Live Blog 2019 ReThink Leadership Conference – 45 Leadership Quotes from Horst Schulze

May 1st through 3rd are three of my favorite leadership days of the year.  Each year, INJOY Stewardship Solutions allows me to live-blog the Orange and ReThink Leadership Conferences.  No event stretches my thinking more and make me a smarter and better-equipped leader than this event.

If you are unfamiliar with ReThink and Orange, let me give you an overview.  Hosted by Carey Nieuwhof, ReThink is a series of Ted Talk-stlyle lessons from some of the most innovative minds in business and leadership.  Orange is simply the nation’s preeminent organization on children’s ministry.

As part of my time here, INJOY Stewardship is offering a FREE Capital Campaign Calculator for your church.  If your church needs to raise significant capital in the next two years, this will be a wonderful source of information for you.

Today is Day 2 of the conference.  ReThink Leadership’s next speaker was Horst Schulze.  During his tenure at The Ritz Carlton, Mr. Schulze served as President and COO responsible for the $2 billion operations worldwide. It was under his leadership that The Ritz Carlton Hotel Company was awarded the prestigious Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award- twice- making it the first and only hotel company to ever win even one. He is the author of the incredible best-selling book Excellence Wins: A No-Nonsense Guide to Becoming the Best in a World of Compromise.

Mr. Schulze’s comments were proceeded by some great thoughts from Jon Acuff on idea generation.

Jon Acuff

1. You don’t have writer’s block. You have idea bankruptcy.
2. You are only as good as the ideas you are collecting.
3. The key is the quantity of the ideas you are collecting.
4. Your first goal is quantity. You have plenty of time to edit later.
5. The further I spend away from something I’m afraid of the harder is to get back into it.

The following are 45 leadership lessons and quotes from Mr. Schulze’s challenging lesson on leadership:

1. You are in the hospitality business.
2. When a guest arrives, receive him as if it was Jesus himself. – St Benedict
3. Hospitality for me is caring for people.
4. I came here to create the finest hotel chain in the world.
5. I have to satisfy my customers more than the other hotels… and be the most efficient.
6. We have to be driven by the dream. That’s leadership…. Who you will be 10 years from now.
7. Once you have a clear destination, be relentless.
8. Is it good for my investors? Is it good for my employees?  Is it good for the customers?  Is it good for all humanity?
9. I went to every hotel (over 55 all over the world) to introduce them to who we are and do 10 days of training.
10. Align the company behind the vision of the company.
11. We don’t hire employees. We select employees.
12. We oriented people to who we are. That’s where the breakdown is in every organization.
13. We hired people to join us in our dream.
14. We give them purpose…. You all work for a higher purpose.
15. Growing gives you opportunity.
16. Millennials want to know “what’s in it for me.” So why don’t you tell them.
17. Two things every human being wants – objective and belonging.
18. Role of leadership – Craft a vision. Be committed.  Create the steps that get you there.  Keep focused.
19. Managers had the vision and did not focus on it. They focused on excuses on why it couldn’t be done.
20. Out of his 65 managers, 60 were managers and 5 were leaders. No wonder we have a leadership crisis.
21. A great business does four things – 1. Keep the customer that you have. You never lose a customer.  Find new customers.  3.  Get as much money as you can from the customer without losing them.  4.  Do it efficiently so you keep them.
22. My objective is to keep the guest coming back by what I am doing.
23. Service starts the instant you make contact with somebody. Within 9 feet the customer makes a decision about you and I want to make sure it’s a positive one.
24. Loyalty is nothing more than trust. Loyalty means they trust you.
25. #1 step in service is welcome. #2 is complying to their needs.  #3 Thank you for allowing us to serve you.  Good bye.
26. Their expectation is #1 the product to be defect-free. #2 Timeliness.  They want it when they want it.  #3. Somebody who cares for them.
27. Being nice is the greatest driver of customer satisfaction.
28. They want hope.Everybody’s looking for hope.
29. Daily teaching is done by standing in the corner.
30. We are here to convince the customer to come back and we measure that daily.
31. We do everything for you as long as it’s legal, moral and ethical.
32. Vision drives the execution. Vision drives everything.
33. I wasn’t building a hotel company. I was building a brand.  A brand is a consistent delivery of expectation.
34. Transfer feelings and processes.
35. Every problem we have turn to a positive.
36. 3 types of customers – #1 Unhappy. Terrorists against your organization.  #2. Satisfied.  If next door is more convenient that’s where they’re going.  #3.   Focus on the loyal ones.
37. I’m in business.If you come to me I want all you have.
38. Being a loyal customer means giving them value for what you pay.
39. People are willing to pay more for the reliability and trust.
40. The problem with leadership today is not worrying about what the customer wants but what is sucking you in from the world like lawsuits.
41. How can you move forward towards excellence when you let other things manage you?
42. There is no reward in excuses.
43. Even pastors should know what is important without compromise. The Church of Europe compromised and God help us, you’re starting to do it here.
44. Heaven, it’s only Jesus that will get you there.
45. They want hope.

Simply incredible!!!

My book Timeless: 10 Enduring Practices Of Apex Leaders is available for purchase.  If you have ever wanted to become the leader God created you to be, this book is for you!  By combining leadership lessons from biblical heroes like Jesus, Daniel and Joseph, along with modern day leaders like Bill Gates, Nick Saban, Kobe Bryant and multiple pastors, Timeless will equip and inspire you.  This book is not to be read alone.  Discussion questions are included in each chapter allowing you to develop those in your circle of influence.  Click HERE or on the image provided and order your copies TODAY.