Business Success Hinges on an Empowered Staff
Written by Shala Hainer Wednesday, September 28 2011
Snapshot: Beathe-Jeanette Lunde, executive vice president, Carlson America
Norwegian-born Beathe-Jeanette Lunde, called B. J. by friends and colleagues, has centered her more than two decades in the hospitality industry around empowering staff. Starting in sales with the SAS Royal Hotel in Stavanger, Norway, she moved around Europe while moving up to vice president of human resources in 1995.
She spent much of her energy implementing leadership and personal development training programs, including the Radisson SAS Management School in 1996 and the Business School @ Rezidor, which has trained 10,000 professionals in its 15 years. With Carlson America since 2009, Lunde serves as executive vice president, people development, responsible business, safety and security. Carlson operates more than 1,000 hotels worldwide, including Radisson and Country Inn and Suites by Carlson brands. She continues to create educational initiatives for Carlson employees, including the Business School @ Carlson, “Be Our Guest,” and “Yes, I Can!”
Lunde and husband, Johne, also from Norway, live in Minneapolis. Over the years, they have lived in Stavanger; Copenhagen, Denmark; London; and three times in Brussels.
Womenetics: How did you get your first job in the hotel industry with the SAS Royal Hotel?
B. J. Lunde: I read in the local newspaper that Scandinavian Airlines SAS was going to open a hotel in my hometown. I was working for Conoco Oil at the time. Stavanger is Norway’s oil capital like Houston is in the United States. I was impressed with the president & CEO’s (Jan Carlzon) turnaround accomplishment at the time and wanted to work for his company (see story below). I called up the director of sales who was the first team member in the preopening office of what was to become the SAS Royal Hotel, Stavanger. We met for coffee, and he hired me to start in sales. That was the beginning of 25 happy years in the travel and hospitality industry.
At the time when Carlzon took over the helm of SAS, the company was facing large financial difficulties and losing $17 million per year and had an international reputation for always being late. A 1981 survey showed that SAS was ranked No. 14 of 17 airlines in Europe when it came to punctuality. The company had a reputation for being a very centralized organization, where decisions were hard to come by to the detriment of the customers, the shareholders, and the staff.
He revolutionized the airline industry through an unrelenting focus on customer service quality. Within one year of taking over, SAS had become the most punctual airline in Europe and started an ongoing training program called “Putting People First,” developed by Time Manager International. The program was focused on delegating responsibility away from management and allowing customer-facing staff to make decisions to resolve any issues on the spot. Carlzon said at the time: "Problems are solved on the spot, as soon as they arise. No front-line employee has to wait for a supervisor's permission." These changes soon impacted the bottom line as well, and the company made a profit of $54 million in 1982.
Womenetics: You've worked with several hospitality companies in several countries. How do you settle in with each new culture?
Lunde: I am very well traveled and know a lot about different cultures. When I worked as an executive housekeeper, I must have had 15 to 20 different nationalities working for me. It is important to listen, look, feel, and ask to avoid making mistakes on how to treat different cultures and live in different cultures.
Womenetics: How are European human resources practices different from those in the United States?
Lunde: I do not think they are any different. It is all about careful selection and recruitment, performance appraisal and performance management, training and development, mentoring, employee relations, compensation and benefits, reward systems, and legal issues. However, in my former role, I focused a lot on people development, culture development, and promotion from within. I was head of HR during a time when the company grew from 25 hotels in 11 countries to 400 hotels in 60 countries.
Ninety-five percent of the general managers are promoted from within, and 65 percent of them have been developed through a mentor/mentee program I started in 2000. In addition, everyone knew that an assignment would be three years or so. There was no need to look outside the company for a new position. The internal career management system worked very well. The turnover in the United States is much higher, and people seem to expect to get a new position after one to two years. If the company does not have a proper career management or succession program in place, talents will unfortunately leave.
Womenetics: You've created several successful management training programs. In your opinion, why is it so important that companies train employees to be promoted from within rather than looking outside the companies for leadership positions?
Lunde: An employee is the doer of a company’s values, standards, quality, and service. Whatever the company promises to its stakeholders, the employees will make or break. By training employees to become passionate about the purpose of the company and what we are in business to do, I believe they become more emotionally attached and committed, which for many will mean wanting to take on a bigger responsibility.
People who are promoted from within will strive to deliver, will be more loyal, and will hopefully concentrate on getting the job done rather than worrying about their next move. In my previous role as head of HR in Europe, the general managers knew that I would call them after three years to discuss the next career move. That way they relaxed and concentrated on the current assignment and trusted that I would work on their next assignment when the time was right.
Womenetics: Your position with Carlson covers many areas, including people development, responsible business, and safety and security. What is your favorite piece of your duties, and why?
Lunde: It is to see a talent grow as a result of gaining additional knowledge and experience. In other words – people growth.
Womenetics: How do you balance the many aspects of your job?
Lunde: I work from a business plan with clear goals, activities, and deadlines that are carefully prioritized and aligned with the strategies of the company.
Womenetics: In the training programs you've created – such as "Yes, I Can!" – what is the most important lesson you share with trainees?
Lunde: It is what we do, what we say, and who we are – that is the essence of “Yes I Can!”
Womenetics: What advice would you give women trying to earn promotions in their careers?
Lunde: Ask for forgiveness, not for permission. Stick your head out, know how good you are (and you are usually better than you think you are), and do not be afraid of confrontations. Use your intuitive strength and try to control your emotions, which we naturally have more of than men.
Womenetics: I understand you have some thoughts about how business can help end human trafficking. Could you share that briefly?
Lunde: Human trafficking is the modern form of slavery and the fastest-growing international crime. The International Labour Organization states that human trafficking is the third-largest illicit moneymaking venture in the world, after drug dealing and the arms trade, worth around $32 billion annually.
As international tourism rises rapidly, the commercial sexual exploitation of children is a growing problem that affects both tourism destinations and the traveler’s home countries. According to UNICEF, about 2 million children are victims of prostitution and pornography. Third-world countries are among the most affected, and the majority of the demand originates in industrialized countries such as the United States. Eliminating child trafficking is a long, complex process that can only be fully realized by constructive partnering with businesses, governments, international organizations, local authorities, and communities as well as employees and customers.
Womenetics: What is your favorite way to relax?
Lunde: I work out three times a week, which gives me new energy. However, when I really want to relax, I read an interior design, cooking, or fashion magazine and enjoy an espresso with perhaps a Belgian chocolate. Then I relax.
Based near Atlanta, Shala Hainer has been writing and copyediting since 1995. Beginning her career at newspapers such as the Marietta Daily Journal and the Atlanta Business Chronicle, she most recently wrote and edited articles for several nonprofit organizations before purchasing a flower shop in 2006. She earned a bachelor’s in communications from Jacksonville State University.
