The Native Hawaiian Hospitality Association's mission is to promote Hawaiian culture, values, and traditions in the workplace throughconsultation and education, and to provide opportunities for theNative Hawaiian community to shape the future of tourism.

Ola Hawai'i Curriculum Outline


Chiefly Leadership

Leading with the Knowledge of Hawai'ian Culture

Ola Hawai‘i Resource Book

MODULES: To maximize personal potential as modern leaders for those in the ho‘okipa industry.

  1. Introduction to Chiefly Leadership
  2. Hawai'ian Proverbs Relating to Leadership
    Leaders & Leadership
    Leaders & Their People
    Courageous Leadership
    Cooperation & Teamwork
  3. General Principles of Leadership
  4. Leadership Attributes: The Five (5) C's of Leaders
  5. Chiefly Leadership (Alaka‘ina)
  6. Spirituality & Prayer (Ho‘omana)
  7. Self Knowledge (Places & Ancestors - Ka Piko)
  8. Power, Prestige and Authority (Mana)
  9. Responsibility and Service (Kuleana and Kōkua)
  10. Oratory (Ha‘i ‘Ōlelo)

© Thomas K. Kaulukukui, Jr. 1998, 2002, 2007
Included with Permission of Author


Applied Leadership

Cultivating a Hawai'ian Sense of Place

MODULES: To produce the most knowledgeable, intelligent, articulate,
and informed ho‘okipa workforce in the world.

  1. Senior Management Orientation
  2. Mass Travel
    Explores travel as the world's largest growth industry. Examines reasons mass travel will continue to grow and discusses the abundance of career opportunities all employees should know about and why they should feel proud of the work they do.
  3. Understanding Ho‘okipa
    Explores ho‘okipa as a Hawai'ian model of hospitality. Discusses skill sets needed to manage the guest experience and to take the quality of the visitor experience to another level. Discussions emphasize that the quality of the guest experience depends on how well the relationship between the host, the guest, and the place is deliberately managed.
  4. The Responsibility of Hosting
    Examines the responsibility of being a host, a responsibility held by everyone in the industry no matter what position one holds. Explores hosting as unconditional trust, friendship, and responsibility for the safety, welfare, and comfort of the visitor. Hosting is more than customer service.
  5. Laulima - the Language of We (Many Hands Working Together)
    Approaches team building that emphasizes the respect and dignity inherent in every job. Leads employees to understand that there is no job more important than another job and that the company is only as good as its lowest unit of production.
  6. Ikaika Au - the Power within Me
    Examines how a person has the power to make or break another person's day whether it's a visitor or a co-worker. Discusses how using this personal power to make a person's day brings dignity to everyone.
  7. Hawai'ian Values (Unifying the Workforce)
    Teaches the process by which employees can develop a shared set of values to achieve behavior that results in excellence in the organization's production system.
  8. Sense of Place
    Teaches employees that creating a sense of place is everyone's responsibility and is more than architecture and landscaping. Explore easy ways to engage the five senses in the workplace to create a vibrant Hawai'i experience for their guests.
  9. Closing - Full Circle