W

orking in a labor-intensive and people-oriented industry such as hotels takes the ability to interact with many types of employees who in turn will serve a diverse range of customers. A good general manager must have a strong focus on his or her people, while maintaining a good understanding of psychology.

“I assess the character of my future employees based upon Javanese values, such as kindness and politeness and how courteous, well-mannered and attentive the person is. These provide a clear picture of the person’s entire character,” said French-born Fabrice Mini, the general manager of Hotel Pullman Jakarta Central Park, who has lived mostly in Indonesia for the past 15 years.

“I also look for the amount of ego a person has, because I want to create and preserve harmony within the workplace. Hence, you can’t have someone who’s very skillful and knowledgeable but has a very huge ego because it will destroy harmony.”

Inevitably, Mini, 38, has to lead by example when it comes to instilling a genuine spirit of hospitality within each employee. “I have to always be sincere and have to truly live by it every day.”

He constantly evaluates his employees’ performance by observing the consistency of their actions every day, as well as their interest in learning.

“Although there are many bad people in society, I still want to nurture and preserve the true, kind nature of people. I try to keep that sincerity within me by applying the right positive energy to tame negative vibes and create a good, pleasant atmosphere in the hotel.”

His humanist approach also comes through in his belief that people should only be moved up the corporate ladder if it’s something they wish.

“Some people are good in their current position and if we promote them, they wouldn’t be necessarily good,” said Mini. “That’s one of the mistakes of the Western philosophy, where sometimes we try to develop an employee and finally the person doesn’t feel comfortable in a new position, even if we have tried to give all the tools and trainings he or she needed.”

Another Eastern approach he endorses is to completely evaluate a conflict instead of hastily making a judgment.

“In the West, if we encounter a bad situation, we need to deal with it right away. But here in Asia, sometimes the best way to do it is to cool down the tension, let the emotions and ego calm down before addressing the matter at hand.”

From his experience working in Yogyakarta, Mini also embraced the importance of mutual respect.

“Living a successful life is about creating our own personal achievements and how you do well for people around you,” he said.

“Fairness is important for me to remain objective at all times. That way, I can properly diffuse any confrontations before they reach a boiling point.”

He wants his employees to be genuinely happy working in the hotel through a harmonious work environment.

“It’s like the Javanese concept of being harmonious with ourselves, the people around us and nature. But of course, we shouldn’t forget there’s an investment that has to be sustained, and we need to definitely show the best performance to the stakeholders. But employees are stakeholders as well, in the sense of their own development and the improvement in their social, personal and family life, which is also part of the big picture.”

This means an effective manager must also know every little detail of everything. “It’s how attentive you are to detail that really makes a difference between your property and other similar competitors.”

Once a month, Mini hosts a General Manager table, in which he invites one staff member from each department to sit down and chat with him in an informal setting. It’s an opportunity for the employees to share their views, and for the Frenchman to open up on his life experience.

He also conducts a general staff meeting every three months, where he presents the hotel’s overall performance and delivers a personal message to all employees to sincerely appreciate and encourage them.

Corporate training is also held regularly under the Accor Academy program, presented by qualified trainers from within and from outside the hotel, at an average rate of three hours training per staff per month.

“Right now, we are investing in the certification of our own training manager in various different hospitality topics. That way, he would be able to deliver good quality trainings to the employees.”

Mini also equips some of his staff with online training, which is also part of the Accor Academy. There is also an “employee of the month award”, and he will personally congratulate staff members for outstanding service.

 “Then again, it’s about fairness. You will be recognized for your achievements but also warned if you do something wrong.”

According to Mini, a successful hotelier is someone who always remains humble, simple and in touch and in contact with all the hotel’s employees.

“It’s essential to always communicate with all the different layers of employees. Don’t hesitate to go down to the field and interact with them, because sometimes it’s where you get a lot of information as well as feedback from employees who are in direct contact with customers.”

It is also about knocking down barriers with people from all walks of life. “Whether the guest is wearing a Rolex or cheap rubber sandals, I would treat them equally,” he said.

When he is not running the hotel for a minimum of 12 hours a day, Mini spends his leisure time resting and spending quality time with his family, including reading bedtime stories to his two small daughters and teaching them to swim.

He also periodically takes them home to Yogyakarta, where he also engages in his love of cooking, with French, Italian or Indonesian food (everything from Konro soup to tempeh) on the menu.

For Mini, living is not about trying to change his surroundings, but accepting them with an open heart and positive attitude in making them better.