Last week I had the opportunity to attend a Project Argus for hotels event. 

Project Argus Hotels is a counter terrorism training workshop designed by the National Counter Terrorism Security Office and the Hotel Industry and provides information and advice to assist you in planning for and dealing with a terrorist or other catastrophic event.  The training is targeted at General/Duty Managers, Chief Engineers, Restaurant Managers, House Keeping Managers and their deputies. 

Although the focus is around minimising the risk and the handling of terrorist attacks I felt there were many salient points covered during the session which would make generally good practice for any hotel, restaurant, bar or conference centre.

We all put systems in place for cleaning, cashing up, what to do in the event of fire, but how many of us go beyond the fire evacuation procedure? Would any of us know what do or have the resources in place to deal with something such as an explosion (terrorist or otherwise), a serious road accident outside the premises, a robbery, or even a power cut at seven o’clock on a busy February morning. (We heard from one hotel manager who had experiences an armed robbery at the end of a busy Saturday night – scary stuff!)

Okay, I admit that these might all call that different actions, but there were a number of ways we can prepare for these events which at the very least might give you a bit less stress should they occur, and may help to minimise the impact on our customers. 

Obviously I am far from qualified to write about counter terrorism, but here are some of the things I picked out from the workshop that could be of benefit to any site in an emergency situation.  

Emergency kit/grab bag(s)

Keep an emergency kit or grab bag behind reception, or somewhere where it can be accessed by anyone at any time in an emergency and can be found easily even if you have no lighting. Contents of the bag might include such things as:

• Windup radio (unless it regularly used batteries may go flat or corrode)
• Torch (windup)
• Bottled water
• High visibility jacket
• Space blanket 

Incident management plan

This might include such sections as:

• Roles and responsibilities detailing specific tasks for team members
• Emergency contacts list
• Non emergency contact numbers e.g. local police station
• Utility Companies
• Suppliers who may assist
• Key staff
• Business partners 

Staff training

It’s one thing having procedures written down but staff need to know the procedures: how to raise the alarm if necessary, who to contact first, where information and emergency resources can be found. Your guests or customers will look to you and your team for direction and information. 

As with your fire drill, run refresher training on a regular basis. 

The aftershock

Depending on the circumstances be prepared for:

• Staff absenteeism through injury or shock
• Is there a need for counselling (I have first hand experience here from a near fatal accident when a member of our team tried to prevent a car theft from the car park – several people – myself included were stunned by the event. The KP in question was off for 12 months, and was very lucky to have pulled through.)
• Reputation – word travels fast, so how you handle the event can have an impact on your reputation as an employer, as well as with customers and suppliers
• Communicate after the event with anyone who may be affected e.g. suppliers, future bookings, etc 

Prevention is better than cure

• Be vigilant – report anything suspicious, and take staff or customers’ reports seriously
• Don’t invite crime by sloppy security or poor asset management
• Have set security procedures in place which might include checking of identity cards for maintenance contractors, records of vehicle registration numbers of suppliers, keeping unoccupied offices and rooms, and unattended entrances locked, tamper proof seals on maintenance hatches, keeping surveillance views clear from barriers and vegetation
• Good housekeeping as well as improving the appearance of premises, reduces the risk of accidents, fire and opportunities for placing suspicious items, so helping to cut down on false alarms and hoaxes

 Contact your local police force and ask for the Counter Terrorism Security Officer for more information.

Here are steps 4 and 5 to achieving Your Best Year Ever

Step 4

Now the next part of the process is probably the most exciting because this is were you start building your blueprint for the next 12 months. 

What do you really want in 2009?  What goals really matter?

Lots of people come up with lengthy laundry lists of of vague, wishy-washy resolutions with no real oomph in them. Often we don’t even really care about them at all. They’re just fashionable or what we think we “should” care about, or based on what we think other people expect of us.

