The Timeshare Beat: Jerry Sikes; With Regard to Final Thoughts

In the early hours of each Friday morning Rod and Andrea Hackman post a new edition of the Timeshare Beat and since the year 2000, they have provided me with the opportunity to share some of my thoughts in the column titled With Regard. The column is a simple concept where I declare up front with as few words as possible the subject matter, fill the following space with some of my own reflections and close with some final thoughts. At times I wonder if any of those final thoughts could stand the test of time and remain relevant to the subject matter. In this weeks effort I have gone back to some of those early 2000 final thoughts and presented them below with the hope that you will give me some feedback.

Images: In order to be successful, timeshare management professionals must develop and maintain an image which is based on a foundation of respect for values, respect for people, quality product and quality service. Image is a symbol of standards. You can control how the public, your guest, your associates and peers perceive your image. Their perception of you becomes not only their reality, but your reality as well.

Offering Visible Support: If you are the manager, you have the influence; you are the holder of the candle. One candle, no matter how bright, can only hold back a certain amount of darkness.

Through the simple act of using your candle's flame to light another candle, you can insure that when an ill wind blows, not all the light will be extinguished. As a leader you are the custodian of the single candle. Within that candle is the power to light the way.

Leadership: The seeking of the entirety of leadership can span a career or a lifetime. Leadership is an evolution not a swift or sudden appointment. Leadership could be deemed to have been achieved when the first follower appear, however never underestimate the reality of change and the need for relentless growth, the true measure of leadership is how the followers multiply.

Life Lessons: over time those jewels of wisdom from my Pop and the council from my early mentor Dick Rankin began to set a pattern for my life's conduct. Opportunities came and their life lessons made me better prepared to face them head on. I have always tried my best to look after the small things and believe me, that's no small thing. A life lesson well learned was when you get caught with your head down its some small thing that usually trips you up. I have always relished the opportunity to learn and if I have learned anything it is that life's lessons continue to occur every day and that the hard ones are to be prized and savored. That all of life's lessons can be applied to our work, our occupation, our profession in small ways like eye contact and in reaching those decisions of magnitude. I would like to think that if Pop and Dick had the opportunity to look down to determine how their life lessons had affected mine, Dick's eyes would have that special Irish twinkle and Pop's would be full of pride because both once told me: "Life is not a problem to be solved but a reality to be experienced.", and so far I have.

Our Village: Thus, so it is that Time and Place, gets all mixed up with the People who touch, in some way, our existence. That touch may connect for a lifetime or for only an instant, it may come with a hand on your shoulder or from afar via an electronic link; however, each touch becomes a stitch in the fabric of our lives. Each occurred because of community, because it is a small world, and because we are a Village.

Given that, and the fact that the Village does contain the paths, roads, streets and bridges over which we traveled and which connect each part of the Village with the other, we must learn a few hard lessons about bridges: He who would be a leader, must be a bridge.... Mistakes are usually the bridges between inexperience and wisdom... He who cannot forgive others, destroys the bridges over which he himself, must pass... and finally ...Which bridges to cross and which bridges, if any, to burn!

Roles: For The Cast of Characters who have assumed the responsibility to insure that those who purchased tickets to this opus, which we know as Timesharing, the curtain is going up. It is essential that we learn how to perform each Role, for we know not which part we are going to be asked to portray at this evenings performance. This means that we must be equally proficient in the subtlety necessary to don each mask, then we must perform in harmony, one with the other, for a flawless production, on this stage where nothing but a standing ovation is acceptable... As they say in the Craft... Break a leg

Unity: Unlike the Olympics, which bring the athletics of the world together only every four years, the World of Timesharing provides the opportunity for its citizens to merge as often as they like, in places of their choice, and in environments conducive to rejoicing through interaction rather than one of competition. Why, according to Webster's, even the parts of our name calls forth the best in all of us. TIME " The measurable period which an action, process, or condition exist or continues." SHARE "To partake of, use, experience, or enjoy with others."

The Interview: What have we done to establish that our Human Relations opportunity is unparalleled within our community? Do we provide a workplace that is sought out because the word on the street is that our place is the place to seek employment? Have we established benefits for our associates that are matchless and do we provide training circumstances that facilitate occupation enhancements? Have we created an environment where mutually beneficial relationships thrive? Do we demonstrate that we value those who seek the entry-level positions far beyond our current ability to compensate them for their endeavors by providing the intangibles we can deliver? I assure you that the quality individuals are not out there seeking employment. They are looking for a career opportunity and will keep looking until they identify a prospective employer who provides more than just a job.

The Brass Ring: For me the lesson learned was that had I not been first attracted to the sights and sounds of the Carousel ride itself, I would never have gotten on board, nor would I have experienced the pure joy of it. If the only purpose was to get the Brass Ring, I could have simply walked around to the post to which they were attached and taken one. Having done so, I would have avoided the ups and downs, the whirling, dipping, spinning, heart pounding, stomach twitching, gut wrenching, fun which came after first grabbing that rail and venturing onto the ride for the pure joy it provided.

24/7/365: On this Thanksgiving Day in the year of 2000, this column is dedicated to all the Hosts, Servers, Cooks, and Bus people at all the restaurants who made possible the traditional Thanksgiving Feast for those who did not want to cook, serve and clean up after themselves.

It is also dedicated to all those such as our Police, Firemen, Toll Booth Operators and Air Traffic Controllers, to the Curb Attendants, Reservation Agents, Ticket Counter Agents, Baggage Handlers, Ground Crews and others with the Airline Industry, who make and made it possible for loved ones to get home in time for the Feast, and to all those who worked at the retail outlets such as K-Mart 9 (who just had to be open all day).

It is especially dedicated to all those staff members at Timeshare Resorts (I guess I should also include the staffs at all those other Hospitality Industry segments as well) who had (or volunteered) to work so that our guests and owners could enjoy this Holiday in the location they wanted and receive the services they desired. These service providers truly understand the meaning of 24-7-365.

Memories: At 68, Joe's Mom and Dad and Thomas's Grandparents, are approaching the autumn of their lives. Over the past 16 years they have accumulated Memories, which under normal circumstances may not have been possible. Their spirits have soared as they visited places and experienced activities they had always dreamed of but never thought to fulfill. The joy of life courses through their veins and their hearts beat with anticipation of things yet to be. While they look back often and with fondness to that young man, in that small storefront who first enticed them to look at Timesharing with the offer of a Cactus Planter, they look forward more to places yet to visit, things yet to do, new friends yet to make and memories yet to accumulate. They are not at the end of a trail of memories; they are just at the trailhead of another. You see, for them, Timesharing was indeed a life altering decision and they truly believe like the words from an old song... Memories are made of this.

Empowerment: Within the hospitality industry there are literally thousands upon thousands of opportunities to achieve those mutually beneficial relationships which not only benefit the employer and the employee, but the customer as well. Through effective recruitment, job placement, training and coaching we enable staff members to function within policies and procedures, which we establish. These are our "rules of engagement". When those policies and procedures are being established we need to consider, the controls, which protect our assets, but the mutual benefits which could be gained by all, employer, employee and customer, if the employees were not only enabled but empowered, to make the critical decisions when the opportunities present themselves. A slight adjustment in the training and coaching system will readily provide the additional tools necessary for the employee to not only meet both the customers and your expectations, but in most instances to exceed them.

FINAL THOUGHT

Fifty or so of the With Regard columns have made some reference to my Pop and how he, through words, looks and actions greatly influenced who/what I am today. I am not sure of the context from whence this lesson came, these may not be his exact words or he may have heard them from some source unknown to me, but they have stuck with me and have played a predominate role in this column.