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Leadership and Management

A Toolkit for Owners and Managers of SMEs and Micro-Businesses Operating in the Visitor

Economy

Leadership and Management – Toolkit for SMEs in the Visitor Economy

Leadership and Management Toolkit for SMEs in the Visitor Economy

Introduction

The visitor economy includes all activities which contribute to visitors’ experiences, such as accommodation, food, restaurants, transport and attractions. Across the area served by YNYER LEP, the visitor economy includes 6,355 businesses (ONS, 2016) and employs over 67,500 individuals, which accounts for 13.5% of total employment.

The visitor economy caters for the needs of all visitors, not just tourists and encompasses all activities, infrastructure and services provided to make each visitor's experience possible. To create a successful visitor economy, it is necessary to manage each individual component of the economy efficiently with a focus on the needs of visitors.

There are currently many challenges that face UK small businesses. Changing work practices such as the expansion of the gig economy, technology, market disruptors, Brexit and environmental awareness are all issues which are regularly in the headlines. At a more local level, businesses in the visitor economy must manage a seasonal workforce and high labour turnover without impacting the quality of services or products provided. Businesses need to be resilient to these factors and the benefits of good leadership and management to achieve productivity and growth applies to all companies regardless of size or sector. Leadership and Management skills ensure that businesses have the right strategies in place to succeed and have the skills to unlock potential in their employees.

Those who can lead know how to make important decisions that affect both themselves and people across their business. Owner-Managers need their business to evolve, innovate, remain competitive and adapt to new markets and opportunities. To achieve these results, it is important to have strong leadership and management skills that will support business decisions and strategic planning.

Improving your leadership and management skills is important when setting up or running your own business. Starting and running a company will require utilising management and leadership skills on a day-to-day basis. You will need to lead your business and manage yourself in terms of time, resources, planning and decision-making. You will also be managing relationships with customers and suppliers and perhaps specific projects. Building your management and leadership skills will enable you to make decisions about how you want to run your business and what your core values are.

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This Toolkit is part of a suite of resources designed to help leaders and managers of small and micro-businesses across the geographical area served by York, North Yorkshire and East Riding Local Enterprise Partnership (YNYER LEP).

The aim of the Toolkit is to support leaders and managers of small and micro businesses in the Visitor Economy. It provides practical advice and guidance about developing leadership and management capabilities in key business and personal development areas.

How to use this ToolkitThe Toolkit consists of two sections.

Section OneThis focuses on the senior leader in the business, that is, the Owner-Manager or Chief Executive Officer (CEO). It acknowledges the vital role of the Owner-Manager in driving ambition for growth and provides activities to support leadership development. The topics covered in this section are:

Personal resilience Finding time to add value Reflective practice.

Section TwoThis considers areas of leadership development that are essential to support an organisation’s ambitions for growth, with guidance on seven principal leadership development areas. The topics covered draw on the “Mckinsey 7S model”: Strategy, Systems, Structure, Staffing and Skills, Style and Shared Values. (The Bibliography contains further reading on McKinsey’s 7S model).

The topic areas are structured as shown below: Introduction How the topic relates to leadership Practical guidance and steps to take to develop leadership skills.

Appendix 1 contains a series of links to organisations which are available to be contacted by SMEs seeking additional help and resources to support their leaders and managers.

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Leadership and Management Toolkit for SMEs in the Visitor Economy

Contents

Section On

e

Senior Leadership in the Visitor Economy........................................................5

Senior Leader Personal Development - Resilience..........................................7

Senior Leader Personal Development - Finding time to add value..................8

Senior Leader Personal Development - Reflective Practice.............................9

Section Two

Strategy..........................................................................................................11

Structure.........................................................................................................13

Systems..........................................................................................................14

Style...............................................................................................................16

Staff and Skills................................................................................................17

Shared Values................................................................................................19

Appendix 1.....................................................................................................20

Appendix 2.....................................................................................................21

Bibliography....................................................................................................40

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Section One

Senior Leadership in the Visitor EconomyResearch commissioned by the York, North Yorkshire and East Riding Local Enterprise Partnership (YNYER LEP) in July 2017 identifies the geographical area it serves as a foremost location in the context of the UK visitor economy. The area boasts two National Parks and two Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) within its boundaries.

Yorkshire Dales National Park North York Moors National Park Nidderdale AONB Howardian Hills AONB.

The research highlights the abundance of historic market towns and cities, ancient monasteries, castles, museums and traditional rural villages, which contribute to the area’s great attraction to tourists. It is the fourth most visited area for British residents (VisitBritain, 2015) after the geographical areas covered by London, Heart of the South West and South East LEPs

The research also provides insight into the essential role of effective leadership in delivering improvements in the organisational performance of Visitor Economy businesses. It confirms the importance of effective leadership and management in driving up productivity and profitability. The research recognises that owners and senior managers continually need to build on their expertise and knowledge and require support to do so.

