This week we had the opportunity to meet with a group of colleagues from Best Western–you know, the world’s largest hotel chain. Anyway, we were invited to attend a co-op meeting of Minnesota and Wisconsin hotel owners and general managers and give a little schpeel about our business. It was really great for us, because we have worked for many years with a lot of these folks and it was nice to see them. But what else was good is the way they work together.
The group is made up of various ages and skill sets, some operators and some corporate folks. What struck me as impressive was the partnering that was taking place. Even though they were often competing for the same customers, these people were willing to come together and share their knowledge. Gone were the days of secrecy and unwillingness to express ideas for fear that someone else will copy you and steal your business! These people were discussing what they’d learned in their decades of experience in order to try to prevent others from repeating their mistakes.
So that’s the lesson I came home with; work together. It doesn’t matter if you’re a corporate-type or a more relaxed, leisure-type business, we are all on the same page. Jumping in and partnering with other people can help you both by expanding your marketing reach. Sharing of best practices aids newer members of your company. And since we all have the same 24 hours in a day, you can get more done by creating partnerships and working with people rather than against them.
Fresh Air Musings 