Just Breathe, You're Not Actually on Fire (Yet) S1E12

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We unpack the power of pausing before reacting in hospitality situations, demonstrating how strategic thinking transforms service outcomes. Taking a moment to think intentionally creates space between stimulus and response, turning potential crises into opportunities for exceptional guest experiences.

• The hospitality professional's natural instinct to act immediately can undermine service quality
• Pausing is not weakness but the exact right strategic response in crisis moments
• Real-world example of an employee who calmly extinguished a napkin fire by thinking instead of panicking
• Relationship between cognitive load and guest experience – calm service providers lower guest stress levels
• Service with presence, not panic, shapes positive emotional memories for guests
• University of Arkansas Hospitality Management Program teaches composure under pressure as a fundamental leadership skill

Check out the University of Arkansas Hospitality Management Program whether your adventure is in luxury resorts, adventure travel or local hotels. We'll keep you up to speed and help you lead it like a pro.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:01):
Hi, friends, and welcome back to Housekeeping.
Didn't Come the podcast wherewe unpack hospitality lessons
from the road, the classroom and, occasionally, the fire escape?
I'm Rob Powell, your host, yourfellow adventurer, and a guy
who once coached a newrestaurant manager through a
meltdown without using smellingsalts.
That, my friends, is leadership.

(00:21):
Today's episode is called JustBreathe.
You're not actually on fire yet.
Let's talk about the power ofthe pause.
We have a panic reflex.
Hospitality professionals arewired to act.
A guest complains fix it.
A plate drops, replace it.
The reservation system crashesduring Friday check-in we panic

(00:43):
and also maybe we reboot.
But here's the thing In our rushto do, we forget to think and
thinking.
Strategic, calm, intentionalthinking is the oxygen mask of
great service.
The pause is not weakness.
The pause is not doing nothing.
The pause is not doing nothing.
It's doing the exact rightthing creating space between

(01:07):
stimulus and response.
When a guest yells about thethermostat, a manager who pauses
says let me make sure Iunderstand what's going on.
Instead of sir, we've told youtwice, it's central air.
One of those responses gets youa trip advisor compliment.
The other gets you a nasty callfrom corporate.
Now here's a real world story.

(01:29):
Years ago I was managing abourbon bar in Louisiana when a
guest lit a cocktail napkin onfire for fun yeah, don't ask, my
bartender yelled.
The server ran.
Someone shouted get theextinguisher.
But you know what worked?
One cool-headed employee calmlyplacing a metal tray over it,
smothering the flame.

(01:49):
She didn't panic, she paused.
She responded, not reacted.
Guess who got promoted the nextweek.
Cognitive load and guestexperience have a nexus.
Our guests are overwhelmed too,especially in today's world of
blinking screens, qr menus androom key apps that sort of work.

(02:10):
When you pause, breathe anddeliver service with presence,
not panic, you lowered theirheart rate too.
You're not just fixing problems, you're shaping emotional
memory.
We teach this in the classroomAt the University of Arkansas
Hospitality Management Program.

(02:30):
We teach students how to thinkunder pressure, not just react,
because hospitality is notfirefighting, it's forethought,
it's feel, it's knowing when toact and when to well breathe.
We believe service leadershipstarts with composure and, yes,
sometimes that's the hardestskill of all.

(02:51):
So next time everything isgoing sideways, breathe.
You're not actually on fire yet.
And even if you are, check thebar first.
There might be a metal trayhandy.
Thanks for listening to.
Housekeeping Didn't Come.
If you enjoyed today's episode,share it with a fellow
hospitality pro who's had a fewtoo many fire drills lately.

(03:13):
And if you're thinking about afuture in hospitality or want to
sharpen your leadership skills,check out the University of
Arkansas Hospitality ManagementProgram.
Hospitality management programWhether your adventure is in
luxury resorts, adventure travelor local hotels, we'll keep you
up to speed and help you leadit like a pro.
Catch you next time and don'tforget to pause before pressing

(03:36):
play.