Hotel Towels

Almost every hotel that I stay in has a sign promoting their “green” policy. If I hang up my towel, they will leave it rather than replacing it with a fresh one, thereby reducing the environmental impact of washing the towel. It sounds nice, but I’ve noticed two problems. The first is that regardless of what I do, the towel is often replaced with a clean one. It’s as if no one told the housekeeping staff about the program. Second, I often find that the only place to hang my towel is the hook on the back of the bathroom door. Even after 24 hours, the towel hanging on a hook tends to be damp – not much incentive for me to be green. As a leader, how often do you make the same mistake? You launch a new initiative that has great potential and noble intent, and you ask people (staff and volunteers) to do their part to make it happen. Then you create barriers that make it difficult for those same people to do what you’re asking them to do. I see three mistakes in the hotels that are common in many churches and ministries:

• Giving responsibility and then taking it away. The hotel allows me to make a choice, but then they negate that choice if the replace my used towel with a fresh one. How often do we tell someone they’re in charge of a program (or some part of a program) and then come back to micromanage, override decisions, or completely redo their work?
• Failing to communicate. The hotel management may fully intend to allow me to choose, but if housekeeping isn’t on board, it doesn’t matter. Any significant organizational initiative will require coordination between multiple people or departments. Effective communication is essential.
• Creating unnecessary barriers. If the hotel wants me to be green, then make it easy for me. I suppose that I could use the hair dryer to dry the towel, but it’s not worth that much effort. If you want staff and volunteers to support the new plan, make it easy for them. Provide the training and resources that they need. Listen to their feedback on the problems they encounter, and then create a solution.

I hope that this gives you something to think about the next time you take a shower. It’s easy to receive my blogs by email. Just sign-up on Feedburner by clicking here.]]>