The January Newsletter
Dear Amicalists,
2011 is finally here! The usual Chinatown crowd is gathering, and muahchee stalls could be spotted at our usual heartland hangouts again. How has the new year started off for you?
For the month of January, do free yourselves for the Chinese New Year Luncheon. We have also covered Joan’s debut at the International Receptionist of the Year Competition.
Here’s wishing everyone a Happy Chinese New Year in advance and hope that we have all started the year right with meaningful resolutions and plans!
David Campbell Trophy for the International Receptionist of the Year Competition
Winner of David Campbell Trophy and International Best Hotel Receptionist of the Year 2011- Vanessa Kellerhalls from The Dolder Grand, Switzerland
Runner Up- Amanda Roberts from The Museum Hotel, New Zealand
2nd Runner Up- Doris Schwartz from Intercontinental Vienna
Joan Seng from the Conrad Centennial Singapore and Best Hotel Receptionist 2010 did not make it to the top 3 winners post but still did Singapore proud in Christchurch, New Zealand where the international competition was held. This year the standards and performance of all the candidates at the competition was very high. We are still proud of you Joan as you are still our National winner. 
AICR International President with top 3 winners.
L/R: Amanda Roberts (New Zealand), Doris Schwartz (Austria) and Vanessa Kellerhals (Switzerland)
A note from Charles Fisher
on a side note, here’s an update from the hotel scene in Regent Hotel, upon the departure of Charles.
Dear all,
Please forgive my including you in a mass email instead of contacting you in person.
I write to share the news with you that my time here in Singapore is coming to an end. I will be transferring north with my family to Chiang Mai in Thailand where I will be taking on the role of Resort Manager at the Four Seasons Resort Chiang Mai. I have thoroughly enjoyed my time here in Singapore and have valued all of the tremendous relationships that I have built with so many people over the last two years. I will be sad to leave such a great city and country, as well as a super team here at the Regent Hotel. My contact email will remain the same and will be uninterrupted in during my move.
Arriving in my place will be a Hotel Manager (rather than Director of Rooms) by the name of Jeff Rednour. Jeff will be joining the Regent Hotel from Langkawi where he has been Resort Manager with the Four Seasons Resort over the past three years. I am sure you will have the opportunity to connect and meet with him once he gets started in late February.
In the meantime, I wish you all the best and encourage you to let me know if there is anything that I can assist you with prior to my last working day which is January 27th. We will fly up to Thailand on Friday February 4th.
Kind regards,
Charles
We wish Charles all the best in his future endeavours.
Dear Amicalists,
A Happy New Year to you!
We are pleased to announce that we will be celebrating our upcoming Chinese New Year’s Lo Hei lucheon.
Date : 21st January 2011, Friday
Time : 1200hrs – 1400hrs
Place : Swissotel Merchant Court
Ellenboough Market Café
Buffet Lunch including Yu Sheng
Price : $30nett per person, cash only
Please RSVP to: susan.lim@galleryhotel.com.sg by: 18th January 2011, Tuesday
Looking forward to seeing you on the 21st January 2011 and let’s welcome the Rabbit!
Yours truly,
Susan Lim
ARDE Public Relations
New Perks
Dear Amicalists,
to start off the year with a refreshing mind and body, guests at Gallery Hotel and Pan Pacific Orchard will be entitled to discounts offered by Ayuthaya, the Royal Thai Spa.
“Carry out a random act of kindness, with no expectation of reward,
safe in the knowledge that one day someone might do the same for you.”
~Princess Diana
Through my thoughts and actions, I strive, daily, to promote the good that exists in our world. In order to be a promoter of good, I make a conscious effort to place my time and energy on those things that bring positive health to me and others.
The amount of good that kindness can bring is unparalleled. Kindness allows us to connect to hearts, touch souls, and transform lives. As a bonus, in addition to the effects that our kindness has on others, kindness can, as today’s excerpt shows, be good for our health as well.
Today, it is my hope that you will act with kindness so that you may bring unexpected goodness into your life and the lives of those in your world. Live Inspired,
________________________________________
Excerpted from The Power of Kindness:
The Boomerang Effect of Kindness
Call it karma or the laws of the universe, whatever kindness you share with others comes back to you. There’s nothing like the feeling you get when you are kind to someone else…without the slightest expectation of anything in return. In fact, taking the time to be kind can actually be good for your health. In his book, The Healing Power of Doing Good: The Health and Spiritual Benefits of Helping Others, Allan Luks documented the physical and mental benefits of kindness after surveying more than 3,000 volunteers of all ages at more than 20 organizations throughout the country.
