I have just come from a five-star hotel where the customer experience left a lot to be desired. I have visited this property on numerous occasions and always found it to be well-run with a high level of service and hospitality. So what went wrong this time?

One of the issues I noted was that there was no manager present, and the place was in chaos. I recently saw Ken Blanchard quoted as saying that “as a manager the important thing is not what happens when you are there, but what happens when you are not there”. Makes you think, doesn’t it? When we’re at our business, working with our teams, we often believe that all is well and things are going smoothly. It’s worth considering what happens when we’re away – are the same standards maintained; is the team’s mission clear enough that they know what they need to do; have we developed a level of competence that allows our teams to deliver what they need to without our help?

If you’re not sure, maybe you need to have a look at it. Ask the team, ask your colleagues, ask your customers…but find out. Maybe you use part of your next teambuilding exercise to spend some time working on this with your team. Find out what goes on when you’re not there and if it’s not what you would like, work with the team to make it better. It’s going to reflect more on you than on them if you don’t!