Saturday Briefing

By Kaipo Ho — Back in April, we launched our Outrigger Value of the Week Program, and to date, we’ve reintroduced three of our eight company values Kina‘ole (Flawlessness), Equality (Kaulike), and A‘o (To learn and to share). The excitement and participation have far exceeded expectations, and there’s no shortage of brilliant ideas!

The main purpose of our Value of the Week program is to generate new discussions and new thinking about how we can live our values daily and create that unique Outrigger guest and work experience. To kick things off, hotels and departments have created dedicated bulletin boards to reinforce our company values and Ke ‘Ano Wa‘a activities in their respective areas. Bulletin boards are updated, as each new value of the week is rolled out. Outrigger Mission and Values cards were distributed to all employees, and new mission and values posters are proudly displayed in work areas.

At the OHANA Waikiki East, Alaka‘i and Managers have a variety of activities in place for each value. For Kina‘ole, everyone was invited to write a brief explanation on what that value meant to them on a paper flower. When all the flowers were turned in, the Alaka‘i strung an eight-foot lei that was unveiled in the Housekeeping department. The Financial Services, Accounting, Risk Management, and Marketing teams have displayed a Values Tree on the wall of their kitchen area. The staff is invited to contribute their personal thoughts on what the value of the week means to them, and with each new value and every contribution made, the tree is growing and blossoming.

The Outrigger Waikiki on the Beach Alaka‘i creatively merged their Ke ‘Ano Wa‘a and Value of the Week efforts with their hotel safety program. Special recognition is given to the departments who contribute the most examples of how each of our values can be demonstrated on the job.

At the OHANA Waikiki West, Managers and Alaka‘i lead the daily charge of reinforcing our values with their staff by their energy and enthusiasm.

The Wyland Waikiki ‘ohana were treated to a special luncheon and values celebration that included games and the presentation of a unique hotel historical timeline. The Alaka‘i and Managers are also taking advantage of the opportunity to merge the values of Ke ‘Ano Wa‘a with the Courtyard by Marriott culture.

On the island of Kaua‘i, the Outrigger at Lae Nani ‘ohana have taken our values reinforcement to a “spiritual” level, with daily reflections on how doing the right thing in the right way serves a higher purpose that benefits everyone in the end.

Speaking of Kaua‘i, the Outrigger Kiahuna Plantation Resort’s employees take time to appreciate our value of Wahi (Place) and were recently treated to a historical and cultural tour of the old Kiahuna Plantation and the Gardens of Kiahuna. Employees learned about their sense of place through ancient and current stories highlighting the Koloa district and the ancient uses of the land before the resort was developed. The Kiahuna orchid and cactus garden were also featured, along with some of the historical artifacts on the property. Employees discovered how the land is ever changing and evolving because of their own emotional involvement.

An unexpected benefit of all this activity is that more and more member’s of our ‘ohana are joining our Alaka‘i team. The Outrigger Reef on the Beach recently added a representative from each department, including Elite Valet Services, to assist in facilitating Ke ‘Ano Wa‘a at their hotel, and Company Services also saw an increase in it’s Alaka‘i team with the recent corporate offices May Day Celebration. We started with 36 Alaka‘i, including representatives from Denver and our Pacific ‘ohana, when we initially re-launched Ke ‘Ano Wa‘a and our 6-Paddles Process in 2007. Today, our Alaka‘i team has grown to more than 70 members strong. All the evidence points to a triumphant re-celebration and re-invigorating of Ke ‘Ano Wa‘a and successfully leading the Outrigger Way into the future.