Luks, the former executive director of the Institute for the Advancement of Health and executive director of Big Brothers/Big Sisters of New York City, shared some of the key findings from his study:
• A rush of euphoria, followed by a longer period of calm after performing a kind act, is often referred to as a “helper’s high,” involving physical sensations and the release of the body’s natural painkillers, endorphins. This initial rush is then followed by a longer-lasting period of improved emotional well-being.
• Stress-related health problems improve after performing kind acts. Helping reverses feelings of depression, supplies social contact, and decreases feelings of hostility and isolation that can cause stress, overeating, ulcers, etc. A drop in stress may, for some people, decrease the constriction within the lungs that leads to asthma attacks.
• Helping can enhance our feelings of joyfulness, emotional resilience and vigor, and can reduce the unhealthy sense of isolation.
• A decrease in both the intensity and the awareness of physical pain can occur.
• The health benefits and sense of well-being return for hours or even days whenever the helping act is remembered.
• An increased sense of self-worth, greater happiness and optimism, as well as a decrease in feelings of helplessness and depression, is achieved.
Dear Amicalists,
there is an opening for a Magnum butler position in Shanghai. The client in question would like to secure a mature (not necessarily age-wise) person who is competent in the usual butler criteria of skills to manage and run their busy household.
Other staff are employed but this client’s needs extend to being able to cope more than adequately with a busy entertaining schedule as well as busy lifestyle. They travel extensively with their respective businesses and like to entertain and live well.
Additional information are available below. It is a live-in position and once a suitable candidate is sought immediately, also a partner or spouse would be considered to share the accomodation.
Brief on Butler Position
1. Managing Household Staff How to find good staff (including how to write a job description) Supervising the housekeeper and cleaning (includes advice on cleaning various materials including furniture, floors, ceramics, gold, and books) Running an efficient kitchen Supervising contractors, suppliers, and services (such as home renovations, landscaping, and catering) Hiring temporary staff Disciplining and dismissing staff 2. Taking Care of the Household Ensuring safety and security in the house What to keep records of Making an inventory Purchasing supplies and arranging for delivery Keeping household accounts 3. Reception and Looking After Guests Answering the door Answering the telephone Preparing for overnight guests Maintaining a visitor’s book 4. Orchestrating Fine Eating Experiences Types of meal service Meals to remember (breakfast, luncheon, English afternoon tea, dinner) Organizing a formal dinner or banquet (including planning the event, seating arrangements, table settings, and supervising wait staff) How to serve as a toastmaster Organizing other social events (dinner at a restaurant, champagne receptions, large outdoor parties, etc.) 5. Providing Valet Services Duties to be performed in the morning Preparing clothing for the following day Packing a suitcase Purchasing clothing Closet organizing Care of clothes after they have been worn 6. Other Skills Butlers Need to Know Taking care of silver (cleaning, storage, and purchase) Offering and lighting cigars Maintaining the bar and wine cellar Flower arrangement Driving and caring for luxury cars Organizing a household move Qualifications and Experience
Education 1. Diploma above 2. Received Butler/Household Manager certification training Experience: 1. 3 years professional experience 2. Excellent Chinese and English language capability Interested applicants, please write directly to Josephine Ive. (mail to magnumsbutlers@internode.on.net)
Leadership ~ Six Tips to Maintain Trust and Respect.
By Dr. Rick Johnson, CEO Strategist, LLC
Saturday, 11th October 2008
“Employees won’t start respecting you until YOU start respecting them” -“Employees won’t start trusting you until YOU start trusting them.”
An effective leader must be able to interact with employees, peers, superiors and many other individuals both inside and outside the organization. Leaders must gain the support of many people to meet or exceed established objectives. This means that they must develop or possess a unique understanding of people. The ability to coach-mentor and teach leadership skills to others is the driving force that will create a winning organization. Being an effective leader requires the understanding of the principles that govern employee behavior. Accomplish that and success is imminent. Follow the following tips and avoid some of the pitfalls that that could cause you to lose both trust and respect.