Data from the LEP’s Employer Skills Survey suggest organisations experience challenges in leadership and management skills in motivating staff, setting objectives and planning resources. It points to evidence from primary research that shows many organisations lack business or training plans.

Strategic management, planning, organisational skills, team working and problem solving are highlighted in the research as the top five skills sets that are crucial to the effective management of organisational performance and growth.

This Toolkit focuses on practical advice and guidance to develop these critical leadership and management skills sets.

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Leadership versus ManagementThe main difference between leaders and managers is that leaders inspire people to commit to their vision for the business whilst managers organise people to carry out specified roles and tasks.

Business success demands both strong leadership and excellent management. Effective leaders secure employee engagement to deliver the company’s vision while good managers ensure that day-to-day processes and tasks are properly implemented and carried out. More often than not the owner-manager in a micro-business or SME will have to demonstrate high levels of both leadership and management skills.

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Senior Leader Personal Development - Resilience

Introduction This refers to the ability to solve problems within the context of constant change and challenge in the workplace.

Role of LeadershipThe leader’s role is to develop solutions in a timely manner so that emerging problems and broader challenges can be addressed successfully.

Resilience is widely acknowledged as a key attribute for leaders in the visitor economy. In ‘Leading Through Uncertainty’ (a 2015 report by Heidrick & Struggles in association with the British Hospitality Association, which surveyed CEOs of leading UK hospitality companies; see Bibliography), Dominic Paul, SVP International at Royal Caribbean Cruise Line, talked about the need for leaders to possess ‘physical and mental resilience’. In the same report, another interviewee said that leaders need to be able to overcome periods of ‘intense loneliness and massive frustration’. Another pointed to the importance of leaders being adaptable, resilient and flexible, saying that leaders have to be able to make ‘the complex simple’, enabling their teams to operate successfully whilst they focus on continuing to ‘de-complicate’.

Practical Guidance

Step OneThink about a time when you needed to be resilient and identify what helped you succeed in meeting the challenges you faced.

Step TwoAs an aide memoire for future reference record the factors that helped you overcome those challenges.

Practical Note: Appendix 2.1 highlights two tips to help you stay resilient.

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Senior Leader Personal Development - Finding time to add value

Introduction This is the time you use to focus on delivering your ambitions for your business.

Role of LeadershipThe leader’s role is to set aside regular and sufficient time to step back and reflect on the core purpose of the business. The focus should be on:

Strategy (defining the purpose and setting the direction of the business)

Innovation (the process of translating an idea or invention into goods or services that create value or for which customers will pay)

Creativity (finding new and better ways of doing things).

However, leaders of small businesses often find they spend most of their time on routine activities such as managing staff, dealing with suppliers or helping customers.

Practical Guidance

Step One For a defined period (perhaps three days) consider recording in a diary each task you undertake and the time you allocate to it.

Practical Note: you can look at a simple method to capture this information in Appendix 2.2

Step TwoAnalyse your diary and calculate how much time you have allocated to working in the business rather than working on the business. Consider how much value you brought to the business in proportion to the amount of time spent on a particular set of tasks.

Step ThreeYou might think it necessary to allocate your time in a different way. Consider tactics such as:

Creating time and space that will help you to focus better on the purpose of your business;

Prioritising tasks (which are important or unimportant, urgent or non-urgent);

Delegating more.

Practical Note: see Appendix 2.3 for a simple way of capturing this information.

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Senior Leader Personal Development - Reflective Practice

Introduction Reflective practice is mainly concerned with self-development. It is the process of consciously reflecting on actions or decisions to inform continuous learning and development. As such, it is a valuable means of:

Applying insights and learning from the past Assessing what is happening now Identifying future improvements.

Much academic work has been carried out in the field of reflective practice; see the Bibliography for further reading.

Practical Note: see Appendix 2.4 for two examples of reflective practice models.

Role of LeadershipLeaders will benefit from critically reviewing their past actions to determine what was successful and where they can make improvements. In the simplest terms, this is about learning from mistakes. Schon (1991) calls this ‘reflection on action’.

However, reflective practice can also encompass the ability to assess what is happening in the here and now and to make instant decisions in response to an incident or circumstance as it occurs. This is ‘thinking on your feet’ or ‘reflection in action’ (Schon 1991).

An effective leader needs to cultivate both of these attributes. For some people they come naturally but there are steps that can be taken to develop them.

Practical Guidance

Step One Take some time to reflect on your day at work. Review the activities of the day and evaluate how successful or productive you thought they were.

