Leading with Purpose: Robert Reitknecht on Transforming Hospitality Through Alignment
Send us Fan Mail Send us Fan Mail In this insightful episode of Living the Dream with Curveball, we welcome Robert Reitknecht, a seasoned expert in the hospitality industry known for his ability to lead, connect, and create meaningful change in high-pressure environments. Robert shares his passion for transforming everyday challenges into opportunities for growth, focusing on the importance of aligning leadership, teams, and customer care. Listeners will discover how Robert helps boutique and...
Discover how Robert Reitknecht champions hospitality leadership alignment to transform guest experiences. Learn how focusing on the employee experience is crucial for bridging brand promises with reality, leading to exceptional customer care and thriving teams.
Key Takeaways
- To elevate the guest experience, prioritize enhancing the employee experience first.
- Effective hospitality leadership alignment bridges the gap between brand promises and guest realities.
- Great customer care is achieved by hiring individuals who share company values and securing their buy-in.
- Cultural transformation in hospitality stems from active listening and engaging with team members.
- Purpose connects individual and company missions, driving team performance and unified goals.
- Organizations thrive under pressure by having strong systems, clear alignment, and recruiting value-aligned individuals.
In this compelling episode of Living the Dream with Curveball, we sit down with Robert Reitknecht, a distinguished expert in the hospitality industry. With a remarkable talent for leadership, connection, and driving significant change even in the most demanding environments, Robert brings a wealth of experience to our conversation. He is passionate about transforming everyday obstacles into powerful opportunities for growth, with a particular focus on the critical importance of hospitality leadership alignment across teams and customer care initiatives.
Bridging the Brand Promise Gap
Robert shares his expertise in helping boutique and luxury hotels effectively bridge the often-present gap between their stated brand promises and the actual guest experiences delivered. He highlights that this disconnect can lead to tangible losses in revenue, trust, loyalty, and the crucial emotional connection that defines exceptional hospitality. A key takeaway is that to elevate the guest experience, organizations must first prioritize and enhance the employee experience. As Robert puts it, "if you want to change the guest experience, you have to change the employee experience first." This means focusing on the foundational environment that cultivates positive outcomes, rather than solely on the outcomes themselves.
Addressing Common Challenges and Fostering Alignment
We delve into the common hurdles faced by hospitality teams today. Robert identifies a primary challenge not as a lack of care, but as a pervasive lack of alignment within teams. This can manifest in various ways, from placing individuals in roles that don't suit their strengths to the ongoing, significant difficulties in recruiting and retaining talent. He defines great customer care as the process of identifying and attracting individuals who resonate with a company's core values and mission, and then securing their genuine buy-in to collaboratively create a unique and memorable guest experience.
Cultural Transformation Through Listening and Purpose
Robert recounts powerful stories of cultural transformation within hotels. He illustrates how deeply listening to and genuinely engaging with team members, understanding their individual motivations, and meeting them where they are can fundamentally shift a hotel's culture. When this engagement is aligned with a shared mission and purpose, profound and lasting change becomes possible. He emphasizes the vital role of purpose in driving performance, explaining that leaders must be attuned to the feelings of those around them, understand their own purpose with intention, and clearly communicate this mission to the team to foster a unified drive towards common goals.
Sustaining Engagement and Thriving Under Pressure
In fast-paced and high-stress hospitality environments, maintaining team engagement and preventing burnout is paramount. Robert offers practical strategies for leaders to combat issues like 'quiet quitting' by engaging with employees on a daily and weekly basis. This involves checking in not just about work tasks, but genuinely about their well-being as individuals, thereby building robust personal and professional relationships. Organizations that truly thrive under pressure, he notes, possess robust systems, achieve alignment across their people, processes, and technology, and consciously recruit individuals whose values mirror those of the company. Furthermore, they cultivate a culture that learns effectively from failures, guided by the principle of "progress over perfection."
The Evolving Landscape of Hospitality
Looking ahead, Robert discusses the dynamic evolution of the hospitality industry. He sees artificial intelligence (AI) as a powerful enhancer of human capabilities, rather than a replacement for employees. Simultaneously, the importance of community connections is growing, with businesses increasingly integrating with their local surroundings to create richer experiences.
Robert's Legacy and Future Contributions
Robert's aspiration is for his legacy to be defined by service – by empowering individuals, teams, and companies to become better versions of themselves, allowing them to truly experience and find fulfillment in their work, not just go through the motions. He finds deep satisfaction in sharing his decades of experience to mentor and guide future leaders in the industry. For more information on Robert Reitknecht and his impactful work, you can connect with him on LinkedIn.
