“We don't motivate people. We hire and train motivated people.”
Isadore Sharp, founder and CEO of Toronto-based Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts.
When Sharp opened his first luxury resort hotel in Hawaii, he wasn't satisfied with hiring staff from the local labour pool. So he sent recruiters into the sugar cane fields to find motivated workers who really wanted to upgrade their lifestyle and learn new skills.
Four Season’s insistence on quality service has helped it transform from one Toronto hotel in 1960 to 76 hotels in 32 countries, with more than 30 new properties now under development. Issy Sharp has headed the company for nearly 50 years.