Step TwoIdentify important learning points. These will be balanced between ‘do more of this because it worked really well’ and ‘could do that differently to get a better outcome’. Effective leaders reflect on how they would approach tasks, challenges or opportunities differently, as and when they reoccur. You might want to consider developing plans, strategies and ideas to inform your future approach to similar situations.

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Step ThreePut into action the plans, strategies and ideas developed in Step Two. After that return to Step One and analyse how successful your new strategy was. In this way you can continuously, review, refine and improve your performance.

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Section Two

Strategy

IntroductionThis is a plan to generate growth over the longer term (usually three to five years). It might be helpful to view the plan as a set of guiding principles that govern how your business will achieve some essential objectives such as:

Identifying your target customers Defining the offer to the customer, that which differentiates you from

your competitors (the value proposition) Deploying resources in the most efficient and effective way.

Role of LeadershipLeaders produce and direct the plan to generate growth. The leader should provide the business with a sense of purpose, define its objectives and enable its employees to understand how they contribute to its success. A clear strategy defines what success actually looks like, what steps are required to achieve it and how it will be measured.

Research commissioned by the YNYER LEP in July 2017 stated that across the LEP economy 58% of firms had a business plan which specified objectives for the coming year. This proportion is slightly lower than the national level of 62% (UKCES, 2016). The YNYER research indicated that 39% of firms had a training plan, again less than national average of 42%. The research highlights that employers in the visitor economy within the LEP area frequently do not have either a business or training plan. Smaller establishments are clearly focusing on operational matters. Whilst there is some understanding of the need to plan, the figures show there is a clear deficiency in planning.

Practical Guidance

Step One Assess the current position of your business using the information that you currently assemble to understand how the business is performing. Things to consider might include the following:

What is our occupancy rate? What is our customer feedback telling us? What is our turnover? What is our profit margin?

Step TwoWorking to one, two and five-year timeframes, identify the broad aspirations to progress each area of business performance identified in Step One. Set specific, measurable goals. For example, if you were a B&B owner and your customer satisfaction rate was currently 3.5 stars on TripAdvisor, what would you like it to be in one, two and five years?

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Practical Note: Appendix 2.5 shows how to capture this information.

Step ThreeIt is often useful to group specific targets into an overall business improvement aim. Here is an example

“Our visitors currently give us a rating of 3.5 stars on TripAdvisor and our rooms are 75% full in peak season and 40% in off-peak season. We would like to work together to deliver an improvement in our performance by next year of 60% in off-peak and have a visitor rating on TripAdvisor of 4 stars.”

Step FourThe best way to achieve a business improvement aim is to ensure that all your staff take “ownership” of it. It is therefore worthwhile to think about the most effective way of involving them in it, for example, through text messaging, social media, posters or e-mail.

Step FiveConsider the goals you want to achieve over the next 12 months. Identify the essential actions that will achieve those goals. Develop short-term action plans to deliver each goal.

Practical Note: Appendix 2.6 shows how to capture this information.

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Structure

Introduction This refers to the way the organisation is structured in terms of staff and lines of accountability.

Role of Leadership The leader’s role is to define and regularly review structure to ensure it delivers the business’s strategic objectives.

Practical Guidance

Step OneConsider whether your current organisation structure accurately reflects individuals’ functions and amend it if necessary. If you do not have a structure written down then you might find it helpful to create one in simple diagrammatic form.

Practical Note: see Appendix 2.7 for an example of a simple organisation structure.

Step TwoReview and, if necessary, update the job descriptions for each role in your structure.

Practical Note: see Appendix 2.8 for a basic job description format.

Step ThreeReview the current job descriptions in line with your strategic ambition to ensure all areas of the business are covered. Where there is an evident gap, consider where the responsibility should lie and include this in the relevant job descriptions.

Also, identify where responsibilities, duties and tasks are included in job descriptions but do not actually contribute to helping you deliver your business objectives. You might need to change or even remove these.

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Systems

IntroductionThese are the tasks, procedures and processes that people undertake to get the job done.

Role of LeadershipThe leader needs to delegate tasks effectively by explaining the outcomes and results that she/he expects their staff to achieve. Giving staff autonomy in how to complete a task can often be more productive than ‘micro-managing’. Trusting staff to use their judgement helps to motivate and engage them.

Processes need to be assessed continually to ensure that they are efficient and productive and contribute to actual business objectives. Consider the following points.

Are processes not being followed? This may be because the business has changed and the process is now outdated or redundant. Ensure employees understand the process and have been properly trained.

Do bottlenecks exist? One of the reasons for having processes is to eliminate bottlenecks. Listen to employees who carry out the process to ascertain why a bottleneck exists and how it may be eliminated.

