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Ron Wichowski is general manager at the Boca Raton Marriott at Boca Center in Boca Raton, Florida and is a member of the Hotel F&B Corporate Editorial Advisory Board.
If you’re like Ron Wichowski, you’ve witnessed the decline of the banquet and catering business in the last several years. In order to stay relevant and garner all the business possible, it’s important to adapt sales and marketing efforts in a way that makes a powerful impact at the appropriate time.
Face it, there isn't one among us who is perfect. We all are full of faults, failures, and fear that keep us from being our best. Think of each of these imperfections as bricks that build a wall between who we are and who we want to become. Have you built a seemingly insurmountable wall that is keeping you from reaching your potential? If this is the case, don't fret; there are steps we can take to begin tearing it down. Start by accepting these imperfect bricks as part of who we are. Once we grasp the concept of imperfection
When I was about 12 years old I was being picked on during my bus trip home from school. Three kids, all bigger than me, used to gang up and threaten that they were going to beat me up when I got off at our stop. Because of this I used to get off a stop early and run home. This plan worked until the day I told my step father what was going on. My thoughts were that he would either talk to the other kids' parents, pick me up from school or at the very least teach me
A couple of weeks ago I had the pleasure of attending a GM training session for the Hilton brand in Tyson’s Corner, Virginia, just outside of Washington, DC. The training was very informative, but as with all trainings where travel is involved, the extracurricular activities tend to trump when it comes to what is most memorable. I was a bit under the weather at the first part of the trip, so I reserved my typical exploratory nature for the very last night. I met up with a few of the other GMs in the hotel lobby bar, and after a
"What a wee little part of a person's life are his acts and his words! His real life is led in his head, and is known to none but himself." — Mark Twain I’m partial to Mark Twain, not just because he was from Hartford, where I currently reside, but because of his ability to relate to many of life’s truths through his unique brand of sarcasm. This quote made me think about how we communicate. Think about how much goes through your head at any given moment. If you are anything like me, your mind is constantly juggling three
During the last few days of my grand pop’s life he asked me to give him a shave. There had never been a time before this that I had seen him let his grooming go to the point he had; he was always a very well kept man. He was sick with cancer and his body had begun to turn on him, and my heart tells me he knew his days were numbered. I sat him down at the kitchen table, the same retro 1950s table that I had sat at since I was a newborn. On the table lay
Leaders must love what they do. They must have a passion for their craft and the desire to see others catch that same bug. They are the type of people who can relate just about any situation in life to their field, often jading their perception in a certain way. If you are a restaurateur or hotelier, I can almost guarantee that your spouse can relate to this. My wife reminds me often about how I have ruined her dining and traveling experiences by pointing out service flaws, noticing dust on a picture frame (I am 6’8” tall), or noticing
As I look back to some of the leaders I have served under during my career, there is one common thing that I remember most: the content of their character. Each of them molded and mentored me, knowingly or not, through their daily actions and conversations. These leaders honed my abilities and mindset with enormous influence. Think back to the individuals who had the biggest impact on you professionally. There are those who inspire through their motivational montages and others who have a drive for success that is so intense you struggle to keep up with them. The person who
Looking to take your leadership to the next level? Consider the octopus. Known to be the most intelligent of the ocean’s invertebrates, the following are a few parallels we can draw from our flexible-footed friends. Don’t be afraid to raise a tentacle Be known as the person who wants to be a part of everything. Keep enough focus in your primary area, but offer help elsewhere if possible. The best way to understand and learn other areas is to become a part of them. Volunteer (paid or unpaid) assistance for special projects, events, or just busy times. You may feel
I read a quote recently by John Maxwell, he says “You can measure a leader by the problems he tackles. He always looks for ones his own size.” Well, I should begin by informing those who don’t know me personally that I am 6’8”. Yes, I tend to hit my head often, and in case you’re wondering, the weather is fine up here. Although the quote may lead some to ponder the obvious, given a recent incident I encountered, I looked at it a little differently. Instead of thinking about the biggest external issues I face, I forced myself to