Don’t miss out on this engaging episode filled with practical advice for anyone in the hospitality sector and beyond. Support the show.
Frequently Asked Questions
How can hospitality leaders align their brand promise with guest experience?
Leaders can align their brand promise by actively working to ensure what the hotel says it stands for translates into tangible experiences guests feel.
Why is the employee experience critical for customer care?
The employee experience is the foundation for exceptional customer care; improving how employees feel and perform directly impacts guest satisfaction.
What are the biggest challenges facing hospitality teams today?
A primary challenge is a lack of alignment within teams, often stemming from misplacing individuals or difficulties in talent recruitment and retention.
How can leaders keep teams engaged in fast-paced, high-stress environments?
Leaders can maintain engagement by checking in with employees regularly, not just on work, but on their individual well-being, fostering personal and professional connections.
How is the hospitality industry evolving?
The industry is evolving with the integration of AI, which acts as an enhancer, and a growing emphasis on community connections and local integration.
Welcome to the Living the Dream Podcast with Curveball. If you believe, you can achieve. Welcome to the Live in the Dream with Curveball Podcast, a show where I interview guests that teach, motivate, and inspire. Today's guest is someone who knows what it means to lead, connect, and create meaningful change in high-pressure environments. Robert Reitnik has been in the hospitality industry and he works along with hospitality leaders to take everyday challenges and create them into opportunities for growth. And he helps teams connect. He helps them truly understand what customer care looks like. So we're going to be talking to Robert about, you know, all that he's done in the hospitality industry. And he also wants to talk about his leg legacy. So Robert, thank you for joining me.
SPEAKER_01Well, first off, I appreciate you having me on, Curtis. I'm really looking forward to the conversation. Um, just yeah, I can't wait to talk more about um what we're gonna talk about.
SPEAKER_00Absolutely. Well, why don't you start off by telling everybody a little bit about yourself?
SPEAKER_01Sure, absolutely. Well, um, you know, at a high level, you know, what I do is I help boutique and luxury hotels take what they say they stand for, um, which is really their brand promise, and turn that into something guests actually feel when they walk through the door. Because what I've seen um over and over again, there's usually a gap. And leaders, I I know leaders um, and not just in hotels, but all types of leaders, they usually have a clear vision for the experience they want to deliver. But what the guest actually feels, or what the act what the guest actually feels doesn't always match. So um, and you know, when the gap and when you have that gap exist, you don't just lose revenue, you lose trust and you lose loyalty, and you also can lose that emotional connection, which is so important. So my work is really about aligning the people, uh, aligning people, process, and technology so teams can consistently deliver those moments that guests remember. Um, and honestly, um it's it's less about hospitality and more about leadership, culture, and how people show up for each uh other every day.
SPEAKER_00Well, I know you've spent years uh helping hospitality leaders shift their mindsets. So talk about the most common challenges you you see the uh teams facing today.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, well, that's a great question, Curtis. You know, as as I continue growing in my career, I saw the same pattern over and over again. Teams weren't failing because they just didn't care. They they were failing because they weren't aligned. And so it's so important to really get that right. Um, we spend so much time um recruiting and and uh and onboarding, but you know, when that uh first, you know, that first impression, last impression, I think everyone who's listening, you know, if you remember like your first um your your first uh boss, you know, what was that experience like? So um, you know, if if if if your uh employees are really not aligned to that, um then you know, then the the clarity is missing and they didn't feel or they didn't feel supported. Um, you know, and having the tools to succeed, um, you know, that that realization shifted for everything for me once I saw that. And I stopped, uh, and so when I, you know, when I look at things like this, I stopped looking at service as a checklist and started looking at it as something much deeper. So it's really about it's to me, you know, personally, it's about how people show up and it's about how they feel when they come to work. And that's and that really directly impacts how they treat the people they serve. So um, I mean, uh, I think um if you want to make change in your in your uh and and this is what I see speaking to uh leaders all over the country after speaking to dozens and dozens of leaders and frontline employees, you know, if you want to change the guest experience, you have to change the employee experience first. Most organizations really focus on the outcome instead of the environment that creates the outcome. Um and that was a major shift for me. Um it's not just about fixing problems, it's about building systems that help people succeed.