Are dependencies understood? For example, a customer makes a complaint and is promised a refund which is not issued because the employee responsible for processing refunds is not informed. Clear lines of dependency and communication need to be established.

Are tasks being duplicated? Processes should be analysed to eliminate unnecessary duplication and increase efficiency.

Do metrics (standards of measurement) exist to measure the efficiency and success of a process? Metrics could be a combination of a financial goal, a level of customer or employee satisfaction or a performance standard that needs to be attained. Having meaningful ways to measure the success of a process is an effective way to identify inefficiencies.

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Practical GuidanceThe organisation structure and job descriptions covered in the Structure section underpin the practical guidance for the Systems section.

Step OneWork with the current jobholder to identify the processes in which they need to be involved in order to function effectively. Agree with the jobholder a set of metrics against which they can measure their success.

Practical Note: you can find a simple checklist for work instructions in Appendix 2.9.

Step TwoUndertake regular reviews with the jobholder to establish how well they are doing against the agreed metrics. This is also likely to help you as a leader to identify processes that are no longer relevant (or, as the case may be, never were).

Practical Note: Appendix 2.10 provides an example of a flowchart for documenting processes.

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Style

Introduction Leadership style is the manner and approach of providing direction, implementing plans and motivating people. There is a strong correlation between the style of management adopted and the climate, culture and shared values of the business.

Role of Leadership Effective leaders are adaptable and use different leadership styles for particular situations. Some leaders may only have one style or a preference for a particular style. The challenge is to adopt a style appropriate to the circumstance with the aim of achieving the business objectives. Adaptability of style is an increasingly significant quality of effective leadership, as the role of the leader is often complex and dynamic. Highly effective leaders know the style of leadership that is most appropriate in any given circumstance.

Practical Guidance

Step OneIt helps to understand the different leadership styles and the situations in which they are most appropriate.

Practical Note: Appendix 2.11 describes different leadership styles.

Step TwoThink about the leadership styles you use, how often they are employed and how effective they are. Leaders always find it beneficial to adapt their style to a particular situation or employee. If you feel a particular approach has not had the desired effect in the past it is always worth considering adopting a new one.

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Staff and Skills

Introduction This is about ensuring your team has the right skills, knowledge and working practices to deliver your business strategy.

Role of LeadershipLeaders need to identify and plan the best way of deploying their talent pool to achieve their strategic objectives. They need to provide staff with opportunities to learn and develop the skills, knowledge and ways of working to deliver those objectives.

Research undertaken by the YNYER LEP has found that in the visitor economy in the LEP area, 19% of all firms report having skills gaps, with 7.2% of workers not considered fully proficient in their role. This compares poorly with the equivalent figures for the whole of the UK which are 14% and 5%. The main causes of skills gaps in the sector are:

Individuals being new to the role Training only partially completed Employees lacking motivation to acquire new skills.

The specific skills gaps amongst the existing workforce mirror those found in new applicants; that is, knowledge of products and services on offer, specialist skills and knowledge, customer handling skills, team working, time management and task prioritisation.

Over one fifth of firms in the visitor economy report that skills gaps have a major impact on their business; a further half report that they have a minor impact. Some of the implications of skills gaps include:

Increased workload for other staff Higher operating costs Difficulties meeting quality standards.

These findings indicate the distinct challenge of skills gaps to the sector and therefore leaders must ensure that staff can access training and learning opportunities in order to drive growth.

To overcome skills gaps, employers in the sector have undertaken the following actions:

Increased training activity More supervision More appraisals Mentoring.

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Practical GuidanceThe section on structure includes developing job descriptions that identify the essential skills people need to carry out their responsibilities.

The section on systems includes producing work instructions which describe what people need to do.

Step OneIntroduce a structured performance review process. This should include opportunities for people to discuss their performance and, when appropriate, how they could improve it by developing their skills and knowledge. Refer to the organisation structure chart to decide who is best placed to undertake performance and development conversations with each person in your organisation.

Step TwoImplement a schedule of one-to-one performance review and development conversations.

Step ThreeIt is useful to have a template or form to record the principal outcomes and actions from the performance and development review conversations.

Practical Note: Appendix 2.12 shows a simple template for recording performance and development review conversations.

Step FourThis next step following a performance and development review is to collate all the outcomes and develop a Training Plan for your business as a whole.

Practical Note: see Appendix 2.13 for an example of a Training Plan template.

The Chartered Management Institute has produced a useful guide for conducting training needs analyses. A link to this can be found in the Bibliography.

