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| Kindal Voss, General Manager for Lagonita Lodge |
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When Kindal Voss first began her career, she owned her own company – a successful internet service provider still in existence today. Though she traded the role of owner for a career in the hospitality industry, she never surrendered the perspective of an owner. “I learned that success stems from moving beyond the mindset of an employee and functioning as if I am invested no matter my responsibility,” she says. And her approach seems to have worked; she is now General Manager of the award-winning timeshare property Lagonita Lodge, a 98-room lakeside resort in Southern California’s mountain community Big Bear Lake.
She conveys this notion to her staff on a daily basis. “Creatively supervising and inspiring your managers and employees to step-up and take on a sense of ownership is challenging,” she explains. However, Voss sees the benefits of such autonomy and independent thinking - from the way her staff interacts with guests to the undeniable bottom-line results.
Another winning strategy: Understanding the dynamics of the industry from the inside out. Prior to assuming her current position, she was Operations Manager for The Alderwood Group, the managing company for the Lodge. “I feel like I have come full circle by returning to the property level,” she explains. “Working behind the scenes these last couple of years has given me a valuable base of knowledge about the timeshare industry.” As Operations Manager, Voss was responsible for Alderwood’s yield management, overseeing the owner services program and managing multiple property room inventories including the direct exchange program, central reservations and extranet sites.
One more successful management tactic Voss employs: A knack for people. She is outgoing and believes her proficiency comes from a genuine curiosity and caring. She explains that being able to read people has given her an edge when it comes to delivering a winning product (Lagonita Lodge recently was named one of ResorTime.com’s ‘Best Ski Resorts of 2009’). “The quicker you can understand a person and identify their concern, the better you can choose an appropriate solution,” she adds. She goes on to say that constantly talking to guests and owners is invaluable. It is also what motivates her to come to work everyday. Like using online social media, creating time for dialogue goes a long way when it comes to resolving customer service issues immediately or understanding how clients view Lagonita’s brand of experience. “Our owners spend a week at our property, and I truly care what they have to say and seek it out at every opportunity.” She’s confident that if a guest or owner likes her, they will ultimately like her product regardless if their experience was not initially good.
When asked if there is a single piece of guidance she received that stands out in her mind, she responds quickly that it was the sage advice a female employer offered: You have the power. “At the time I didn’t know what it meant,” explains Voss. “But now, I take it to mean that it is within me to succeed, derived from my own style of management - not necessarily the power to win but the confidence to bring my knowledge and skills to any situation.” She goes on to say that anytime she is confronted with a challenging problem, managing a difficult situation or resolving complicated customer service issues, she turns to these simple words.
She also believes this piece of advice means learning from failures. “Failure is not necessarily a bad thing,” says Voss. “I’ve learned a ton from my failures and, because of this, I am not afraid to hear negative feedback or face a problem head-on.”
We asked Kindal what word would describe her general approach to leadership. She stated ‘fun.’ “Like my managers and employees, I spend a lot of time at work, away from my family and I don’t think I could do this everyday unless it wasn’t fun.” However, she does explain the concept of fun is complicated. “A positive perspective allows my staff to grow and have the confidence to discover their own strengths, even resolve an issue before it escalates.” Her concept of fun also goes back to the power her early employer talked about: In this instance, Voss’s influence and ability to guide her employees in their own discovery.
She believes she learned the later from one of the best in the industry, Tom Johnson, President and CEO of The Alderwood Group. “He allowed me to be part of the success by giving me the freedom to be me and deal with situations that arise in the workplace from my point of view.” She mentions there were many times when she faltered but she learned valuable industry lessons because of Johnson’s style of leadership and, in turn, she has adopted this approach to make Lagonita Lodge a better place for her managers and staff.
She also credits Johnson with her commitment to a team-style of management. “Tom is patient and taught me about respect at all levels by underscoring his belief that we either succeed together or fail together,” says Voss. Likewise, she brings this same resolve to her own team. “I am not in this alone; Lagonita’s triumphs are a direct result of everyone involved.”
Finally, we asked Voss about making the move from a traditional, transient hotel property. She feels the timeshare industry was a natural progression in her development as a tourism industry leader. “I am continuously challenged by the responsibility not only to deliver a good vacation product but to protect an individual’s valuable investment.” She notes timeshare’s unique characteristic of customer service beyond the traditional hotel/guest relationship is an added benefit. “What transfers over from hospitality to timeshare is the customer service aspect of the equation.” She explains it is similar to moving from operations at the corporate level to manager at the property level. “It’s about what I enjoy most: Being able to engage with people.”
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