“Thrive” is a word that has guided me as a passionate hospitality leader, but there’s more to thriving than getting up every day and going to work.
There are several factors that contribute to thriving: working well with your team, showing hospitality to colleagues and customers, driving revenue growth, promoting innovation, adding value to your work, and continually seeking education and learning opportunities.
With that in mind, the most important aspect of thriving is having passion for what you do every day. The late, great Kobe Bryant once said “find a silver lining and get to work.” That encapsulates where we are in hospitality. Hospitality is becoming increasingly transactional, but to make a difference, there needs to be a hustle toward emotional intelligence. Everyone in hospitality — from front desk to CEOs — need to identify what they believe in and lead with that moving forward.
We often get bogged down in the minutiae of the everyday. We’re all taught to be focused on numbers, and in the early years that can get you promoted, but at what cost? Who are you walking over and disregarding in the process?
If we’re not careful, life can slowly chip away from our thriving. The demands of work, finances, striving, kids and whatever else life throws at us can dull who we really are and who we are as leaders. Between contracts, onboarding new hotels and ensuring we hit business goals, it’s vital that you’re relentless around your passion and the details surrounding it. We’re in the people business, and if we’re not exemplifying that as leaders, then we’ll continue to lose ourselves.
Here are a few things to keep in mind.
Presence Matters
Being present isn’t just managing the moment. It’s not just saying you’re present and showing up; showing up isn’t good enough. Being intentional about what you’re doing and who you’re with is what matters.
I recall a time early in my career when I was an assistant general manager of a hotel. I was hurriedly walking through the lobby and I passed a housekeeper. I said, “Good morning,” she said it back, and added “how are you doing?”
I responded, “I’m well, how are you?” and kept walking. What happened next changed the trajectory of my life. She stopped and asked me, “Do you even care?” OUCH! Insert reality check here!
I am so thankful for that person for calling me to task. I turned around and said to her, “Boy, that was a lesson I needed to hear.” Keeping our heads in the sand isn’t what we were born to do. What we’re born to do is be authentically who we are and to make connections.
You Can’t Give What You Don’t Have
Scale is good, but it’s busy. It’s very easy to get stuck in the everyday work, but it doesn’t make a difference to what matters as a company. It dulls the person that people want to work with. Like a cloud moving in, things grow dimmer, there’s less texture and taste, and we become less. Less isn’t a good place to live. Less doesn’t describe “thrive,” and less doesn’t inspire others. If you’re not intentional about your time and making time, you’ll miss the things that matter. People don’t want your knowledge and solutions until they know you care. When you lean into people and relationships, you begin to understand what they need, and you can then provide it.
Don’t Wait for the Good Stuff
You make a choice every day. Everyone in the hospitality ecosystem is a driver and catalyst for company culture. We are in control of our destiny, including all of the associated positive and negative repercussions.
Someone once told me: “Chris, anybody can carry the victory flag on the mountaintop when they’ve already won, but truly present leaders carry the victory flag in the valley and in the desert.” Being a great hospitality leader means that you understand there will be challenges, which will test and strain you, but knowing that on the other side, you will thrive.
Hospitality isn’t hard … it’s heart. The universe is open to people who have an intentional state of readiness, and when you go into your hotels everyday with a deep understanding of how to thrive, the rest will follow.
Chris Green is president of Remington Hotels.
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