Visit the YNYER LEP website for more information on current publicly funded training opportunities:www.businessinspiredgrowth.com/project/skilled-inspired-people/

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http://www.businessinspiredgrowth.com/project/skilled-inspired-people/


Shared Values

Introduction This is the last ‘S’ of McKinsey’s 7S model and is informed by the previous six (Strategy, Structure, Systems, Style, Staff and Skills) (see Bibliography for further reading on McKinsey’s 7S model). Shared Values are the guiding principles that determine how people work together and set the tone of the business culture in an organisation. When employees share a common set of values it can unite a business and provide it with a framework to govern positive workplace behaviours and relationships (both internally and with customers).

Role of LeadershipGood leaders play a vital role in developing values, and in ensuring that they continue to be shared and embedded across all working practices as the organisation develops and grows.

Practical GuidanceWriting down a set of values can help an organisation define its culture and climate. It helps to think of culture as ‘the way things are done around here’ and climate as ‘what it feels like to work here’. As a leader, it is highly beneficial to embed shared values in performance and development conversations.

Step OneReflect on some examples of Values statements from other organisations.

Practical Note: see Appendix 2.14 for examples of Values statements.

Step TwoIdentify the values that best reflect the culture and climate of your organisation. The most effective values are frequently those that all your employees have contributed to shaping in some way.

Step ThreeShare your organisation’s values regularly and widely, both internally and with your customers.

Step FourEnsure that the values are embedded in your organisation and that staff adhere to them. Use performance and development conversations to reinforce the values and highlight practical examples of how employees have demonstrated these values in their work.

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Appendix 1 Links

Organisations which provide a range of useful resources and advice to support the professional development of leaders and managers of SMEs.

Federation of Small Businesses www.fsb.org.uk/regions/yorkshire-and-the-north-east

How’s Business www.howsbusiness.org

Make it York w ww.makeityork.com/what-we-do/business-support

York and North Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce www.york.wnychamber.co.uk

Yorkshire Enterprise Network www.yorkshirenetwork.co.uk

Institute of Leadership and Management www.institutelm.com/learning/lea dership-framework

The Tourism Management Institute www.tmi.org.uk

Visit Britain (for a full list of visitor economy industry groups and bodies) www.visitbritain.org/industry-groups-bodies

York Professionals www.york-professionals.co.uk

Business support units or equivalents at District Council Level.

Craven www.cravendc.gov.uk/business/business-support-advice

Hambleton www.hambleton.gov.uk/info/20029/business

Harrogate www.harrogate.gov.uk/info/20001/business_and_investment

Richmondshire www.richmondshire.gov.uk/business-and-economy

Ryedale www.ryedale.gov.uk/business/business-development/business-advice.html

Scarborough www.scarborough.gov.uk/home/council/business-pane l

Selby www.selby.gov.uk/business

North Yorkshire County Council www. northyorks .gov.uk/business-support- and-advice

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http://www.northyorks.gov.uk/business-support-and-advice

http://www.northyorks.gov.uk/business-support-and-advice

http://www.selby.gov.uk/business

http://www.scarborough.gov.uk/home/council/business-panel

http://www.ryedale.gov.uk/business/business-development/business-advice.html

http://www.richmondshire.gov.uk/business-and-economy

http://www.hambleton.gov.uk/info/20029/business

http://www.york-professionals.co.uk/

https://www.visitbritain.org/industry-groups-bodies

http://www.tmi.org.uk/

http://www.institutelm.com/learning/leadership-framework

http://www.yorkshirenetwork.co.uk/

http://www.york.wnychamber.co.uk/

http://www.makeityork.com/what-we-do/business-support

http://www.howsbusiness.org/

http://www.fsb.org.uk/regions/yorkshire-and-the-north-east

http://www.fsb.org.uk/regions/yorkshire-and-the-north-east


Appendix 2.1

Tactics for Resilience (page 6) Stay PositiveTrain yourself to focus on positive potential outcomes even when you’re experiencing the harshest of circumstances. It might seem difficult at the time but many successful leaders will testify to its effectiveness.

Retain PerspectiveWork is a big part of our lives, but we know there are other activities and people outside of work which contribute to our overall sense of well-being and fulfilment. Even in the most challenging of situations, it is often highly beneficial to step aside and consider the bigger picture.

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Appendix 2.2

Finding time to add value (page 7)

Example

Date Time Activity Outcome Growth ambitions -

Added value

04/06/18 7.00am Emails Answered client query

Opportunity for further sales

“7.15am Telephone call Booked

train travel

None

“7.30am Chatted to member of

staffClarified tasks

Improved alignment to vision

“ 7.45am Made coffee None None

“ 8.00am Chatted to member of staff

None None

“ 8.15am Email Deleted junk mail

None

Blank Template

Date Time Activity Outcome

Growth ambitions -

Added value

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Appendix 2.3

Finding time to add value (page 7)

Task List

1. Planning2. Checking emails3. Taking a visitor booking4. Cleaning out email files

Below, prioritised task list using the structure: of important/unimportant and urgent/non-urgent.

