Getting the most out of the team

By George Haldeman

No one can go it alone it the economic times we are in especially with the explosion of competition that is going on in most jurisdictions. A good leader needs to motivate his team and get the most out of them. To do this, they need to create a win – win scenario for the company and the employee. I know it is cliché but it is true.

Expectations

A properly motivated employee knows what the desired results of their efforts are. Setting goals for people that they buy into will add to their motivation. Timelines and schedules will ensure the employee can measure their progress. It is not additive when they believe they are progressing and management believes they are behind.

Guidelines

Employees need to know the rules of the game. They need to be versed in the procedures, policies and principles they are working with. It is unfair to assign specific requirements on an employee without giving them guidance. The guidance should include both a path to success and examples of paths to failure. Part of being a leader is putting people in a position to succeed.

Resources

You wouldn’t send a soldier to war without a gun. So why would you give an employee an assignment and not give them the resources they need to be successful. If they are tasked with something they know they don’t have the resources to be successful, they will be demotivated and you will be counterproductive. If the individual fails, then so does the organization which means the leader ultimately fails?

Accountability and responsibility

Accountability results in responsibility. If you don’t hold your team accountable for their results, they will not take responsibility for them.  Conversely, when an employee knows they are going to be held accountable, they will take responsibility for the assignment. Responsibility will help to foster the desired motivation.

Rewards and Consequences

I have put this one last for a reason. Rewards and consequences are not (or at least should not) the primary drivers of motivation. They are important just not the most important. Rewards do not have to be financial and consequences do not have to include the death penalty. A quick review of the One Minute Manager would indicate that short praising and short reprimands can be very motivating.

George is a Principal in Strategic Gaming Advisors

Leadership is not the same as being the boss

By George Haldeman

Simply having a “C” title or even a VP title does not make someone a leader. It may make them a boss but there is a difference. There are numerous definitions of leadership and they can be debated forever. One thing we know for sure is we know a leader when we see them.

Email- Is it ready to be the prime communication vehicle

By George Haldeman

Email has gotten to the point where it is a mature communication vehicle. The technology has been stable for a long time and it has been widely accepted by the mainstream. The question for casino marketer today is whether or not it is ready to supersede direct mail as the primary form of communication. Some customers would prefer to be communicated with by email.  Is that preference going to yield the response rates of traditional direct mail?

A Challenge to the Boss

By George Haldeman

In the last 24 years that I have been in the casino industry, I have had the good fortune to have worked at some pretty well run properties. I have also worked at some not so well properties. There all kinds of management and marketing techniques casino operators can employ when trying to optimize their properties given the competitive and economic environment.

Knowledge is Stealth

By George Haldeman

Today’s Environment

In most gaming markets today, we operate in very competitive environments. This operating environment causes management to spend almost as much time monitoring what its competitors are doing as they do their own properties. We walk though the competitors properties or even give some of our trust employees money and have them visit the other properties just so we can see what they receive in the mail. We monitor room rates, promotions and special event schedules.

Marketing Casinos

By George Haldeman

The job of a marketer in the casino business is not to devise ways of getting people to gamble more than they want to play. It certainly is not to get them to gamble more than they can afford to play. The job of a marketer in our business is to get people to choose our properties when they are ready to play. There are a variety of tools at our disposal. We have direct offers, special events, player development programs and promotions. We have a variety of communications methods including direct mail, email, mobile marketing, web and new media among others.

It is all about the message

By George Haldeman

Casinos spend millions of dollars trying to convince potential guests that they have the products and services the guest wants. We have a variety of channels to choose from when delivering that message. We employ print, outdoor, radio and TV as well as direct channels such as direct mail, email, mobile and new media options.

Goals, Strategies and Tactics

By George Haldeman

In preparing business plan, casino operators often confuse goals, strategies and tactics. If you think about it in terms of a hierarchy, tactics are specific initiatives designed to support particular strategies. Strategies are both broad and measurable.They are tied directly to the goals of the company.

 Understanding how each of these often misused terms affect the actions of a company will not only be additive to profit but also enable senior management to focus on long term success of the company.

Five Mistakes Casino Marketers Make

By George Haldeman

I have been fortunate to have worked with some very bright and experienced marketing professionals over the years. I have seen some terrific success stories and I have seen some awful mistakes. There are a lot of specific mistakes I could list, but ultimately, I can categorize the most common ones into the groups listed below.

The Case for Business Intelligence (part two)

By George Haldeman

In tough economic times, when competitiveness depends on the optimization of strategy and execution, casino operators continue to turn to BI as a vital tool for smarter, more agile and efficient business decisions. Operators should measure the success of BI and analytics programs on how well they help the business achieve strategic objectives not just the execution of tactical initiatives. Clearly defined business strategies and objectives are critical to the success of any organization in competitive times.