 What do I mean? You know, resolutions like this:

  I’ll cut our overheads
  I’ll be more focussed
  I’ll be a better ____ (parent/boss/friend/spouse), etc
  I’ll clear our overdraft
  I’ll do more to bring in new business

Unclear statements like this can NEVER engender any real enthusiasm. As a matter of fact, they’re far more likely to cause you to feel bad rather than good because they all focus on something that’s MISSING rather than on what’s truly desired.

The goals that you need to be setting need to be SMART.  You are probably already familiar with the idea of smart goals: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Timebound.  Click here for a more detailed article on SMART goals.  But a couple of areas I would stress are:

That your goals need to be specific. Describe in specific detail exactly what it is that you want to achieve. 

They also need to be expressed in the present tense as if now; as if you already had the goal, and each goal needs a precise time: day, date, month and year, and in some cases it might even be a time of day. 

It is also too easy to set resolutions or goals in some areas which are not then compatible with other areas for life.  For example people often set very ambitious goals for their business, which then conflict with personal goals.  So when setting goals for the coming year it is a good idea to look at all areas of life. Business and career, Personal development, Family, Possessions & things that you want , Spirituality, Relationships or personal relationships, Health and fitness and Financial.  Those aren’t in any particular order of importance and ideally you’ll want to have goals in every single area of life. 

So now what I want you to do is take some time, (this is probably the lengthiest part of this process) and literally dream, literally brainstorm what are all the things that you want to achieve in all those areas over the next 12 months.  At this point don’t worry if your goals are realistic or achievable or not; just brainstorm.  Play with the idea, focus your energy and attention on it until it’s clear and sharp and big enough to be exciting to you, until you feel great just thinking about it. (It doesn’t matter at all what anyone else might think of it.) What are all the things over the next 12 months you want to be, you want to do, that you want to have in all those areas of life.  The being, the doing and having of which would make the coming year the best year ever.

Now thing about what you need to do to reach these goals?  For each goal outline resources you need, action you need to take and the support you’ll need.

Step 5

So now it is time for you to take action in the doing, the being and the having.  Remember there will always be uncertainty, the coming year will be as uncertain as last year and every year to come will be.  They will always be uncertainty in our lives.  The secret is to act with certainty in everything you have put in your journal. 

Give up the all-or-nothing, only-perfection-will-do approach.

You can’t break a resolution by messing up just once or even several times. Whenever you notice you’ve gone a bit off-course get back on-track by shifting your actions to get you back on course.  Re-visit your Rules for Success.  From this list, what single thing if you did it regularly would make the most difference in helping you achieve your goals?

Keep it simple: Pay attention. If things aren’t working try something different. Correct your course.

Congratulations; you have finished your best year ever process.  Just for a moment consider how much time you have just spent creating the coming year the way you absolutely want it.  My guess is about 1 -2 hours and that is probably 1 – 2 hours more than most people you know have invested in creating the coming year as they want it.  Though also consider with whom you share what you have written in your journal.  For many people the best time to discover what your goals are is when they see you achieve them.

Good luck and best wishes for YOUR BEST YEAR EVER

Here are steps 2 and 3 to help you achieve your best year ever

Step 2

So, yes, some things fell through the cracks. Take a look at that, too, without the drama

So the next part of the process is to look at the last 12 months and this time look at what you set out to achieve but you haven’t achieved yet.  The goals that you set but haven’t actualised yet in reality.  And again take some time to make a list of all of these things, things that you wanted to be, things that you wanted to do, things that you wanted to have over the last 12 months that you haven’t been yet, that you haven’t done yet and that you haven’t had yet.  Have you any outstanding unspoken conversations? What do you regret or feel guilty about? 

List all the ongoing things that bother you and cause you negative energy – however minor. What do you need to do with them: action or let go?  Make a decision one way or the other; how important are these things to you? Are they things that need to be done, or do you put them behind you and stop worrying about them?