Urgent Non-urgentImportant Taking a visitor booking Planning

Checking emailsUnimportant Interruptions Cleaning out email files

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Appendix 2.4

Reflective practice models (page 8)

Kolb’s Learning Cycle (1984)

Lawrence-Wilkes REFLECT model (2014)

R 1. Remember Look back, review and ensure intense experiences are reviewed objectively. (Subjective and objective).

E 2. Experience What happened? What was important? (Subjective and objective).

F 3. Focus Who, what, where and so on. Roles, responsibilities and so on. (Mostly objective).

L 4. Learn Question: why, reasons, perspectives, feelings? Refer to external checks. (Subjective and objective).

E 5. Evaluate Causes, outcomes, strengths, weaknesses, feelings - use metacognition (Subjective and objective).

C 6. Consider Assess options, need or possibilities for change? Development needs? 'What if?' scenarios? Refer to external checks. (Mostly objective).

T 7. Trial Integrate new ideas, experiment, take action and make change (Repeat cycle: Recall).

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Concrete Experience Feeling

Con

tinuu

m

Continuum

AccommodatingFeel and Do

DivergingFeel and watch

ConvergingThink and Do

AssimilatingThink and watch

Active ExperimentationDoing

Reflective ObservationWatching

Abstract ConceptualisationThinking

Processing

Perc

eptio

n


Appendix 2.5

Strategy (page 11)

Example – Hotel or Bed and Breakfast

Management Information

Aspiration Current Position

One-year Goal

Two-year Goal

Five-year Goal

Occupancy To increase occupancy over five years in both peak and off-peak seasons.

75% peak, 40% off-peak

Maintain 75% peak.Increase to 60% off-peak.

Increase to 80% peak.Maintain 60% off-peak.

Maintain 80% peak.Increase to 75% off-peak.

Customer Feedback

To improve rating on TripAdvisor

3.5/5 stars

4/5 stars Maintain

4.5/5 stars

Turnover £250K £150K £175K £200K

£250K

Profit To improve profitability

By 10% By 12.5% By 20%

By 25%

Blank Template



One-year Goal

Two-year Goal

Five-year Goal

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Appendix 2.6

Strategy (page 11)



Aspiration

Current Positio

n

One-year Goal

Actions/Objectives Review

Occupancy To increase occupancy over five years in both peak and off-peak seasons.

75% peak 40% off-peak

Maintain 75% in peakIncrease to 60% in off-peak

Review and improve off peak offer

Marketing strategy for off-peak to be developed

Customer Feedback

To improve rating on Trip Advisor

3.5/5 stars

4/5 stars Review the customer feedback and identify any critical trends and develop action plans to address.

Turnover £250K £150K £175K Review pricing policy in line with increased occupancy in off-peak. Does this generate increase in turnover?

Profit To improve profitability

By 10% By 12.5%

Efficiencies/pricing policy.

Blank Template



One-year Goal

Actions/Objectives Review

Strategy (page 11)

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Objective Activities How? Who? TimeframesReview and improve off-peak offer

Increase the number of people staying more than one night during off-peak

Create a discounted offer

Owner 1 year

Blank Template

Objective Activities How? Who? Timeframes

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Appendix 2.7

Structure (page 12)

Example of an organisation structure diagram:

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Leader

Customer Service

Manager

Finance Manager

Operations Manager

CS Advisor Sales Advisor

Accounts Admin.

Accounts Admin.

Production Operative

Production Operative


Appendix 2.8

Structure (page 12)

Example – Generic Role, Hotel or Bed and Breakfast

Job TitleReception/Front of houseJob Overview (aligned to strategic ambition)To be the first point of contact for customers either in person, by telephone or by email.Key ResponsibilitiesTo answer all incoming calls, deal with enquiries or pass to appropriate colleagues.To book in visitors.To respond to visitor questions.Key Skills and Values (including qualifications)Qualifications

Customer service (will be supported to achieve customer service qualification if not held)

Business administration (desirable).Skills

Telephone skills Verbal communication Microsoft Office skills Organisation.

Values Handles pressure Professionalism Customer focus Teamwork.

AccountabilitiesCustomer experience feedback.Health and safety/security; maintain safe and clean reception area by complying with procedures, rules and regulations.Adherence to relevant policies and work instructions.

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Blank Template

Job Title

Job Overview (aligned to strategic ambition)

Key Responsibilities

Key Skills and Expertise (including qualifications)

Accountabilities

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Appendix 2.9

Systems (page 14)

Suggested approach to creating work instructions.

