Experiences of a mature student

By Ariane Lellmann

In 2005 the Blue Mountains International Hospitality Management School invited L&A to be involved with its “Industry Stars” programme. This programme regularly invites industry professionals to address students through guest lectures, share “real life experiences” in candid Q&A sessions and conduct small work shop sessions.

Involvement in this programme was a highly rewarding experience and lead to my on-going role at BMHS through my delivery of lectures, regular review of all practical Housekeeping matters, updating of Housekeeping training techniques to ensure students are kept abreast of the latest industry trends and technologies and the introduction of a regular Housekeeping Olympics contest at the end of each semester.

At this stage of my career I am very much enjoying this association and am finding it very satisfying to ‘give back’ to young aspiring students some of the motivational advice and inspiration I was fortunate enough to have received during my working life. I am

particularly happy to talk about the many diverse aspects and challenges of professional housekeeping management to awaken and foster an interest in Housekeeping as a career path. I have been very pleased to have mentored several students who chose a 6-month industry placement in Housekeeping as part of their studies.

However, my wish to increase of my involvement with the school at a more meaningful level presented one small hitch:  I needed to upgrade and formalise my academic qualifications!

So in March 2009 I enthusiastically embarked on a Master Degree of Business in Management at the University of Technology Sydney(UTS). This course covers 12 subjects and studying part-time should take me 3 years to complete. My enthusiasm was quickly tempered by my introduction to a painfully steep learning curve and realisation that in-depth research, academic writing and the extensive use of electronic media required different skills that did not at first come intuitively.

But, as we all know, Housekeepers do not give up easily! As I single-mindedly perservered I discovered that 25 years experience of managing colleagues of many different nationalities and backgrounds, motivating people daily in the face of repetitive and often physically demanding jobs yielded a very rich experience that made my student problem solving exercises, case studies and class discussion and presentations feel easy and natural. All of us at L&A know how to carefully observe and assess a situation during the first days of a consultancy so that we can differentiate between surface symptoms and underlying root causes in order to design a truly meaningful plan forward. This systematic problem solving method proved to be an essential skill.

Naturally subjects such as “Economics”, “HR” and “Finance” are part of my study programme, but I find those subjects that focus on people related topics the most inspiring and enlightening. My fabourite subjects are; “Organisational Psychology”, “Change Management” and “Management Skills”. All are fascinating subjects that explore the true potential and value of people in an organisation as well as the community and environment in which it operates. My international hospitality experience has been a wonderful foundation on which I thoroughly enjoyed exploring these issues further while at the same time having my own assumptions and opinions challenged, tested and thereby broadened.

My chosen topic for the next semester is “International Business Studies” focusing on the rich diversity and different approaches different cultures and nationalities bring to business and negotiation. Again this is a topic familar to many people in our industry!

Another, somewhat unexpected and fabulous aspect of my studies has proved to be the many different people I have met in lectures and during group work projects. Discussing the implementation of Macdonald’s fast food concept and particular style of American service culture in Saudi Arabia’s capital Ryiad with a young Saudi oil engineer as well as talking about change management issues in the Australian education system with a 75 year old, fellow mature student have been truly inspiring and have presented me with new perspectives.

I believe most Housekeepers instinctively understand the truth of Lee Iacocca’s words “Management is nothing more than motivating other people”  (Lee Iacocca, CEO Chrysler Corporation,1978 -1992). I certainly feel that the experiences of my studies have increased my awareness of this matter.

I look forward to completing my studies and to achieving the fomal qualifications that will facilitate my greater involvement and contribution to the industry that has been such an important part of my life.