Step 3

That probably wasn’t as pleasant as the previous part of the exercise but that is ok we can now extract learnings from what you didn’t achieve so that you can ensure you make the next 12 months different.  So turn to a new page in your journal and put a heading on the top of the page titled ‘Rules for Success’.  What I want you to do is go over all of the things you have achieved over the last 12 months and work out what it was that you did during those times that enabled you to succeed.  What are the rules that if you follow them you succeed.  Then look at the things that you didn’t achieve, what were the rules that you weren’t following that if you had followed them you would have achieved these goals.  By going through the goals that you have achieved and also going through the goals that you didn’t achieve you can put together your personal rules for success, the rules that you know you have already proven that if you follow these rules you succeed.  So take some time now to review the previous year and work on your own personal set of rules for success.

It is a good idea to keep these rules for success somewhere handy, to keep reminding yourself of them.  Then next time when things aren’t going the way that you want you can refer to your rules of success.  I keep mine pinned above my desk as a constant reminder.

Step 4  follows in a few days time.  But if you really cant wait that long you can find the full exercise here.

This year, how about taking some time (if you haven’t done so already) to sit alone quietly and reflect on what it is you TRULY WANT to be, do, and have in your life and for your business?

It has been said that by the end of March only about 63% of the people who made New Year resolutions are still making an effort to follow through. Go a few more months and the figure plummets to about 20%.  

So does this mean that making resolutions is just a waste of time?  Is the new year just a time to look forward to a new start on old habits?  Or is it an opportunity to make a fresh start on the things that really matter to you?  Whether it is the start of a new calendar year, the start of a new financial year, or just simply that you want to make a fresh start on any aspect of your life.  The problem may lie more in HOW and WHY we make them than with the idea itself.

 So if you have failed in the past to follow through on your plans and resolutions try this approach instead.

The process will take you around 2 hours, so a bit longer than the average throw away resolution made on New Year’s Eve.  But to me it is time well spent. I recommend you record all this in a journal, or a hardback book, where you can revisit your notes.

So find yourself a quiet space and set aside a couple of hours to plan Your Best Year Ever

Step 1

Let’s start by reviewing the past 12 months.

Most of us have a tendency to view the taking stock process as an opportunity to beat ourselves up and find fault with everything we have NOT accomplished.

Well, enough of that.  Start from a place of power.

This year, give yourself some credit for what you have accomplished! Make a list, and don’t fall into the trap of thinking anything is too small to be significant. In one way or another, in one area or another (and likely in many), you’ve come a long, long way.

So let’s start by reviewing your successes and accomplishments.

So starting from January all the way up to today make a list of all of the things that you have achieved, all the goals that you achieved, any new skills learnt, and burdens you have dealt with.  It doesn’t matter how big the goal was or what area of life it was in write down every single thing you have achieved no matter how small no matter how big.  Month by month list and categorize everything single thing you have achieved in the last 12 months. 

Now let’s take a look at what you have written. I bet you have achieved more over the last 12 months than you thought you did. So notice how good it makes you feel when you look at what you have gone out and done. 

Step 2 follows in a few days time.  But if you really cant wait that long you can find the full exercise here.

7. Be realistic

Taking small steps each day towards your goals will be more achievable than devoting a whole day to a project, so break down the task into the smallest denominators, and chip away a piece at a time.  You know you will get interruptions, so build them into your schedule – just ensure they don’t take over your day.

6. Plan your day in advance

At the end of your work-day make a list of everything you have to do the next day. Clear your workspace completely so that at the start of the next day you can go to work immediately on your priorities.

Prioritise your list to ensure your most challenging or important tasks are at the top of your list. Adopt the ABCDE method. Be ruthless – identify the activities, which only you can do and must do, or else face serious consequences (A tasks). These should be your top priorities. What are the things that you should do, but if you don’t will only have mild consequences (B tasks)? What are the things that are nice to do (C tasks)? What other things that you can delegate to someone else (D tasks) and what are the things that you can eliminate altogether and it won’t make any real difference (E tasks). Starting with A’s schedule how long you plan to spend on each activity.

Discipline yourself to stick to this schedule and not start any activity before the last one is complete,  not to complete any B task until all the A’s are complete, or carry out any activity unless it is on your list.

Try this for three weeks until it becomes a habit!