Sir Gerry Robinson -
Running a Successful Tourism and Hospitality Business
Wednesday 3rd October 2007
(10am - 2.30pm)
“It is my belief that success is achievable when you prioritise the key essentials.” Sir Gerry Robinson
Key Messages:
• Key issues affecting business success
• The importance of effective employee relations
• Communicating effectively with your team and customers
• The challenges of running a family business large or small
Sir Gerry Robinson is one of the UK’s most influential businessmen. He featured in the TV series ‘I’ll Show Them Who’s Boss’ in which Sir Robinson advised families on how best to run their business and recently in the BBC’s series ‘Can Gerry Robinson Fix the NHS?’, where his straight-talking approach proved invaluable. Throughout his career, Sir Robinson has demonstrated extensive knowledge and expertise in the techniques and skills required to run a successful business. He is convinced that the practical skills required to manage a business are relatively simple.
Sir Robinson’s gift is not only that he understands and clearly explains what the requisite skills are, but that he is a subtle psychologist who solely prioritises what is necessary to make a business work. In the past three decades, Sir Gerry is credited with converting Coca –Cola UK’s £7million loss into a £17million profit in two years; leading in 1987 the biggest management buyout ever seen by creating Compass out of Grand Metropolitan; and in one year stemming Granada’s losses to post returns that were 10% higher than marketing expectations.
Sir Gerry was awarded a knighthood in 2003 for services to business and has been heralded as one of Britain’s best businessmen.
Sir Gerry’s no nonsense approach and easy to follow advice provideed practical examples that can be swiftly put into practice.
Richard Wyatt-Haines - Post Event Thoughts
The biggest turnout so far for the executive programme welcomed Sir Gerry Robinson of "Can Gerry Robinson save the NHS" fame as well as Granada, Allied Domecq, and the Arts Council. Nearly 150 people saw Sir Gerry at our first session of this winter season and not only did he speak brilliantly for just short of an hour but then answered questions from over a dozen of the participants with a directness which was welcomed by everybody. These questions ranged from marital business relationships, through maternity cover to the Olympics. Each question was treated in a very positive manner which was an inspiration to us all.
His talk focused on four main elements;
- The ability of leaders to exercise good judgement
- The need to inspire
- The role and behaviour of the leader
- The need to develop talent in your businesses
The ability of leaders to exercise good judgement
Put simply, Gerry believes that someone has to decide where your business needs to go. That someone is you. You can do this after you have genuinely listened to what people have to say but at the end of the day it is up to you to make the decision, even if it is unpopular. Of course, leaders need to make those judgements bounded by common sense but equally they must ensure that they bring clarity to the organisation which provides focus and simplicity against which people can transact and deliver. This will mean that at times you will need to be courageous and do things that are unpopular. Equally at times, you will visualise a future that is not yet apparent to others.
The need to inspire
It is not sufficient to simply articulate a clear message. If things are going to change in your organisation then your people need to deliver. It is Gerry’s belief that if you are going to be successful you have to inspire people with a passion that results in them going out and willingly making your aspirations become reality. Therefore, he sees it as your job to be the provider of energy to the organisation. The challenged us all to set a target date by which people across our organisations will share the same passion you have for your aspirations.
The role and behaviour of the leader
Achieving success in the areas of judgement and inspiration will make demands on you in your role as a leader;
- You must give yourself the time, space and the stimulation by which to refresh your thinking so that you have the chance to see into the future and have the energy by which to lift others
- Your behaviours reflect your innermost beliefs and they must reinforce your aspirational and inspirational message. They should be consistent to ensure that you do not confuse people
- You must focus on the things that really matter
- You should use "follow-up" which is a discipline of ensuring that agreed tasks are actioned. This needs to become an organisational norm so that people know that they must deliver
The need to develop talent in your businesses
There is a shortage of talent in every organisation and you must do your utmost to nurture that talent in which does exist, wherever it is in your business. To do this to Gerry recommends that you focus on those people who deliver (even if they are a bit awkward) and then stretch them with increasingly more challenging tasks so that they grow and develop the skills and capabilities that you need.