Is there anything done yet?

It is no laughing matter when you see that this is already the 10th week of the year. With the speed of which we got here and the changes that are going on around us, we need to ask. What have we accomplished? Are we on target to realize anything?

Time is an asset that is often misused. If we lose money, chances are we can make it again. However, losing time; well that's gone for good. 

With the other 42 weeks left, what will we experience? 

• Entire governments are changing
• New inventions and innovations are being introduced
• Businesses are opening their doors for the first time while others close their doors for the last time
• The landscape is changing with people of all age categories dying, yet others are being born and are making strides at a pace faster than the eras past

What will be the contributions that those of us who are currently alive make that can positively impact those around us? There are opportunities via businesses/charities even our daily activities to add value. Who would have thought, 25 years ago, that you would be able to look into the palm of your hand and see/speak/interact with someone who may be on the other side of the globe and more for free?

People who are younger than we are, who barely entered their 20s became mega-successful financially.  Many of us are yet to grasp that givers gain. The more we give, the more we gain. Success rarely follows the selfish. 

As an assessment of your progress, ask yourselves; is there anything done yet? 

We must bear responsibility

Almost daily, the news media is flooded with messages and opinions about the government. It is not unique to Barbados, but many nations face this dilemma. Usually, I observe, tending to keep my opinions to myself, and certainly not becoming involved in political discussions of any sort. By now, if you have gotten this far and read the topic then you must know when I'm coming from and wondering where I am going.

Politicians, to those who are interested, seem to play to the gallery of onlookers. Often they say things to press the emotional buttons of the listener to spark either their support for their party or for themselves, as we're seeing in recent times. There are some things that are common among them that I have an issue with; not with the politician, but with the people who listen/not listen to them. This concern for the people includes me as a citizen.

For too long, politicians have been throwing no end of buzz words, cliches, and phrases that are little more than wandering generalities rather than meaningful specifics at the populous. This is especially apparent when elections approach and they are seeking votes. Often their utterances include lots of blaming of the current government and promises of what they will do when they get in are the center of discussions. Perhaps this is politics!

The people then say they are neglected, ill-treated, marginalized and other such terms; I wonder who is truly to blame. Since many practice partisan politics blindly without question. Others just look at what they are going to get out of the promises uttered from the platform. Few, if any, really question in depth.

Glossy manifestos are pointless, and the noise from platforms are of little use to the people if we don't demand more. We must be mindful that those who are seeking to run for political office do so for the right reasons. Reasons that benefit the nation, it's people and the society as a whole.

One should expect some of the following and others not even mentioned here to be addressed:

• What is the vision for this country and its people?
• What model of governance will be used to address the current situation the country faces and how would the human resources be mobilized within this cause to allow us to become restored as a nation? 
• A government has many moving parts, how can they be all orchestrated to ensure that the country as a whole meanders the various storms it faces socially, economically, and environmentally. {This needs to be a comprehensive approach] 
• If taxes were to be reduced and the operations governing collections enhanced; how would it serve to boost the economy of the country. Certainly we the economic minds and computers that we have available within the present day, we can arrive at a variety of models that would serve the various stages of our redevelopment. 
• How can the new government garner the support of its citizens to be committed to correcting the path of the country by addressing the challenges facing our country head-on, and having the requisite strategies developed to address the said challenges at the micro and macro levels? 
• How can we ensure that education is not just formal but also informal enabling the powering of entrepreneurship to move towards the stage where exportation of goods and services becomes a priority complete with incentives in place to encourage exports and foreign exchange earnings?
• We the people, complained vehemently about ham prices, and the costs of living; however, what are we doing on a national scale to adjust our lifestyles and communal practices to ensure we enhance our livelihoods within the nation? 

