Dean Merrill - Excellence Wins: A No-Nonsense Guide to Becoming the Best in a World of Compromise

CONTENTS

PRAISE FOR EXCELLENCE WINS

Horst Schulze created a culture of service that should be a model for all of us. By committing to the highest standards of professionalismand creating the right systems to achieve themhe inspired thousands of people to embrace and embody the core ideal of sheer unadulterated excellence. With this profoundly useful book, Schulze now shares his story, and his methods, so that the rest of us can be uplifted and taught by the master himself.

Jim Collins, author of Good to Great and coauthor of Built to Last

Horst Schulzes influence on my family and our business is undeniable. His approach to customer service revolutionized the hotel industry and set a high bar for all of us. His new book, Excellence Wins, weaves Horsts personal story with the practical wisdom hes gleaned from an incredible career of servant leadership. Its a must-read for leaders and anyone passionate about serving people.

Dan Cathy, chairman, president, and CEO of Chick-fil-A

Industry luminaries regard Horst Schulze as the leading hotelier in the world, but his influence extends far beyond the hospitality business. Theres a reason for that. He has been the thought leader on customer service for decades. We now have the Rosetta Stone of superior customer servicehis new book. Excellence Wins can only be described as profoundly helpful to any leader who aspires for his or her organization to be the best.

Dr. Tim Irwin,New York Times bestselling author and leadership authority

In Excellence Wins, Horst Schulzes inspirational story and experienced wisdom gives you the road map to success at the highest levels. This book is a must-read for every manager, executive, and anyone who strives for excellence in their life.

Kay C. James, president of the Heritage Foundation

Horst Schulze is one of the most beloved, creative, and successful hoteliers in the world. His reputation for excellence in all he pursues has generated a global following among stakeholders in his various hotels and other businesses that is legendary and real. People today, regardless of whether they worked with him directly or have learned of his charismatic leadership from others, rightfully honor and revere him as one of the most important and esteemed original thinkers in human development our world has seen.

Richard J. Stephenson, founder and chairman of the board, Cancer Treatment Centers of America

For an inspiring, practical approach to becoming a preeminent leader in business, nonprofits, government, and academia alike, Excellence Wins fills the bill. This engaging memoir depicts a philosophy of leadership that has become the signature trademark of iconic hotelier Horst Schulze, the premier service guru and top visionary thought leader in the hospitality world today. As an academic dean speaking to college students everywhere, I encourage you to read this book and adopt its teachings to spark your own passion for excellence, creating a pathway to tremendous success in your personal and professional lives.

June Henton, dean of the College of Human Sciences, Auburn University

ZONDERVAN

Excellence Wins

Copyright 2019 by Horst Schulze

Requests for information should be addressed to:

Zondervan, 3900 Sparks Dr. SE, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49546

ISBN 978-0-310-35213-6 (audio)

Epub Edition January 2019 9780310352105

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Schulze, Horst, 1939- author. | Merrill, Dean, author.

Title: Excellence wins : a no-nonsense guide to becoming the best in a world of compromise / Horst Schulze, with Dean Merrill.

Description: Grand Rapids, MI : Zondervan, [2019]

Identifiers: LCCN 2018028392 (print) | LCCN 2018060126 (ebook) | ISBN 9780310352105 (ebook) | ISBN 9780310352099 (hardcover)

Subjects: LCSH: Customer services. | Customer relations. | Leadership.

Classification: LCC HF5415.5 (ebook) | LCC HF5415.5 .S4445 2019 (print) | DDC 658.3--dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2018028392

Any internet addresses (websites, blogs, etc.) and telephone numbers in this book are offered as a resource. They are not intended in any way to be or imply an endorsement by Zondervan, nor does Zondervan vouch for the content of these sites and numbers for the life of this book.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meanselectronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any otherexcept for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior permission of the publisher.

Published in association with the literary agency of Wolgemuth & Associates, Inc.

Cover design: Curt Diepenhorst

Cover photo: Sandoval Design & Marketing LLC

Interior illustrations: Sandoval Design & Marketing LLC

Interior design: Kait Lamphere

Printed in the United States of America

18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 /LSC/ 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

In appreciation to my family

for their patience and support

during the many years

of my heavy travel schedule.

Information about External Hyperlinks in this ebook

Please note that endnotes in this ebook may contain hyperlinks to external websites as part of bibliographic citations. These hyperlinks have not been activated by the publisher, who cannot verify the accuracy of these links beyond the date of publication.

W hen Horst Schulze asked me to write the foreword for Excellence Wins, I was honored. Why? Because for more than forty years, among the many hundreds of top CEOs and company presidents I have worked with around the world, Horst Schulze is easily in my top five.

My observations of Horst when he was president and COO of the Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company gave me a clear image of the impact a leader can have on an organization. Horst has always had a both/and philosophy about results and relationshipsand he has put that belief into practice with the people he serves, the customers they serve, and the organization as a whole. Horst and I clearly agree that profit is the applause you get for creating a motivating environment for your people so that they will take care of your customers.

Throughout his career, Horst has modeled his leadership philosophy in three ways that really resonate with meand youll read about all three in this book.

1. Horst has always been a dreamer and a visionary. When he was a child in Germany, he told his family he wanted to work in a hotel. They tried to redirect him to other careers every step of the way, but he would not be dissuaded. He was determined to follow his dream. As a young man at the end of a three-year hotel apprenticeship, Horst coined the phrase Ladies and Gentlemen Serving Ladies and Gentlemen, which became the driving mantra not only for himself but also for everyone who has ever reported to him. Ill never forget visiting Horst at his office at the Ritz-Carlton in Atlanta. I was privileged to witness one of the stand-up meetings he held with staff at the beginning of every week when he was in town. He wanted to make sure people knew where they were heading, give them an opportunity to bring up any concerns they had for the week, and review at least one of the hotels standards of service with them. In terms of his vision of excellence, Horst has always believed in repetition and reinforcement as the best way to sustain the exemplary service standards taught to each hotel staff member.