Lesson #2: Success Comes From Pursuing A Single-Purpose Goal
Lesson #2: Success Comes From Pursuing A Single-Purpose Goal
Despite not having a dream or envisioning the possibilities of the luxury hotel chain he has created today, when Sharp first got started in the industry, he did in fact began with one clear goal. The very first decision he made in the business was, he says, to establish a single-purpose; wherever he set up shop, Sharp was going to create the best hotel he knew how to.
“We set out to redefine luxury as service, and to provide a support system at our hotels to replace the one left behind at home or at the office,” says Sharp. It was to this end, to the goal of being the best, that Sharp began upgrading his hotels to Five Star standards. He installed the quietest plumbing systems he could find, the softest towels, and – for the first time in a hotel – shampoos in their bathrooms. Over time, Sharp also began accommodating business requests in his rooms. From installing two-line jacks for both phone and computer work, to having well-lit desks, and other amenities such as irons, bathrooms, and a free shoeshine service, Sharp was making sure all his bases were covered.
When Sharp first started to expand his hotel chain, he knew that there were other bigger competitors out there. Nevertheless, Sharp paid no attention. The goal he had established at the very beginning of his career was not to be the biggest and the best hotel in operation; it was simply to be the best. Thus, Sharp focused on operating medium-sized hotels of the highest possible quality.
Having a single goal at the heart of his operations was not a tactic Sharp limited just to his business. In 1978, Sharp’s 17 year old son Christopher died of melanoma cancer. It was a devastating blow to the Sharp family. So, when Sharp first caught sight of 21 year old Terry Fox on TV as he began his cross-country run to raise money and awareness for the disease, Sharp knew this was his chance to take action.
Not only did Sharp pledge money and offer free night’s lodging to the Marathon of Hope team at Four Seasons hotels, but he also developed a close relationship with the young runner himself who would often call Sharp from roadside phone booths along his way. “No one seemed to be taking him seriously,” recalls Sharp. “I mean, a kid with one leg, running all the way across Canada? It seemed to far-fetched. People were cutting him off with their cars on the highway.”
When Fox’s cancer returned and the marathon was cut short in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Sharp knew he had to take action. Fox’s goal had been to raise a dollar from every Canadian, or what would amount to roughly $25 million. Sharp took up that goal, and by promoting the event into what has become an annual worldwide phenomenon, Sharp has been able to raise over $400 million for the cause. That is what can happen when the mind is focused on and dedicated to a single goal.
Lesson 2 Success Comes From Pursuing A SinglePurpose Goal
Like this article? Share it with your friends
Sharp says he is often asked what his overall vision for the Four Seasons was when he first began pondering the idea in the late 1950s. “What was my grand dream?” he asks. “Well I can say with a great deal of certainty and truth that there was no vision, there was no grand dream. The fact is I was just trying to do one small hotel deal. One deal – not a company.”
Despite not having a dream or envisioning the possibilities of the luxury hotel chain he has created today, when Sharp first got started in the industry, he did in fact began with one clear goal. The very first decision he made in the business was, he says, to establish a single-purpose; wherever he set up shop, Sharp was going to create the best hotel he knew how to.
“We set out to redefine luxury as service, and to provide a support system at our hotels to replace the one left behind at home or at the office,” says Sharp. It was to this end, to the goal of being the best, that Sharp began upgrading his hotels to Five Star standards. He installed the quietest plumbing systems he could find, the softest towels, and – for the first time in a hotel – shampoos in their bathrooms. Over time, Sharp also began accommodating business requests in his rooms. From installing two-line jacks for both phone and computer work, to having well-lit desks, and other amenities such as irons, bathrooms, and a free shoeshine service, Sharp was making sure all his bases were covered.
When Sharp first started to expand his hotel chain, he knew that there were other bigger competitors out there. Nevertheless, Sharp paid no attention. The goal he had established at the very beginning of his career was not to be the biggest and the best hotel in operation; it was simply to be the best. Thus, Sharp focused on operating medium-sized hotels of the highest possible quality.
Having a single goal at the heart of his operations was not a tactic Sharp limited just to his business. In 1978, Sharp’s 17 year old son Christopher died of melanoma cancer. It was a devastating blow to the Sharp family. So, when Sharp first caught sight of 21 year old Terry Fox on TV as he began his cross-country run to raise money and awareness for the disease, Sharp knew this was his chance to take action.
Not only did Sharp pledge money and offer free night’s lodging to the Marathon of Hope team at Four Seasons hotels, but he also developed a close relationship with the young runner himself who would often call Sharp from roadside phone booths along his way. “No one seemed to be taking him seriously,” recalls Sharp. “I mean, a kid with one leg, running all the way across Canada? It seemed to far-fetched. People were cutting him off with their cars on the highway.”
