Vacation and Politics

There are lessons to be learned from staying at an all-inclusive resort in Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula. We have stayed in enough of them now to have learned a few of these important lessons, ones from which we might all benefit.

Firstly, money is relative. Resort employees make less than $10.00 per day. They work 10 hour shifts, six days per week, with one 20-minute meal break. Because the average wage of their communities is less than they make, their hard work makes earns them significant financial status in their communities.

Secondly, contentment flows across levels of service. The management of  resorts realize that contented employees better serve guests. They know that guests are made happier when they have happy service. Therefore, the management at the resorts goes out of its way to make employees happy. There is a strong investment in employees and a great deal of trust placed in them.

Thirdly, a high bar results in greater feats. Expectations get met when they are lofty but achievable. We saw on our recent trip to Cancun the head of hospitality services chewing on one of the cooks, who was being forced to remove from the buffet dinner a food item that did not reach the standards expected by the management. The standards are high, but practical. As long as they are clearly articulated and openly communicated, those standards result in a sense of pride and achievement. The young cook was obviously upset over having to remove the food item, but I bet he does that dish better the next time he is asked to serve it.

Fourth, teamwork is everything. No single person is responsible for successes or failures. Everything is about the team. In Cancun, the management works with the staff in order to continually raise the bar of expectation and service, asking as much of their management skills as they do of the staff performance. Difficulty in any level is a team issue and must be addressed on a team basis. The young cook just mentioned reflected on the management, and it was up to all members of the team to ensure improvement.

Finally, care and concern are key. There is a personal investment in team members that crosses levels of responsibility. They know about one another. They know spouses, families, histories and challenges. They work with each other to offer the best possible outcome, no matter what is going on in any one's personal life. One person compensates for another, even if it means that someone has to go out of her or his way.

The bottom line of these lessons is pretty clear. In order to provide the best of goods and services, there must be an investment in persons that crosses levels of authority. Happy employees render happy service. Content persons share contentment with others. Good pay helps, especially in an environment where every tip is shared and every compliment or complaint is a team matter. No person is out there on his or her own.

I have been thinking about these lessons in the current political arena in this country. It just makes me sad. And afraid. I wish we could hear a candidate somewhere promise the kind of teamwork and unity that I saw in the Mexican Yucatan. Given the current polemical political climate of United States politics, perhaps it is too much to ask, too naive, too simplistic, too practical. It breeds discontent, anger, frustration and unhappiness. What is it that Einstein said about insanity?