
-Flexibility to adjust to changing environmental pressures.
Emotional Intelligence – Social Awareness = to Empathy.
It is about understanding other people’s feelings and perspectives, and putting yourself in their shoes.
-Actively trying to understand them and their emotions.
-Interpret the verbal and non-verbal clues that Guests from wide variety of cultural and ethnic experiences are sending.

Creating Guest Loyalty through Warm, Comforting, Connections
Fill their Emotional Bank Accounts !
DO
-Recognition
-Exceeding expectations
-Birthday celebrations, manager’s reception, …etc
-Put a smile on someone’s face
- Sheraton Warm Welcome
-Valuing feedback & thanking them
Do Not do
-Breaking a promise
-Not managing your emotions effectively
-Poor Service
-Poor quality
-Not understanding

Service Netting
Reason of Dissatisfies:
-Accessibility Of Information Not Having Access To Relevant Information (Directions, Hours Of Operation, Phone, Fax, Menus, Web Site, Other)
-Waiting In Line, On Hold
-Staffing Not Appropriate To Business Levels
-Responsiveness Of People
-Un-returned Messages (Voice Mail, Email, Other)
-Unable To Help (Not My Job, Don’t Have Info)
-Lack Of Follow up
-Needing To Call Back A Second Time
Gift of Time
The most significant factor in waiting is the perception of how long the wait is…not the actual wait time!
-Unoccupied time feels longer than occupied time.
-Unexplained waits seem longer than explained waits.
-Anxiety makes waits seem longer.
-Unfair waits feel longer than equitable waits.
-Solo waiting feels longer than group waiting.
If we cannot always reduce the wait time, what can we do to reduce the perception of that wait?
Cost of a Broken Promise
Unfortunately, no matter how proactive we are, or how much we plan,
we sometimes make mistakes. We need to be prepared to react to these situations appropriately.
Did you know?
-92% of guests are likely to return if we effectively resolved the problem.
-Satisfied guests refer five new guests Dissatisfied guests will tell ten people or more
-Loyal guests will complain, because they want us to do better
-Loyal guests spend more during each visit and/or come back more frequently
Success seems to be connected with action. Successful people keep moving. They make mistakes, but they don't quit.” Conrad Hilton quotes (American Hotelier, 1887-1979)

Service Recovery
Listen Generously.
(with your ears, eyes, mind and heart, lean forward, take notes, ask questions to clarify, repeat or rephrase as necessary.)
Recognize Emotions.
Non-verbal gestures & verbal gestures
Different Guests Same problem = Different response)
Apologize.
can help a guest know that we care and did not expect this result and are genuinely sorry for the situation. Don’t apologize then offer excuses or blame others. Don’t apologize and then make the same mistake again. Assure the guest you are committed to making it right. Don’t over-apologize. After a while, it simply comes across as being scripted and not genuine.
Resolve the Issue.
Take ownership, acting on behalf of the hotel. Offer the guest options When individuals are able to choose their own solutions It puts them back in control
Add Comfort.
At Sheraton, it is not enough to just fix the guest’s problem,
we want to ensure that we provide our guests with warm, comforting and connecting experiences. we need to add something in addition to
fixing the problem to re-establish trust. Adding comfort doesn’t have to be expensive. Read the guest to identify what would be meaningful to him/her and prepare your response accordingly.
Thank the Guest.
For their feed back ;Complaints can act as a road map to tell us if we’re on track. Let the guest know how you have prevented this from happening in the future based on their feedback.
Offer Further Assistance.
Final step to build a relationship Providing your name to solidify your openness Making recommendations that would improve their experience.

Change and Grow by: Walid Mohey and Hanan Moustafa

Who moved my cheese?

Dr. Spencer Johnson
is one of the world's most influential thinkers and beloved authors. He helped millions of people to manage in changing times and rejuvenate their spirits. The former physician's stories focus on discovering how to enjoy healthier success, with more meaning and less stress, at work and in life.
In Japan the book has sold over 4,500,000 copies to become the #1 bestselling book in Japan's history by a non-Japanese author.