When Fox’s cancer returned and the marathon was cut short in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Sharp knew he had to take action. Fox’s goal had been to raise a dollar from every Canadian, or what would amount to roughly $25 million. Sharp took up that goal, and by promoting the event into what has become an annual worldwide phenomenon, Sharp has been able to raise over $400 million for the cause. That is what can happen when the mind is focused on and dedicated to a single goal.
Lesson 2 Success Comes From Pursuing A SinglePurpose Goal
Like this article? Share it with your friends
 | |
 |
No article feedback found. |
| |
Leave Your Feedback |
 | |
| |||
Leanne Hoagland-SmithAre your sales where you want them to be? Will you be one of the few who achieves sales or business success or one of the many who have failed to change? Are you tired of being told you are like everyone else? Then you may find my first book on sales of interest. Be the Red Jacket in the Sea of Gray Suits, The Keys to Unlocking Sales available at Amazon or at http://www.processspecialist.com/red-jacket.htm. This book is a reflection of my no-nonsense approach to improving sales to overall business results. If you are truly committed to making sustainable changes, then I can help you secure a positive return on your investment because I focus on executable solutions not telling you the problems you already know you have. From training to corporate (group) coaching to executive one on one coaching, my approach is to assess, create awareness, build a goal driven action plan and then execute. The bottom line question is "Not do you or your employees know it, but do you or they want to do it?" Please call for a free strategy session at 219.759.5601. - Visit Leanne Hoagland-Smith's Website |
|||
Dianne CramptonDianne Crampton is an executive leadership coach, team culture consultant, author and president of TIGERS Success Series, Inc. Dianne has been helping CEO's and Executives connect their employees to their core values and goals for over 20 years using the trademarked TIGERS team culture process, which stands for trust, interdependence, genuineness, empathy, risk and success. To download a free white paper on behaviors that build strong teams and behaviors that will predictably tear them down go here. Dianne's contribution to the 2010 Pfeiffer Consulting Journal (an imprint of John Wiley and Sons Publishers) entitled TIGERS Hearted Teams is available in November 2009. Her new book TIGERS Among Us: 5 Winning Business Team Cultures And Why, Three Creeks Publishing will release in March 2010. To receive publishing discounts, subscribe to the free TigerTracks Newsletter here. - Visit Dianne Crampton's Website |
|||
Linda RichardsonLinda Richardson is the Founder and Executive Chairwoman of Richardson, a global sales training and performance improvement company. As a recognized leader in the industry, she has won the coveted Stevie Award for Lifetime Achievement in Sales Excellence and she was identified by Training Industry, Inc. as one of the “Top 20 Most Influential Training Professionals.” Ms. Richardson is credited with the movement to Consultative Selling and is the author of ten books on selling and sales management, including Sales Coaching — Making the Great Leap from Sales Manager to Sales Coach, and Stop Telling, Start Selling. She teaches sales and management at the Wharton Graduate School of the University of Pennsylvania and the Wharton Executive Development Center. Linda is a frequent speaker at industry and client conferences, has been published extensively in industry and training journals, and has been featured in numerous publications, including The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Nation’s Business, Selling Power, Success, and The Conference Board Magazine. Learn more about Richardson's sales training and performance improvement solutions at http://www.richardson.com web - Visit Linda Richardson's Website |
|||
|
To learn more about the Evan Elite Author Program please contact us. | |||
|
 | ||
 |
||
 |
||
 |
||
 | ||
 |
| Have you written articles that would be of value to entrepreneurs? Become an expert on our site by publishing them! Expose yourself to a wide audience, drive more traffic to your website and get more sales! Click Here for details. |
 |
 |
| Modeling the Masters: Learn the true secrets behind Walt Disney's business success factors & grow your company! Video produced by Phanta Media |
|
|
 |
"Learn straight from Evan how you can Make a Full Time Income (And More) from a Website"
Click Here To Learn More |
|
|
|
|
Get advice & tips from famous business owners, new articles by entrepreneur experts, my latest website updates, & special sneak peaks at what's to come!
|
|
 |
 Business Financing Partner Questionnaire Why Banks Say No eguide Put Yourself Into the Top 3% Instant Press Release |
|
 | ||
 |
Top 50 Marketing Blogs
Top Blogs To Watch In 2008 | |
 |
Choose A PR Topic
Press Release Builder | |
| ||
 | ||||
| ||||
|
| ||||
| ||||
|
|
|
|
|
||||||||||||
|
Email us your ideas on how to make our website more valuable! Thank you Sharon from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for your suggestions to make the newsletter look like the website and profile younger entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez and Sean Combs!
|
|
|
| ||||||||||
|
| ||||||||||
|
|
||||||||||