1. Making promises when you are not sure you can keep them can lead to a loss of respect.
Take making promises seriously. View a promise, as a commitment made with an understanding that circumstances might arise that would make it impossible to keep them. Make those circumstances very clear to the person at the time promises are made. Breaking a promise can lead to a loss of respect on the part of the employee. He may question your integrity. A leader must have an impeccable character to earn the confidence of his employees. Don’t make promises you can’t keep and in that rare circumstance that you do break a promise, face the employee eye to eye explaining in detail why you were not able to keep your promise. Be honest about it.
2. Some employees whine, especially sales people. It’s part of their DNA. That does not mean you should ignore complaints that you consider whining.
No employee thinks his complaint is insignificant even if you think it is whining. It is still a problem even if the complaint is taken lightly or ignored. In fact it may grow and fester. An effective leader will address the complaint and not be afraid to tell the employee it is whining or trivial by explaining why. Even though the employee may not hear the answer he is looking for, the leader will not lose respect due to inattention. Of course how he delivers the message is important and should be done without belittling the employee.
3. A leader must show consistency and fairness in his treatment of employees.
Do you vary your approach with employees, being lenient with some and strict with others? There is a fine line between treating all employees exactly the same and showing consistency in the treatment of employees. Employees are all individuals with different backgrounds, different values, different goals, different ideas and different motivational factors. The ability to recognize the differences in people and the ability to apply variable leadership methodologies is an important characteristic of effective leadership. That being said, it is extremely important that a leader does not show favoritism and give preferential treatment to employees. A lack of consistency in the leader’s treatment of employees destroys teamwork and trust. Do not give special privileges unless a special situation warrants it, and everyone understands it.
4. Becoming buddies with your employees is not a good idea and Corporate Recreational Mating is an absolute taboo. That does not mean that you should be cold and aloof. Leadership is about relationships but you must not develop a personal relationship to the extent that it compromises your ability to take command and show control when necessary.
Aloofness can detract from effective leadership. You can be friendly without losing authority or compromising your position. A leader must demonstrate competence and vision and at the same time show a sincere interest in the well being of his employees. Anyone whose job is to influence people and direct them in their work must maintain friendly contact with the group.
5. Being able to collaborate, share ideas and not be threatened by the transfer of intellectual capital is extremely important to promoting a team concept and an atmosphere that promotes confidence.
Sharing your thoughts, experiences, knowledge along with coaching and mentoring is showing confidence and self respect. This supports a culture of camaraderie. Share information whenever issues in your realm of responsibility affect operations in other manager’s areas. Absolutely do not circumvent the authority of managers reporting to you and don’t go around other managers.
6. Refusing an employee’s request without creating resentment is a tactful necessity of effective leadership.
The ability to say no without creating hostility is important. The key to accomplishing that objective is to recognize the request with sincerity and explain in detail why the request cannot be granted. Being sincere demonstrates concern and makes your personal regret believable.
We all have egos but effective leaders control their own egos and understand how to utilize their understanding of people to inspire peak performance. They are confident and have high self esteem without demonstrating arrogance. Leadership cannot be ego driven but good leaders command a presence when they walk into the room. They are not only compassionate but they are passionate about success and they make every effort to coach and mentor their team. They have the unique ability to communicate and demonstrate exceptional listening skills.
Check out CEO Strategists Learning to Lead So Others Will Follow Planning Workbook and CD set.
www.ceostrategist.com/resources-store/real-world-leadership.html
www.ceostrategist.com – Sign up to receive “The Howl” a free monthly newsletter that addresses real world industry issues. – Straight talk about today’s issues. Sign up now and download “The Lead Wolf Interview Guide & Sales Training 101 a guide on conducting effective sales training sessions”. Rick Johnson, expert speaker, wholesale distribution’s “Leadership Strategist”, founder of CEO Strategist, LLC a firm that helps clients create and maintain competitive advantage. Need a speaker for your next event, E-mailrick@ceostrategist.com.
Finally, a reminder to all Amicalists on the following:
1. Membership renewal subscription fees: For all member to renew their membership and submit subscript fees by cheque, cash or via bank transfer (please contact Adeline Teoh or Celine Quek for ARDE bank account number)
Effective from 1st January 2011, the renewal membership price will be increased to $75.00 per year per member. New members will be at $110 for the first year membership. To ensure that members pay their renewed membership on time, an early bird membership price at $65 for 1 year if you pay before February 2011. After February 2011, the price will be at $75 for 1 year.
2. Members who have not received their new AICR pins, please contact Alphonso
3. Benefactor Membership Fees of 2011: all benefactors will receive a letter from Peter Chua, Sponsorship secretary soon for renewal or new membership fees.