Let's move beyond the blame game and take responsibilities for our actions, words, and behaviours. Let us involve every aspect of our society address the problems and challenges that affect us all as long as we are resident in Barbados. Let us look at the problems facing us, but focus on the solutions and remedies to rectify our situations as a people so that the entire nation benefits. We have to be our brother's keeper. We have to look at multiple streams of improvement within our society. We have to prove to ourselves and the world that as a nation we can be strong and resilient, reclaiming what we lost and building for a brighter future. We must be a people that demand and adhere to accountability as one of our characteristics. 

An overlooked marketing opportunity

Recently, I was facilitating training which comprised of a variety of business people. Among them were a small group of the hearing impaired and a translator, using American Sign Language.  They attended the entire series of sessions and my curiosity got the better of me as we were discussing the topic of operations.

I asked the translator when signing how many languages would be able to understand. Needless to say, it was an eye opener the response I got. When signing in that particular method people who understood English and Spanish could understand.

Wow! So why are more of us NOT learning to sign? We would expand our communication methods much more. As a tourism destination, it may give us a marketing edge being able to communicate with a more wide cross-section of people. What would that mean for the island of Barbados/The Caribbean? Maybe we should start learning to sign and find out.

Addressing a global issue as a small property

After traveling well in excess of 15 hours, a tired traveler arrives at their hotel ahead of the check-in time. The hotel was fully booked with back to back check out arrivals. Most of the other arrivals don't arrive until late evening that day.

The hotel should:

1. Give the early arriving guests priority with having their room prepared quickly so that they can access it a bit earlier. 
2. Make them wait until the appointed check-in time because of the hotel's policy. 

Almost daily, this is a situation that faces many. Yet despite being the case, many properties still struggle with the decision of what is best to be perceived as offering good hospitality. 

The question(s) they need to ask is/are:

1. What is great hospitality?
2. How do our standards align with the perception of great hospitality?
3. Where do gaps exist in what we currently offer and what we should be offering?
4. How quickly can we amend the situation should gaps be found? 
5. How do we convey our findings and changes to our team members so they can be adopted? 

Small hotels are not limited in their capacity for offering exceptional hospitality. Yes, there are global standards and many try to compete within that realm. However, we must recognize that as small hotels, we function in environments that would require a business model that would address the unique situation(s) that are faced by small properties in small economies. 

In the Caribbean, we offer life experiences at a different tempo. 

It's time...

Daily in our lives, we are faced with recurring situations that if we are not careful can cause us to lose sight of our goals, aims, and aspirations. This can happen in our personal and working lives, yet so many people have chosen to remain dissatisfied rather than take action to change their outcomes. To have a conversation with them will seem like they are entrenched in disillusionment without any hope of relief.

Have you ever been tired of being sick and tired? Have you ever felt as if you were in a situation without hope for a better existence?

Well, you have to decide you want something different in your lives and be willing to commit to making those changes.

In short, It's Time:

• To stop procrastinating about going after your dreams. 
• To commit your life to the Almighty as he is a God of order and, right now, you can do with some order in your life. 
• To make solid concrete goals, and commit to realizing them within a specific timeframe.

Do you believe that you can do more with your life? That you can make a bigger difference? That you have huge unrealized dreams within you that, with the right effort, you can realize them within your lifetime. 

It's time:

• To get on purpose, and celebrate life and your achievements with those who are closer to you. 
• To identify the team members who will help you realize the success that you desire. Success is a team sport. 

Don't wait another moment, get to planning your future, especially when you realize the rate at which time is traveling. 

Really?!?! - Examples of Customer Interactions

We have a long way to go when we are going to be talking about customer service. The thing is I'm making reference to as a region, not any one island. We are in serious trouble if we're to be globally competitive.

To get an idea of what I mean, have a look at the following scenarios.

