Passionate Learning

Being a teacher for the last 16 years, I have come across many students who study and learn just to pass their examination.   Very few students are really passionate about their subject. This blog is all about Passionate Learning. While learning with Passion, there is no fear of  scores, passing or failing in a test or examination.  The focus is to understand the subject and  to get deeper into it. This learning is for life and  may be for your profession. This kind of learning will help you  to master the subject and makes you  an expert. The knowledge and skills acquired through the process will be highly indispensable.

Firstly, identifying the area of interest is absolute necessary. In Hospitality courses, students may be interested in Culinary, Bakery ,Food & Beverage Service, Front office, Information Technology, Human Resources ,Training and so on. Once chosen, learn the basics. There are plenty of books that covers basics in each subject. Getting started from basics is important as it lays a strong foundation. Once you get your basics right then  move to the next level. Read advanced books .Every author would have suggested books and articles for further reading. Try to read as many books, magazines, journals  and articles in your area of interest. Access internet for information. Visit online forums, websites, blogs, research articles and gather as much information and knowledge. Enhanced knowledge brings in new perspectives. Besides acquiring knowledge, mastering the right skills is also extremely important. Skills can be acquired only through constant practice. Working under experts and seniors will also help to sharpen the skills.

Interact and network with the right people who are experts in the field. They will guide and motivate you. Also, become a member of various forums, clubs, associations ,where experts meet and share their learning. These are excellent platforms to update.

Electronic media is also a great source of information. If you are passionate to learn about food, there are plenty of television channels that focuses on Food. Similarly there are Special Interest Channels that cover specific areas .Subscribe to these channels.

Another way to learn is to travel. Travelling and meeting people from other nationalities is a great learning and sharing experience. Visit the local markets, super markets and industry specific exhibitions. New products and services will be on offer. This is another source to update and learn.

Enroll for short courses, seminars, workshops , training  programmes  , conferences and Professional Development Programmes .These programs not only help to enhance knowledge and skills but also connects you with Passionate people.

Once you have reached certain level of expertise, then undertake research work in your area of interest and publish the findings in magazines and journals. These publications will connect you with the best in the class.

Share your learning. The more you share the more you learn.  Learn as if there is no tomorrow. 

Higher Studies after Hotel Management Graduation

I have been interacting with thousands of Hotel Management Graduate students over the last 16 years. Many students seek my help and advice to plan for their careers. Most of them want to study further and few want to work in Hotels  or join their family business. When it comes to work, majority  of them want to join the reputed Hotel brands only as Management Trainees or Executive Trainees .If they are not successful, then they  opt for higher studies or alternative careers.

When it comes to studying further, many are confused as to which course to choose. Most students think that higher education is a shortest route to a Managerial position in a Hotel. In reality, it is not so. I always tell them that work experience matters. However, many choose for studying further. Most students opt for studying Masters in Hospitality Management, Masters in Tourism or MBA in Hotel Management in India or abroad.

The placement prospects are limited for such courses .Hotels look for people with operational experience having the right skill sets. Just by having MBA in Hotel Management, Hotels cannot employ directly into the managerial position. So the question is which course they need to pursue.

 In my personal opinion the ideal course for a Hotel Management Graduate will be a General  full time MBA specialization in either Marketing, Finance, Systems  or Human Resources. I have come across many of my students who have done General MBA and have been successful in their careers. General MBA opens up opportunity in all sectors of business. With a background of Hotel Management  ,it is easy to secure placements in the services sector. However, it is mandatory for students to  appear for MBA entrance examination like the CAT,MAT etc. Securing good score in these entrance examinations will help in securing admission in a reputed business school.

 The decision of studying further should be taken during the second year of the course ideally after the Industrial Exposure Training. Once decided, prepare well for the entrance examination. There are many MBA entrance examination coaching institutes that train students .The focus should be to secure admission in a reputed business school which offers quality placements.

Being Hospitality Educator, I still encourage students to work in Hotels after Graduation. If higher education is a priority, then choose a course that can offer a long term career.