SPEAKER_00Well, when you talk about turning challenges into opportunities, talk about what that looks like in a real life hospitality setting.
SPEAKER_01Um well, it's it's really centered around alignment. So, you know, um, you know, aligning leadership and teams and aligning the experience with reality. Um, so you know, I've gone, I mean, I've had situations where um you walk in and the I I'll walk into a hotel and they're gonna ask me to do it two-day observations of what's happening in in a hotel. And the first thing is uh there people are coming to me like, you know, I really don't like it here. So, you know, what's the real root cause? Is it training? And a lot of times, a lot of the times it's not the problem of training, it's just the alignment of having that person in the right seat in the right moment.
SPEAKER_00Well, talk about some of the biggest disconnects you see between leaders and frontline teams and how can they be fixed?
SPEAKER_01Um well, I think the biz biggest connect is is just putting a person into um the wrong position. I mean, I think people, you know, if they've been there for many years and they they just get promoted uh into a position, that could be a disconnect for some people. And it's uh and and it's also you know what I've seen leaders go through is just the challenge of you know recruiting. I think it's still today uh in in not just hospitality industry, but in many different industries, that it's still hard to find the best talent. Uh and everyone's trying to keep their talent engaged. So that seems to be a challenge that I'm finding right now still.
SPEAKER_00Well, I know that customer expectations are higher than ever today. So how should businesses define great customer care today?
SPEAKER_01I think uh I think if they're going to define great customer care, it's really um you find the right person that has the same values and mission that you want them to follow. And then you want the buy-in from the um, you want the buy-in from the employee um to really make that experience uh a change. And I think that's what's gonna make unique unique.
SPEAKER_00Well, I know that you've been part of many cultural transformations, so can you share one moment of story that uh talks about what that transformation looks like?
SPEAKER_01Um sure. I mean, for you know, we we had a uh a situation where I was at one hotel where uh there was just uh a not a happy uh team coming into there were you know the the team was looking for a leader and they they just didn't have it, so they were doing their own thing and the culture, nobody was really enforcing or really leading them to be their best self. And so everybody was just on their own. And I I think that um, you know, what what I had to do is come in and just really sit down one-on-one to meet meet these employees where they're at, um, and then speak to them about um what's driving them, like what motivated them or drive them to even come to work. I think that's so important that you know that we have to remember that the employee does have a voice, and we need to make sure that we're listening to that voice and really um taking action um with that person to to change that. So what I've what I found is that the more and more you get people engaged that way, um you can you can change a culture slowly um and and by having everyone on board um with the same um mission or value that you're looking for.
SPEAKER_00Well, how do you help teams stay connected and engaged in fast-paced, high-stress environments?
SPEAKER_01Well, I think that the best way you get teams to be engaged is you find leaders that really listen. Um, I mean, they're gonna create the environments where people feel valued, and that's what really drives performance at a high level.
SPEAKER_00Talk about what role does per purpose play in performance and and how can uh leaders help the their teams with their purpose and performance.
SPEAKER_01Well, I think that um, you know, when it comes to purpose, um, you know, um the company you work for has a purpose and and so do the individual. So um, you know, I think you you really need to pay attention to how people feel around you. Um, that's the real measure of the impact. Um, and if you get that right, everything else follows. So I think it's important to um know your purpose and with intention, um, and then share that value or that mission with your team so that um everyone's working together as is one and that you have one goal. Because if the if you keep changing the goal or there is no goal, then there is no purpose. Um and that that usually helps the um the companies grow further and the teams.
SPEAKER_00Well, for leaders who feel stuck or burnout, what's the first step they need to take to rebuild that energy and momentum?
SPEAKER_01Um for you know, for burnout, like you know, there's I mean, we we, you know, I don't know if you're aware of it, but you might be there silently quitting. And so, you know, that's uh part of burnout. And so you want to avoid that by really engaging and speaking with the employees on a on a daily, weekly basis. You know, do just doing check-ins. It's not so much always about the job, it could be just how are you doing as an individual and making sure they're good. So you're getting to build a relationship both personally and professionally with the team that you're working with.
SPEAKER_00Well, talk about what separates organizations that thrive under pressure from organizations that struggle under pressure.
SPEAKER_01I think that if you uh I think that um successful organizations under pressure have good systems and um alignment with people processing technology, and that they're following um, you may say a playbook, but at the same time, they're building you're also you're recruiting or bringing in people to onboard that are aligned with your values and the mission that you're you want to have. And I've seen you know, even the greatest properties um still fail and and but they still learn from those failures, and that's how you get better. So I think it's just having good, uh, it's not so much about training, it's also it's really about alignment.