• While being served at a restaurant attached to a hotel, the server at the table was more than a little inexperienced in her role as a waitress. It seemed like the tables of customers were a bother to her and it showed in her attitude. She got orders wrong, spilled the food, and when serving wine actually created a storm in the wine glass with the sound effects of thunder. The glass was noisily placed on the table with the wine sloshing around inside the bowl of the glass. She didn't know who the party comprised of, neither did she care. 
• Another restaurant and bar attached to a hotel, the male server on this occasion tried to communicate mentally, he came up to the inside of the bar where a large party was seated, put his hands in both pockets and hoped the beverage orders would in some way make their way to his head. He carried an attitude since he was witnessed being taken to task for the poorly concocted drinks he made and tried to serve. An opportunity to correct/improve his night and those of the patrons forever gone. 
• The taxi driver who is anxious to bring you from the airport so he can get a fare and complete his daily work by midday. Reeked of perspiration, admittedly it was a hot day, and when asked about how to get from the hotel to a particular destination suggest it was in walking distance. When the trip took place later in the day, it was a 15-minute trek up and down steep winding roads. Really? Leaving a card would not mean that you would be called again, especially since you don't know your own country. Broken trust is not easily repaired. 

All experiences were not unpleasant, but for those making an effort, we can only encourage them to continue doing so. They are the difference makers. We have met some people that though untrained, had outstanding personalities that made them a joy to interact with on each occasion. You actually looked forward to seeing them and though you had to spend money, you realized the value of doing so.

Perhaps our myopic view of who is our customer, often emphasized by the tourism industry has come home to roost. The old definitions which so clearly depicted what a tourist looks like have created a callousness in our minds as a region, making us numb to the realities of the real hospitality. Dulling our senses where we miss opportunities to serve right before us, and in many cases losing earnings that those who require service would be more than willing to pay us for.

It's time that we move beyond the service for a reward, and rekindle our values of hospitality where we are really nice to our guests, where ever they are from. Remembering individuals and not looking at them as niches, targets, and all the other terms that marketing has allowed us to label them. People the world over want to be made to feel special and valued. Often they don't get it at home, which they work so hard to maintain year round.

Wasting time with available media

Living in an era where information is at an all-time high is wonderful. No longer do you have to wait until one can purchase the print version of a magazine/newspaper. Even the radio can seem a little slow in getting the information out to you. While there are lots of channels on the television nowadays, they still miss the mark in getting you the content you really want.

We live in a society where media access is virtually in the palm of our hands. We can communicate just about anything from where we are to virtually anywhere in the world within moments.

It happened suddenly, where this access to this widespread array of communication media became available to John Citizen - the man in the street, and without a plan; he's abusing rather than using it to any real benefit. The result is information clutter, where messages containing the same content arrives on your device from multiple sources, and depending on your device it is soon gasping with dying messages that there isn't enough memory to perform basic functions. This is often despite the installation of extra memory which often seems inaccessible.

Whatsapp has made everyone a comedian, news reporter, and preacher; often without credentials. Many people don't validate the information prior to sending it out. Sure there are others, but they are passive, in that information is not targeted to the individual, but is usually posted to one's personal site where others who so desire may visit and read at their discretion.

In days of old, fake news - as it is now deemed, had a purpose. The propaganda issued was to enable entire governments to gain supremacy over others. It was orchestrated and well coordinated. The channels through which the communication would flow seemed to be well designed so that everyone would move on cue.

Nowadays, we waste the opportunities to communicate with any purpose or effectiveness. The messages we send can aptly be described as junk.

When we spend money on the devices, are we so numb to the relevance of expenses that we are disinterested with reclaiming some of the money we have spent? For many of us, our lifestyles have changed since we have our own businesses, run charities, and involved in the organization at levels that our forefathers strove for and we now take for granted.

Before sending out random communication, decide on a theme, a purpose, even a mission. Identify who would rather visit you to get it and who you can send it to that really wants it. There should be a choice to opt in/out by the individual. If they follow you, then they have opted to be in. Decide if the information you're posting is taking you closer to your overall goals, aims, and objectives without annoying others. Remember, DO NOT SPAM!

Hope this helps you in streamlining your online communication. Time is too valuable to waste. You have a powerful medium in your hand, use it wisely.