Beyond text books and facebook:

I have been interviewing students over several   years for our company’s Management Training and other training programmes . After interacting with thousands  of hotel management students its evident that most students just restrict themselves their study material and text books. Very few students go beyond text books. In today’s competitive environment, it’s essential that students update constantly.

Updation cannot be done in few days. Its a constant and continuous process. Besides technical skills and knowledge, recruiters focus on Personality, Communication, General Awareness, Grooming, Attitude, Leadership Ability, Team Orientation and Academic Consistency. Each of this trait is interrelated.  Good Knowledge leads to confidence and confidence leads to communication.

These are  10  simple ways to update constantly.

1.Read News Papers, Books, Blogs, Magazines, Websites, Surf Internet and access for information .

2.Watch good television channels relating to News –National and International, Business, Life Style, Travel, Sports, Culinary and many more.

3.Travel to places. Travelling is a great education.

4.Meet and Interact with Smart and Intelligent  people. I f you want to become smart, surround yourself with people smarter than you

5.Reflect  on your present knowledge levels  to  desired knowledge levels.

6.Connect with experts .They can guide and mentor you.

7.Use Social Media to your advantage. Follow products, people, services on Twitter. Always remember updating  is a continuous process.

8.Join Like Minded  Passionate  Communities –Photo Graphy Clubs, Technology  Clubs and so on.

9.Learn New Skills

10.Enroll into a new course .There is no age bar for courses these days.

The quest for learning should never stop. Constant learning  will help you to perform better than your peers. Its your knowledge. It cannot be taken away.Great Knowledge will take you places in your personal and professional lives.

Hospitality Education then and now

Hospitality Education then and now

I had finished my 12^th standard in science and I was looking for a degree course.My father wanted me to study engineering as he is an engineer by profession. I was not very keen to take up engineering as I wanted to study any course which does not have Mathematics or Physics.I choose Hotel Management. I joined Christ College, Bangalore  for the 3 year Bachelor’s in Hotel Management  popularly known as BHM course.  

This 3 year Degree Course was affiliated to Bangalore University and we were the first batch of 30 students .Being the first batch, we did not have any seniors in college for any advise or guidance. We had to depend on limited hotel management books that our library could offer. There were no journals or magazines relating to Hotel Management. There was no internet, computers, laptops, tablets,, smart phones ,Social Media or  24  hrs Television Channels. The only source of information was our faculty members , or limited books in the library.

Bangalore had few 5 star hotels. May be about 6 five star hotels and very few stand alone restaurants that served speciality and international cuisine. There were no shopping malls, food courts or multiplexes. Our exposure to the industry was limited to the 6 months industrial exposure training.

In  2011,when I teach Hotel Management to the my students who were born in early 1990’s ,I envy them. These students are born post Liberalization .There exposure to the industry is amazing. Most of them have travelled overseas for vacations and many have experienced star hotels as ‘Guests’. They have an indepth understanding of the Hotel & Tourism Industry before they join the course.

The greatest advantage that students of today possess is access to correct information or data. Technology has revolutionized education and has changed the way  of teaching and learning. Internet is the biggest advantage that our students have. Any kind of information is available to them.

Hospitality Education is all about practical exposure. Walk into to a super market or a food court, one can see any kind of ingredient or cuisine. In 1990’s International and Specialty Cuisine was restricted only to 5 star Hotels .Today its available in Food Courts and stand alone restaurants at affordable prices.

The exposure from Television and Internet  is  enormous. The Travel ,Food and Life Style channels enhances learning and exposure.  Websites are developed by companies for every product or service they offer. Videos from YouTube or data from Wikipedia or related sites helps in updation.

Over the last 15 years, plenty of work is done in the field of Hospitality. New concept Hotels have opened across the country.  Thousands of books, magazines and journals   relating to hospitality are published.  Up gradation of Hospitality Education Curriculum, Quality Faculty, Hospitality Research and Publications, World Class Infrastructure & Facilities and Placements in Hotels and Services Sector has changed the face of Hospitality Education.

However,one thing that remained  constant in 1990’s and today is the need for a proactive Service ‘Attitude’. This element has not changed and will never change in the near future. 

