Vocational straining
I've only been in the hospitality industry for the past 18 months and it's been a real eye-opener. Its training projects enjoy so much Government funding, but then Government dictates to this industry in a way I've never seen in other businesses where I've worked - such as Amex and Diners Club.
I think staff turnover is high in hospitality because it not only has low wages and unsocial hours, it is such an unwelcoming industry.
My own hours mean that I'm up at about 6.10am and into my tracksuit and at the gym most mornings by 6.30am. I miss it when I don't do it.
By 8am I'm away and to the office at Hammersmith, west London. I drive to work from my home in Fulham to avoid using London Transport. If I knew it'd work, I'd use it.
I spend two days a week in the regions to visit our 29 other offices and see the assessors. Yesterday, for instance, I travelled from Wetherby in Yorkshire to Birmingham, and then this morning I came back to London.
At lunchtime I tend to eat fruit or sandwiches at whatever desk I'm at.
Our success in keeping trainees on workplace training varies according to each region. Neither the North-east nor the North-west is my pride and joy, East Anglia has a poor retention record and London is a nightmare. The reasons are varied but do include local attitudes to work.
On average, about 30% of trainees bail out before they've achieved anything. I think it's a problem that a lot of youngsters either don't really know what careers they want or have unrealistic expectations of life.
One of the big hurdles we have to overcome in this country is our attitude to dealing with customers. The Americans do it well, even if we think it's phoney. The Irish do it because they happen to be naturally friendly people. The English aren't, but they will have to become like that.
It's fairly easy to influence the attitudes of young people to bring out the best personality traits but, unfortunately, most employers are still just paying lip service. If you let a youngster have a bad experience in a kitchen, it'll ruin his outlook.
In the afternoons, I spend a great deal of time dealing with my regional directors. My role for them is as a coach.
My best time is between 6pm and 8.30pm, when I'm in my office alone. That's when I can look at the figures properly. At other times, there's too much going on in my mind.
At the moment, my priority is to change the pay structure and find a suitable human resources director. I can honestly say that the past 20 months have been among the most rewarding in my life. I really feel like I'm doing something useful for society.