1. Revisit the task to ensure you remember exactly how it’s done.2. Develop a plan that divides the task into a series of steps.3. Write a summary of each step.4. Practice the work instruction to confirm all steps are detailed and the

steps are in a logical order.

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Complete purchase requisition form

Approved?Purchase requisition

No

Yes

Credit or cash?

Fill out CCPR

Cash Credit

Independent contractor

(IC)?

No

Yes

IC’s agreement filled out or on file

Obtain Purchase Order (PO) from

Controller

Invoice CCPR

Invoice PO

Documents to Controller for

approval

To Controller

Purchasing Process


Appendix 2.10

Systems (page 14)

Example process flowchart: Purchasing Process

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Appendix 2.11

Style (page 15).

Autocratic LeadershipLeader holds all authority and responsibility. They make decisions on their own without consulting people in the organisation and expect prompt implementation. There are distinct disadvantages to using this style. It promotes very little learning as employees are merely told what to do and not how to do it; there is no room to exercise judgement and therefore develop. Morale can be negatively affected with employees feeling stifled and frustrated. Productivity can be hampered as a lack of autonomy can dampen enthusiasm. Managers can often find this style exhausting. However, there might be circumstances where this style can be effective: for example, when the business faces a sudden crisis or emergency. In this instance it may be necessary to act quickly and decisively to avert a threat.

Democratic LeadershipPeople are involved in decision making and contributions are valued. The democratic leader retains final responsibility but considerable authority is delegated to others. Communication within the organisation is both upward and downward. This style can be effective when a circumstance requires an input of ideas to arrive at solutions such as when managers are uncertain about how a project should progress or a problem be solved. If the working environment is stable and not subject to upheaval or uncertainties, then this style can work well, particularly where employees are experienced qualified and have proven they are able to carry out their duties autonomously. However, the style has its disadvantages; progress can be slow since input is required from employees at every stage. Where staff members are not experienced or well-trained this style can be ineffective as close supervision may be required and consume the leader’s time and effort. This style is often ineffective in a crisis, where swift and decisive action is required with insufficient time to seek employees’ views (or where conflicting opinions may put a brake on any meaningful action).

Strategic LeadershipStrategic leadership is primarily concerned with strategy formulation and implementation. The ability to make decisions (or support others to make decisions), which enhance the prospects for the organisation's long-term success. Strategic leadership provides a sense of direction and builds ownership and alignment between staff and strategy. However, this style sometimes fails to focus on the details, such as implementing robust systems to measure progress towards goals. The style can be particularly effective in small, growing businesses where the speed of change can generate potentially confusing situations. It helps to communicate the meaning of events to employees and can give them a sense of direction. Effective strategic leaders have the ability to make sense of a complicated situation and then help their employees navigate their way through it.

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Transformational LeadershipMotivates others to do more than they thought possible. Sets more challenging expectations and typically achieves higher performance by empowering staff to aim high. This style values innovation, flexibility and versatility and is therefore effective at keeping the business relevant. However, some employees are uncomfortable with change and may be unwilling to adapt; this can result in demotivation and employees leaving the business. The fluidity of this style can be well suited to growing businesses where change is inevitable and needs to be embraced. It can enable leaders to innovate and find new ways of working as opportunities and challenges present themselves.

Team Leadership A clear vision of future success and the ability to align hearts and minds to its achievement are two key attributes of this style. At its best this style is inspirational and provides a strong sense of purpose and direction. It encourages employees to feel part of the business and value themselves as investors in its success. However, it carries with it a risk of alienating certain employees when, for example, their ideas are not taken forward. In addition, it can result in too many people trying to lead the team and insufficient focus on getting the job done. This style is particularly effective in creative industries or in situations that require ideas and input from employees to solve a particular problem. It can also be effective in motivating staff as it strengthens the perception that the leader is on the same level as them.

Laissez-faire Leadership Allowing people to work as they choose with minimal or no interference, it is perceived to be a less satisfying and less effective management style. The lack of direction set by the leader can result in objectives not being met (or even set) and employees not working together in a coordinated fashion. However, there may be situations where this style can be effective such as when employees need space to be creative and too much direction could hamper their efforts.

Coaching Leadership Motivating, inspiring and encouraging, this style can help to develop a strong bond between leaders and the wider team and support fostering of respect and cooperation. Employees are encouraged to learn, develop and become better at their jobs and will often actively seek out opportunities for professional development or learning. However, this will require leaders who are highly skilled and expert in their field with sufficient credibility to coach their staff effectively. This style is valuable in settings where employees need instruction and training and are motivated to develop. However, it should be avoided where a leader lacks experience and expertise specific to the role of the employee. This style can also be ineffective in a crisis where there is little time for coaching and where efforts need to be directed towards dealing with immediate challenges to the business.