Think Global Act Local

Think Global Act Local 

Once a week, I visit the fish market along with my daughter to buy fish.Navi Mumbai being a port city has abundant supply of fresh fish. The locals in Navi Mumbai generally buy Bombil (Bombay Duck) as its part of their staple diet. The Bombay duck   despite its name, not a duck but a lizardfish. It is native to the waters between Mumbai (formerly Bombay) and Kutch in the Arabian Sea, and a small number are also found in the Bay of Bengal. I have tried it once and I liked it. I was keen  to try this in a restaurant. Very few restaurants serve this fish .However, I can get the regular Sear Fish, or  Pomfret, easily in these restaurants . If we look around there are plenty of ingredients like the vegetables, fruits, seafood, meat products, pulses, spices ,condiments  that are grown locally or locally available .Most Hotels and restaurants hardly use them in their menus. For instance, We need to think beyond the regular English Vegetables like the carrots, green peas,beans, cauliflower and potatoes. Hotels hesitate to use the locally grown vegetables like Cluster beans, Bottle Gourd, Beet Root, Bitter Gourd and so on. May be we cannot use them in International cuisine but definitely it can be used in the Indian Cuisine. Chefs need to think beyond Punjabi and Muglai  Cuisine.  Regional Cuisine can find a place in Buffets and Alacarte   menus  .Today, regional cuisine restaurants are successful everywhere. I frequently visit Diva Maharashtracha ,a stand alone restaurant in Mahim,Mumbai. This place serves authentic   Maharshtrain Cuisine and does very well. In Mumbai ,there are very few authentic Maharashtrain  restaurants. I have never come across an authentic Maharashtrian restaurant in a star hotel. Another restaurant I visit regularly is the Swati Snacks at Tardeo. This place serves traditional Gujrati and Maharashtrain Snacks. The restaurant is always full and many times I have waited for more than 30 minutes to find a table.There is a great demand for such restaurants which serves traditional authentic food .

The successful restaurants in the world have supported the local community. Chefs have worked with the local farmers to produce Organic Ingredients. This kind of initiative helps the local community and supports the economic development of the region. I have come across many Chefs who would like to import ingredients .Importing is not a bad idea unless it is an absolute necessity. Using   locally available produce will  help in bringing  down carbon foot prints, reduction in food cost, support  environment, development of community and  offering fresh food to the customers.

I take my students of hotel management on study tour to ABC Cheese Farms in Pune. This place was started by Mr.Sohrab Chinoy and this cheese farm is synonymous with good cheese. Mr.Chinoy makes more than 60 varieties of cheese  using their own cultures which is comparable to best in the world. Rather than importing cheese, sourcing out locally is cost effective and viable option.

Talking about wines Nasik is known as Wine Capital of India. Wines from Nasik are competing with global wines and the quality is good.

When I was in Bangalore working for Christ College, we use to consult for Cicada Resorts at Kabini.  This resort is located inside the Nagarhole Wildlife Sanctuary. Sourcing out man power for this place was a challenge. People with urban background were not keen to relocate and work in this place. We had to recruit people from the local villages and train them. Spoken English was a problem as people studied in local vernacular schools. We trained them on basic hospitality etiquettes and simple English speaking skills as majority of customers were foreigners. We focussed our training on hospitality attitude than focussing on English as a language. This really worked. The guests feedback was encouraging. They liked the simplicity, genuineness and caring approach of the staff. While working on Menu for this resort, we planned the menu keeping in mind the locally available ingredients and their seasonality.

Today,India is competing with the rest of the world in all aspects of Hospitality. We just cannot import ingredients just because they are ‘exotic’. What is exotic to us is a locally available ingredient in other parts of the world. Example, Iceberg Lettuce   is a local ingredient in the Western World and exotic ingredient in India. Many of these ‘exotic’ ingredients can be locally grown and cultivated. Besides  utilising local ingredients & manpower,it is advantageous to use the available  local products and services of the region.  Thinking Globally and acting Locally is a perspective and a fine balance between the two can yield greater results.

Managing Regional Diversity in Indian Hotels

Managing Regional Diversity in Indian Hotels

Before I write about diversity,I would like to share my experience about a diversity issue.

