Delta Winnipeg General Manager Helen Halliday had an "a ha" moment listening to world champion curler Jill Officer speaking at a business event earlier this year.

"Jill spoke about (Team Canada) not qualifying for the Olympics at the Canadian Curling Trials. It could've got them down but instead, the team rallied together and on starting their next competition, she remembered looking across the ice and hearing the crowd cheering and she thought, "Wow, who gets to do this?"

Halliday, who is celebrating her 25th year with Delta Hotels and Resorts, including a decade at the Delta Winnipeg, has a similar perspective about managing the city's largest hotel.

"When a guest walks through our door, it's like they are walking into our house, so we look to create a welcoming place that makes them feel like we're their home away from home."

With 240 employees, 393 guest rooms, two restaurants, a coffee and confectionery retail outlet, a health club and 18,000 square feet of meeting space booked with convention, corporate and leisure business, Halliday has a full plate managing the 41/2-star property. Yet, she thrives on the energy.

"One of the things I love most about this business is the variety. It's endless. In any given week, we can be hosting a political event, catering a charity gala, checking in a national convention or welcoming a celebrity. Now how many people get to do that?"

Q: How would you describe the people culture at Delta Winnipeg?

A: Delta Hotels and Resorts has been named one of the 50 Best Employers in Canada nine times, and at the Delta Winnipeg, we've created a culture that ties in with the Delta brand values of welcoming, engaging and empowering. An example of this is our casual professionalism -- a work style that encourages us to comfortably call each other by our first names. Employees can relax and be themselves so that they can personalize their area of responsibility and provide service straight from the heart. I also like that there's no hierarchy at Delta; ever since I've been here, we have been a "flat" organization where everyone pitches in. I'm just as likely as any employee to scoop up litter or straighten pictures as I walk around the hotel. Problem is, when I'm visiting other buildings, I have to fight the urge to do it there too!

In 2008, Delta experienced a very exciting change of ownership. This has been fantastic for us in terms of timing and having owners who share the personality and direction of our Canadian hotel company. It wasn't a change that would have been obvious to our guests, but internally, it had a very positive impact on our people and on our passion for service.

Q: What kind of advantages do you have when recruiting people to work in your hotel?

A: Delta Hotels and Resorts manages 45 properties, so right off the bat we're able to offer the opportunity to work across Canada, which is attractive to some people. Employees receive discounts on Delta accommodations and on-premises food and beverage services as well as free membership to our health club. Plus, by the very nature of what we do and our partnership with multiple entertainment venues and our proximity to the MTS Centre, complimentary tickets to events are frequently available. Another important component of recruiting is our involvement in the community. We are actively involved in our nationally sponsored charity Habitat for Humanity and last year, 54 of our employees volunteered to work at the Winnipeg Harvest Empty Bowls Celebrity Gala that raised $230,000. Because we are community-oriented and believe it's important to give back, we have recently announced the option to take two paid days off per year to volunteer for the charity or community event of their choice.

Q: Have you had to adapt to any recruiting trends within your industry?

A: It's not easy to get people from other provinces to relocate here, but because of Manitoba's growing population and the benefits of having excellent hospitality and culinary programs close to home, we have been able to "grow our own" talent. Our team is a unique mixture of college and university students, individuals from other countries, and people from within our industry who have come to us looking for better training, development and professional growth opportunities. If there's a high demand area right now, I would say that it's the culinary specialty. Our multi-outlet offering and the fact that our banquet business is both stable and renewable have been viewed as a refreshing and more stable alternative to the independent restaurant and catering industry. Another source of our growth has been the strong response to our employee referral program from our multicultural community and new immigrants.

Q: Do you have any people programs that are particularly innovative?

A: One program that we're especially proud of is that last year, Delta Hotels created its own social network in partnership with Google. Each of the 7,000 employees who are part of the Delta community across Canada can have their own account and access to the network, allowing us to communicate with one another. It's similar to Facebook in that you can create and personalize your own profile, link to people with like interests, post pictures and videos. But it also offers a useful people directory, access to training videos and even a chat function. The idea was to replace the traditional intranet with a more engaging, user-generated platform that truly permits information and idea sharing not only within the hotel but across the entire company. We really enjoy the network because it strengthens our culture and supports the way we like to work.

Q: As a leader, what internal challenges are you presently facing?

A: We have a scorecard called the Wow Index, an indicator of how many guests have experienced exceptional or memorable service experiences and who they have remembered. When it comes to how our employees interact with guests and our personalized approach to service, our "wow" index is way up; we're in the top 10 for the entire company. However, our overall guest satisfaction rating is not as high as I'd like it to be and there are a few reasons that could explain this. Although major upgrades have been made to our property over the years, we need to plan additional capital improvements and enhance our amenities. For example, we do not currently offer wireless service, something Delta is addressing. But if there is a silver lining, it's that we know we can perform well when given the right tools. Most of our employees have just completed Delta's new brand training which focuses on being welcoming, engaging and empowering, and as a result of their adaptation, we have seen our hospitality rating rise. We still need to keep working on our satisfaction rating, and it's definitely a priority for us at the hotel.

Q: What leadership books have you read that you would recommend to others?

A: One of my favourites is Work Like Your Dog by Matt Weinstein. I'll admit that it's because I love dogs, but it's really about having a genuine passion for what you do. Dogs don't filter their enthusiasm; they show an unbridled love and interest in people -- an attitude that's key to working in the hospitality industry. At the same time, working dogs take their jobs very seriously. My beagle is a natural hunter who will bark at a squirrel with the same intensity he did when he was a puppy. It drives the neighbours crazy, but that's his job. Ideally, we should bring that same dedication and enthusiasm to work so that regardless of what challenges we face, we're ready to take them on like it was our first day on the job.

-- With reporting by Barbara Chabai

John McFerran, PhD, F. CHRP, is founder and president of People First HR Services Ltd. For more information, visit www.peoplefirsthr.com.

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition May 1, 2010 I1