#WednesdayWisdom with Harry Murray - Why is it important to continue learning all your life?
Harry Murray MBE MI FIH
Harry Murray was appointed Managing Director of Lucknam Park Hotel & Spa in 1997 with the vision of making the hotel the best country house hotel in the UK. He was appointed Chairman of the Relais & Chateaux property in 2010 the year the hotel won Independent Hotel of the Year Catey and the AA Hotel of the Year.
Harry has managed luxury hotels across five decades including opening a 300 room Five Star Hotel in South Africa. During his long and distinguished career, he has chaired and sat on numerous industry committees. He is often described as the consummate hotelier because of his attention to detail and passion for hotel-keeping. He has also helped to develop some of the leading hoteliers in the UK and around the world and continues to mentor many others.
Harry was honoured with an MBE IN 2006 for services to the Hospitality Industry. His other accolades include: Catey Hotelier of the Year 1986, RAC UK Hotelier of the Year 2004. Cateys Lifetime Achievement Award 2008, AA Lifetime Achievement Award 2013, Outstanding Contribution to Tourism Award 2016, Recipient of an Honorary Degree of Doctor of the University of Essex 2019 for his outstanding contribution to the Edge Hotel School.
Harry became a Master Innholder in 1982 and was Chairman in 1986 and is a Freeman of the City of London, in 2008 he was invited to join the Worshipful Company of Innkeepers. In 2017 he was elected President of HOSPA. He is a Life Patron of Springboard UK, a Patron of Hospitality Action and recently appointed an Ambassador of HA.
Learning is absolutely essential to our existence and lifelong learning is an essential tool for every career and organisation
Many years ago, I once heard a quote that has stayed with me it was by MAHATMA GANDHI
“Live your life today as if it was your last and Go on LEARNING as if you were to live for ever”.
Learning is the best investment in your time you can make. Never stop expanding your knowledge, being curious, asking questions.
Study successful people and try to learn from them:
read their books,
attend their workshops,
webinars,
listen to TED TALKS on YouTube which covers every subject
My own career started with a very clear VISION to be the Manager of a FIVE STAR HOTEL I started as an Apprentice Chef, but I mapped my own career journey to identify the TRAINING GAP the skills and knowledge I needed to achieve my goal.
Continuous learning is your own self-motivated persistence in acquiring knowledge and competencies. It forms part of your personal and professional development in an effort to reach your full potential.
Thanks to the internet and webinars, blogs etc knowledge is now at everyone’s fingertips 24/7 and if you want to succeed it is important that you take full advantage of what is available to meet your own requirements. We live in an age of information and we can find the answers to questions in minutes on the internet.
For people in the hospitality industry there are numerous opportunities to go on learning on-line:
Umbrella Training,
The institute of Hospitality,
UK Hospitality,
The Master Innholders,
HOSPA,
E -Hotelier
even Government educational programmes.
There is also now a structured apprenticeship career path to achieve a degree in hospitality management.
It is important to remain relevant to the industry by keeping up to date with trends and adapting your skill set accordingly.
The past year during COVID is a good example of why it is necessary to be in a position to manage change and prepare for the unexpected and be in a position to innovate solutions to problems.
Learning new things gives you a great feeling of accomplishment and will boost your confidence to take on new challenges. It also makes you more employable.
The great advantage of LIFELONG LEARNING is developing your own LEADERSHIP Skills which then translates into fostering lifelong learning in other people. From my own experience helping to develop the next generation of hospitality leaders has been an extremely rewarding part of my own career.
What new skills did I learn recently ?
At the start of lockdown, I restructure my day to try and achieve the right balance, the day starts with a minimum of one hour of exercise. Two to three hours of reading/ learning etc. and approx. two hours mentoring, coaching and participating in webinars etc.
When you stop questioning and being curious you stop learning so I am studying one to one coaching to help me coach others to achieve their full potential.
l have also been very active on social media trying to persuade Government to create a Dedicated Minister of Hospitality.
What advice would I give for people to make learning more structured?
As mentioned, the first task should be to have a VISION of what you want to achieve. My advice is to set your sights high and be the very best at what you want to do. When you have a clear goal or vision you are in a position to identify the skills and knowledge gap from where you are now to where you want to be to achieve each level of your career journey.
When you have identified the skills and knowledge and experience required you can plan the practical and academic training / learning accordingly.
To succeed in any field whether it is sport academia or business requires a very dedicated desire to be the very best at what you do.
Observe anyone who has achieved excellence and you will invariable find a passionate dedicated and hardworking individual who refuses to be second best.
If you take athletes or top sports people, they have a very clear vision / goal to reach the top of their profession, might be an Olympic Gold Medal. They will map out training programme with meticulous detail and then measure their success at each stage of the journey to the top.
There is no reason why you can’t do the same to create a structured career path. This is where a good coach and mentor can be of benefit in helping you to stay the course and guide you along the way. But as I already mentioned success comes from having your own deep desire to be the very best at what you do and not making any excuses for not achieving your goal.
Thank you for listening and wishing you continued success on your career journey
Harry Murray MBE MI FIH
February 2021