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Visionary Leadership Inspiring through providing clarity of vision - everyone understands their contribution to business objectives with success clearly defined. This style can give employees a sense of freedom, pride and self-esteem, as they are free to perform in a way that is comfortable to them as long as the vision is achieved. This style requires leaders to provide employees with feedback so that they are aware of their performance and progress towards achieving the vision. It is particularly effective where a business does not have a clear direction; the leader can provide the vision and steer the business towards it. This requires a leader with credibility and who commands respect from their employees. Visionary leadership is much less effective where employees are poorly trained or underdeveloped as this means they will need more guidance than usual. It is also ineffective where a leader lacks credibility. Finally, employees may become complacent or feel that the manager does not care about how they work, as they may perceive the style as not being sufficiently ‘hands on’.

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Appendix 2.12

Staff and Skills (page 17)

Example – Generic Role – Hotel or Bed and Breakfast

Name Gene RicroleJob Title ReceptionistDate of Meeting

1/4/18

Review of Performance against objectives A summary of achievement against the objectives that have been previously agreed.

Objective 1 – review of performance

Objective: Consistently provide good customer service.Achieved: Customer experience score is at least 4 out of 5.

Development SummaryRecord further training and support required, and any areas where performance is particularly strong and should be developed further.

The upgrade to the IT and phone system is planned for the next six months. Training for this will be required.

Development and Training Specific activities for training and development. To include: training courses, projects, coaching and so on.

Attend introductory day with IT provider.Attend local college course on software package.Mentoring support from IT provider to set up and embed the system (1 day a week for 6 weeks).

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Blank Template

NameJob TitleDate of Meeting

Review of Performance against objectives A summary of achievement against the objectives that have been previously agreed.




Development SummaryRecord further training and support required, and any areas where performance is particularly strong and should be developed further.

Development and Training Specific activities for training and development. To include: training courses, projects, coaching etc.

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Appendix 2.13

Staff and Skills (page 17)

Example – Generic Role – Hotel or Bed and Breakfast

Objective Training/ Learning

Need

Activity to meet Need

Who? By when?

Review

Improve efficiency by upgrading the IT software.

To understand the IT software package.

Introductory course.

Reception. 30/09/18 31/10/18

Blank Template

Objective Training/ Learning

Need

Activity to meet Need

Who? By when? Review

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Appendix 2.14

Shared Values (page 18)

Hilton HotelHospitality We are passionate about delivering exceptional guest experiences.IntegrityWe do the right thing, all the time.LeadershipWe are leaders in our industry and in our communities.TeamworkWe are team players in everything we do.OwnershipWe are the owners of our actions and decisions.NowWe operate with a sense of urgency and discipline.

Yorkshire Dales National ParkImprovementWe will continually strive to improve our performance in delivering National Park purposes and welcome feedback to help us do this.AccountabilityWe will explain and take responsibility for our decisions and actions.CommitmentWe will do what we say we will do.IntegrityOur relationships with the public, partners and each other will be built on honesty, transparency, equality, impartiality and consistency. We welcome and respect diversity and demonstrate equality in working relationships.InvolvementWe are open and approachable, and are proactive in encouraging wider and diverse participation in achieving our statutory purposes.Valuing peopleWe value the people who work for us and will ensure that they are equipped and empowered to provide professional services to the public.We believe that strong corporate governance arrangements are necessary to ensure that these values are put into practice.

Make it YorkValues are important to Make It York: these are to be ambitious, respectful, entrepreneurial and collaborative in all that we do. Collaboration is particularly important to us, working with a range of organisations locally, nationally and internationally for the overall benefit of the city and its surroundings.

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Bibliography

Future skills needs in the York, North Yorkshire and East Riding Local Enterprise Partnership Area: Skills Needs in the Priority Sectors, looking to 2023: Visitor Economy; Beyond 2030; June 2017 York North Yorkshire and East Riding Enterprise Partnership.www.businessinspiredgrowth.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Calderdale_FNR_Visitor-Economy_Final_01_-Jul-17.pdf

McKinsey Seven S model. www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newSTR_91.htm

CMI; website and Professional Manager (various issues) – author’s account. www.managers.org.uk/

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“Grow your People –Grow your Business”

A series of Toolkits developed by Associates of Calderdale College on behalf of York, North Yorkshire and East Riding Local Enterprise Partnership to support leaders and managers of SMEs in the following priority sectors and groups:

Construction Engineering The Visitor Economy The over 50s Women in Leadership and Management.

This Toolkit was designed by the College as part of an ESF funded Skills Support for the Workforce programme.

March 2018.

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