Survey of Management By Jillian Voigt

Jillian Voigt
Professor Randy Lewis
Survey of Management
24 January 2011
The Evolution of Management Styles: Ted Arps and Jan VanBlarcum
Edward T. Arps studied Hotel Management at Cornell University. He took his first management job when he was twenty-two years old as the General Manager at the Harvey Hotel in Amarillo, TX. At the time he became General Manager, the hotel was bankrupt. Not only was its performance poor, but the hotel lacked basic supplies such as linen and silverware. Basically, the senior level managers hired Ted to save the hotel.

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At first, the job intimidated him; although the hotel was failing, it was still a multi-million dollar business. The position entailed managing a team of twenty-five department managers who were all older and more experienced than him. He recalls wondering, How do you tell people who know more than you what to do? The young, inexperienced Cornell graduate held the authority; he sensed resentment from the people he managed. He wanted to be liked and to be everyone’s friend, but he soon realized that camaraderie with subordinates is not the best management strategy. Looking back, Ted says, “A friend won’t necessarily listen to you or do what you want him/her to do.” Ted believes that to be a successful manager, respect is vital. According to him, respect is not inherent in the “manager” title; it must be

earned.
After six months, the hotel was still underperforming. Notes of problems within each hotel area cluttered Ted’s desk. Ted met with his manager and listened to additional problems needing attention. It was extremely overwhelming. He decided that the most immediate need of the hotel was to replenish its most basic supplies, so he asked his manager to “just buy things.” In this period he realized his need to delegate more of his responsibilities and to prioritize.
One area in which the hotel struggled was the physical condition and social atmosphere of its bar. According to Ted, the 1980s was a time known for the popularity of business travel. To capitalize on this trend, Ted decided to attract businesspeople to the hotel by renovating the bar and turning it into a night club. However, this idea did not materialize into positive results. Instead of attracting business travelers, the local population of Amarillo gravitated toward the night life. In no way did this boost the reputation of the hotel because the bar came to be known not as a place for refined taste but as a place where drug dealers habitually congregated. The new bar was a disaster; events that transpired there forced Ted to end the festivities.
Another responsibility Ted faced was the task of evaluating his management team. Senior management instructed him to fire members of the team whose performance was unacceptable. Although the process was difficult, Ted came to the conclusion that “a successful manager is someone who surrounds himself with great people.” A highly skilled person will not necessarily be an effective manager in their area of expertise. During his time at the Harvey Hotel, Ted observed that managers possess a different skill set than their employees, the most important skill being a team mentality. As a manager he realized the importance of recognizing the “cares and concerns” of others.
Ted and his team transformed the Harvey Hotel during his first year as General Manager. With over twenty-five years of hotel industry experience, Ted is now the Senior Vice President of Business Development for Davidson Hotels. To put it simply, he seeks out hotels that are underperforming and improves their business. He is convinced that a team of exceptional managers is the key to success in the hotel industry.
Jan VanBlarcum is the founder of Creative Tutors International, a small business based in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. Her company’s mission is to “help each child reach their full potential and to make their dreams reality by providing individualized, one-on-one educational support to build a strong foundation for learning, growth, and positive self-esteem.” Although she is the Founder/CEO/President of Creative Tutors, she has had the opportunity to directly manage her tutors, especially during the early stages of the company’s development. When she founded Creative Tutors in 1999, Jan was full of enthusiasm for her cause. As a young person with no managerial experience, she felt the need to prove her competence to her employees.
Five years into the life of her company, Jan felt the pressure of managing others. She worked tirelessly, micromanaging every aspect of the business. During this time, she began to meet with a business coach in hopes of personal development and an objective outlook on her company’s performance. Jan believes that this was a catalyst for her success and that every young manager should take the same approach.
In her current form of management, Jan delegates her work, trusting in her employees to execute her initiatives. Whereas she previously attempted to manage each team of employees, she now does not involve herself so personally. “If you’ve trained them well,” she says, “you can walk away from what you do.” She is unconcerned with proving herself to her employees; instead, she strives each day to become the best manager she can be. Jan summarizes her management style with the word “respect.” She gives employees credit for what they have done correctly and takes the blame for what she does wrong. “I live by that,” she says. Jan does not enjoy firing people, but says that when someone is a “bad fit” for the company, it is vital to the business that a change is made quickly. Jan finds the impact she makes on the community the most rewarding aspect of her job. She is always the “champion of her mission.”
Both Ted and Jan value the knowledge and skills of their employees. When hiring middle management, Jan seeks out individuals with strengths in the areas of her weaknesses. Ted encourages his employees to challenge his decisions. They both recognize the need to rely on the strength of a well-developed team. Ted and Jan believe that great managers calculate their success by the measurable accomplishments of those they manage. Jan says, “If you know your people and manage them well, you can get some of the greats.”