When I joined hotels in early 1990’s ,We were a batch  of young fresh recruits from Hotel Management colleges and were posted in Goa as Management Trainees. Our batch had representation from most of the states in India. The biggest problem most of my North Indian colleagues faced was about local language and food in the hotel cafeteria. Typical lunch was fish curry ,rice with one or two vegetables. Goans loved their fish. My colleagues from North India always liked to have their rotis with along with the meals. Most of them did not enjoy having Rice and Fish for Lunch or Dinner. They approached the Human Resources Manager.He was very considerate. He ensured that North Indian employees or employees who desired to have rotis were made available from the main kitchen of the hotel. All my North Indian colleagues were happy and motivated. This was an example to manage diversity in the work place.

The greatest challenge for managers in hotels is to manage work force diversity .Lets look at India as a country which is a land of diversity.

India,a country with 28 states and 7 union territories  has a complex  regional culture .India has world’s second largest labour force  is the second most culturally, linguistically and genetically diverse geographical entity after the African continent. If we travel for 50 kms in India in any direction, we see a change in the language spoken , food, clothing ,living, religious faith and attitudes.

 The constitution also recognises in particular 21 other languages that are either abundantly spoken or have classical status. The number of dialects in India is as high as 1,652.

Indians love their food. Indian cuisine is characterized by a wide variety of regional styles and sophisticated use of herbs and spices. The staple foods in the region are rice (especially in the south and the east) and wheat (predominantly in the north).Spices originally native to the Indian subcontinent that are now consumed world wide include black pepper; in contrast, hot chilli peppers, popular across India, were introduced by the Portuguese.

 Traditional Indian dress varies across the regions in its colours and styles and depends on various factors, including climate. Popular styles of dress include draped garments such as sari for women and dhoti or lungi for men; in addition, stitched clothes such as shalwar kameez for women and kurta-pyjama and European-style trousers and shirts for men, are also popular. Many Indian festivals are religious in origin, although several are celebrated irrespective of caste and creed. Some popular festivals are Diwali, Pongal, Holi, Onam, Vijayadashami, Bihu, Durga puja, Eid ul-Fitr, Bakr-Id, Christmas, Ugadi, Buddha Jayanti and Vaisakhi. India has three national holidays. Other sets of holidays, varying between nine and twelve, are officially observed in individual states. Religious practices are an integral part of everyday life and are a very public affair. Traditional Indian family values are highly respected.

With multiple diversity factors, it becomes extremely challenging for hotels to manage work force. Hotels across the world are 24/7 operations. Employees spend long hours in workplace. Each employee (men or women) have their own expectations from the organization. Be it the kind of food that is served in the cafeteria or leave during certain festivals. If these needs are not met, the employees are dissatisfied with the organization and results into low morale. For many employees , these needs are more important than the compensation .

Failure in Managing Multi Cultural Work Force results in:

•         high employee turnover,

•         low productivity,

•         poor morale,

•         bad company image

•          costly operations.

•         For the manager or executive, it can also result in additional stress.

Managing a Multicultural Workforce

 Author and business consultant Paul Tulenko suggests the following steps in making the most out of a multicultural workforce:

1. First of all, identify the diversity - collect data about your workforce. Data can be related to employees gender, language, state, religious faith, age, marital status, education qualifications, financial status, family dependent status, food habits and so on.

2. Discover the norms. Get detailed information on your employees' cultures.

    Get first hand information from your employees themselves.

3. Discover the differences. There will be plenty to understand the difference .These differences are not meant to separate us but to unite us. Celebrate the differences.

4. Develop a plan.

The Human Resources Department has a vital role to play .Line Managers and Supervisors need to be sensitized regarding diversity in work place. Training Programmes  on Work Place Diversity helps. Managers should be encouraged to foster diversity. Eg. Granting leave to employees during their important festivals or involving employees in planning menus in cafeteria through caferia committee. These are few examples. There are many other ways to engage employees .

It is extremely important for managers to be sensitive to cultures and have a understanding of the local environment and requirements. Empathy is an important quality that every manager should possess. Managing regional diversity is a complex task. But if managed well, it can be a differentiating factor for attracting ,retaining workforce and building brand for the organization.