Most people can think of different areas in their lives they’d like to change. But do they actually changing them?
If you returned back with the time, What would change ?!!

Definition of Change

to make the form, nature, content, future course, etc., of (something) different from what it is .
Doing things differently

If you don’t change , you will become Extinct !!

When is it reasonable to expect a change in your responsibilities or a shift in the way that you do your job?

The following "road signs" are usually reliable indicators:
-A merger or acquisition.
-The launch of a new product or service.
-A new leader. Expect change with the arrival of any new leader.
-A new technology. Technology continues to change the world of work, and the speed of technological change is accelerating.
-Downsizing. This usually results in a consolidation of job responsibilities and new working relationships.

How do people react to change?

Barrier to Change
How creative can I be in dealing with this new development?
What do I need to do to accept change as a challenge to my creativity, rather than to my endurance?“
We All have The fear of the new

Successful Change

•When you stop feeling afraid you will feel good. •It’s a human natures
•When you’re aware of your own fears, you’re in better control of what you’re communicating to your team.
•Obviously, how you behave in the face of change affects your team. At all times, you should :
•Remain calm (sounds simple, of course, but it’s really important)
•Maintain a focus on desired outcomes
•Maintain a sense of purpose, objectivity, and humor
•Honor the emotions of others.

Successful Change - Four Change Skills
In today's changing times, there are four change skills that people are using to deal with change with less stress. These skills are easy to understand and anyone can put them to good use.
Skill #1: Anticipating Change
Anticipating Change is the ability to see what has happened in the past and what is happening now, and realizing what is most likely going to happen next. When you use this skill and become experienced at anticipating change, you feel more in control in changing situations, and become more valuable.
Skill #2: Taking New Actions Now
Taking New Actions Now is the ability to see what you need to do differently and to do it soon. Then, look at the results and see where you need to correct your course and do something differently again. As you scurry into new actions, you become more energetic and influence others to try new things as well
Skill #3: Moving Beyond Fear
Moving Beyond Fear is the ability to do what you would do if you weren't afraid. It doesn't mean that you may not still have the fear, but you don't let fear hold you back. When you move beyond fear, you feel more confident, creative, and effective, and are more likely to enjoy your work.
Skills #4: Imagining Real Success
Imagining Real Success is the ability to see what you would like to have happen, in such realistic detail, that this "personal movie" lets you experience how it could really happen and you enjoy making it happen. As you imagine real success,

The challenge to GROW
-Life is moving too fast
-Every change -- even the most difficult and painful -- gives us an opportunity to receive the miraculous gift of personal transformation.
-The only real failure in life, is the failure to grow from what we go through.
-We will find real growth when we reorient ourselves using an eternal compass of spiritual principles, which alone can guide us on this path to wholeness

We Grow through
-Believe what’s in it for me
-Constructive feedback
-Embrace opportunities
-Identifies new and innovative ways to make a difference.
-Stay on top of industry trends
-Be the Best YOU

“The problem is never how to get new, innovative thoughts into your mind…. BUT HOW TO GET THE OLD ONES OUT!”
Tom Peters 2002

Belong to Sheraton Family by: Melik Kizilcan & Emad Milad

•Definition of Family
“A family may be defined specifically as a group of people affiliated by consanguinity, affinity,
and co-residence.
•Family starts with
•a bound of a man and
•a woman through marriage.
•Social affinity is generally thought of as "marriage" to ideas, ideals and causes shared by a tight community of people.
•What other examples of “family” can you give?
•A neighborhood?
•A Village?
•A city?
•A country?
•A continent?
•The world

•What makes people living in a town or country to feel like being a family?
•Values
•Ideals
•History
•Traditions

Family “The Organization”
•What makes an organization to be like a family?
•Values
•Ideals
•History
•Traditions

•Belong
•“Happiness felt in a secure relationship”
•awareness of being wanted and accepted, being cared for and enjoyed; by some person or group

•Boundaries
•Emotional safety
•A sense of belonging and identification
•A common symbol system

What makes us to feel the belonging with Sheraton?