SPEAKER_00Looking ahead, talk about how you see the hospitality industry evolve and what leadership be preparing for now.
SPEAKER_01Um, I think that for um I think the hospitality industry is always evolving. I mean, AI is taken off. I think that we've uh, you know, companies are still um thinking that it might replace employees, and I don't think it's that's the case. If anything, it's gonna enhance or make um you know make the position even more um powerful as far as like you know saving time and and labor, even um, just to just to elevate and enhance that. So I think that um that's always a trend to look for. I you know, we spoke about that at other events, and um it's still continually uh a hot topic. And I think people are looking for um those individual uh destinations. It's not so much the destination, but it could be the community around it. So you know, pairing your community pairing your your property or uh the business around the community and bringing it bringing in community is always uh a plus for everyone.
SPEAKER_00Well, I know you told me in the green room that you wanted to uh talk about your legacy. So, you know, uh I open the floor up to you to say anything that you would like to say about your legacy. So there you go.
SPEAKER_01No, I appreciate it. I think that for my legacy, um, you know, because of what I do in the hospitality industry, it's always being of service. And so if I can make that individual or team or company uh a better version of themselves so that when they show up, um they're just not following it, they're experiencing it. And uh it's more important when I'm not there um what they do than when I am there. And I think that uh I'm hoping to you know pass that on to individuals. I mean, I've had uh dozens of conversations with uh people in the industry. I just had a conversation with a um hospitality, hospitality future leader that's is looking for advice. And I was giving him over 30 years plus experience of what I went through. Um and it it's just it's always pleasing to me that I'm being of service for people like that.
SPEAKER_00Well, tell us about any upcoming projects that you're working on that listeners need to be aware of.
SPEAKER_01Sure. I mean, I'm always uh traveling throughout the country. I mean, um I'm gonna be um working at a um very soon with an iconic brand um that I can't really talk about too much, but I can tell you that it's a beautiful resort, and I'm coming in there for um to help them with their guest experiences um and and and elevating that even further. Um and I'm working on some speaking engagements that I'm um working with with it, working on now. And uh I'm also uh inviting people on, like for hotels that are looking um uh to do a uh a research report that are doing on closing the service gap between the brand promise and how guests are how guests are actually made to feel.
SPEAKER_00Well, they'll add your contact info so people can keep up with everything that you're up to.
SPEAKER_01Uh sure. Um like I said, I'm I mean my contact the way the best way to get me is you really can find me on LinkedIn uh under Robert Rightnecht. Um I'm also building out my Instagram and Facebook, and you can find me on YouTube even uh or visit me at hospitalityrenew.com. And you know, always happy to connect uh and have a conversation. Um, and I I really appreciate that.
SPEAKER_00All right. We'll close us out with some final thoughts. Maybe if that was something I forgot to talk about that you would like to touch on, any final thoughts you have for the listeners.
SPEAKER_01No, I think that, you know, in any business, um, the the one thing that I've learned that I would love to share with the listeners today, uh, and if this resonates with you, is you know, that it's progress over perfection. I think that uh even for me, there were so many times starting my company, um, I was always looking to have it uh perfectly packaged and bow tied. But, you know, I think that the best way um to go through is just um it's just progress uh instead of making it perfect. Um and you know, I hope that was I hope that's helpful for people who are stuck or just want to move forward.
SPEAKER_00Absolutely. Hospitality renew.com. Ladies and gentlemen, please check out everything that Robert's up to and gonna be up to. And if he does a speaking engagement in a city near you, hopefully you can attend. Follow, rate review, share this episode to as many people as possible to keep up with all things living the dream. Visit www.curveball337.com. Leave me a voicemail. I might get played on the show. If you haven't done so, sign up for the newsletter, leave us a review, drop us a line, give us some suggestions and feedback on the show. Share the website and the show to everybody that you know. Thank you for listening and supporting the show. And Robert, thank you for all that you're doing throughout the hospitality and industry and for leaders, and thank you for joining me.
SPEAKER_01Curtis, it was such a pleasure, and uh I really enjoyed our conversation. And thanks again for having me.
SPEAKER_00For more information on the Living the Dream with Curveball Podcast, visit www.curveball337.com. Until next time, keep living the dream.