157: Alfred Grace, President of the Polynesian Cultural Center | "Love What You Do"

Meikles & Dimes

Alfred Grace is the President of the Polynesian Cultural Center on the north shore of Oahu, Hawaii. Alfred grew up in New Zealand and then moved to Hawaii for an engineering apprenticeship and later attended BYU Hawaii. He had hoped to become a tour operator for New Zealand, but ended up working for the PCC, where he then became president. The PCC is one of Hawaii’s top destinations, having served more than 40 million visitors since opening in 1963.

In this episode we discuss the following:

• When Alfred became president of the PCC, the goal was to attract as many customers as possible. But COVID gave them a chance to reassess their strategy, and they realized that maximizing attendance put too much stress on the infrastructure and the employees, which in turn reduced the satisfaction of the guests.
• By capping attendance, they were able to increase guest satisfaction, increase employee satisfaction, and also charge a premium.
• And lastly, I love Alfred’s advice to the employees when they ask him for advice: Keep trying to excel at whatever you do. Love what you do. Enjoy what you do, and don't worry so much. Because if you are consistent, and do the things you do very well, life is going to take care of you.

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