In your daily life, professionally and personally, can you recall how many times a problem arose because of communications that were unclear and misunderstood? Communication is the beginning, middle, and end of everything we do. How we communicate or do not communicate will determine the results. We all have horrible stories about how misunderstood or mistaken communications affected our objectives. While it is not possible to avoid any mistakes in communication, our go

Make each day matter, and even if the sun does not come out today, it will come out tomorrow. “The sun will come out tomorrow, so you gotta hang on till tomorrow, come what may. Tomorrow, tomorrow, I love you tomorrow, you’re only a day away…” Little Orphan Annie taught us this. Although I have never been on Broadway to experience its marvelous live musicals, I have enjoyed many of their adaptations from Hollywood. Aside from the excellent scores and melodies, the ly

Not long ago, a friend characterized me as someone who, though officially retired, cannot sit still and really does not want to sit still. My wife often remarks that since I am retired, I should relax and step away from the business world. Unfortunately, I think my friend’s description could not be more accurate. Staying active and maintaining a connection to tourism and hospitality means I am not fading away into the sunset. When it is time for me to do so, I wan

I have not written much about management because there are many who are much better than me in expressing the finer points of management and have stronger credentials. While I may not have followed all the management gurus and their teachings during my career, my style worked for me and for those whom I managed. Our business was successful, the troops were eager, engaged, encouraged, and enthusiastic. That covers all the “e” adverbs. I could not ask for more. Let me

During a recent trip to Hong Kong, I was invited to speak to General Managers and sales executives from two successful hotel groups. It was not sales training, but they asked for an “inspirational” message to “fire up” the sales team. Though the invitation was last-minute, I was delighted and accepted graciously. If I have not mentioned this in any of my previous articles, nothing pleases me more than to be in the presence of salespeople. To also have general managers l

You can call me old-fashioned and depict me as a dinosaur in the digital world, but then, there must be many others who are like me. ...

For years, I was always told, a. If it isn’t broke, don’t fix it b. If it works, do more of it c. Make the most of a good...

The first Halloween event, the “Underworld,” exceeded expectations and was a tremendous success. Staff were inspired, enthusiastic, and...

In the initial situation analysis on Ocean Park, all the feedback from guests was very loud and clear. One welcomed criticism stated...

The proof is always in the pudding. We can do our best to produce a winning product, but success is always in the hands of the...

The financial health of the park in 2000 was a serious concern. It had a stagnant annual attendance for 4 consecutive years, which...

I. The Birth of Halloween – a new beginning, almost a revolution This is an amazing story, and this milestone is...

I. Acting on the opportunities – Special Events Three principles have clearly guided Ocean Park since its inception. ...

III. Addressing the situation analysis I learned early in my career that when in doubt or in times of need, “go back to...

I. Results of the Situation Analysis and how to address it Ocean Park had gone through 3 consecutive years of stagnant...

I. The Situation Analysis In many of my Blog articles, I shared many experiences from Ocean Park Hong Kong. I was...

I have been writing about notable quotes. Here are a few more that are memorable and have meaning to me. 1. “Failure is the mother...

We have previously talked about the importance of planning, having a plan to follow for everything we do. “Nobody plans to fail, but...

Like me, I am sure there are many notable quotes that have influenced and guided you throughout your life and career. There are a...

Some time ago, I wrote about the telephone call that launched my career in hospitality and service. The moral of the story was not...