Editor’s note: Ted Borsuk also contributed to this column.
Becoming a general manager is a major event in a hotelier’s career. Many front desk agents, housekeepers, restaurant managers and other aspiring associates regularly dream of being at the top. The best GMs help them get there.
When I held my first job as a front desk agent, I looked at my GM as though he were superhuman. I thought there was nothing he couldn’t accomplish. I watched as he walked the halls, led the teams, sold to clients, advised, consulted and fixed problems. I had no idea at that time what he was doing in his office all day, but I wanted to know.
Ten years ago, I was fortunate enough to find out when I received my first turn at the top. What I quickly discovered was that while the job brings fulfillment, it can also be lonely. Whereas other positions within a hotel have supervisors or managers to serve as mentors, the GM is often the highest position in the on-property totem pole. There’s no one above you to provide guidance and advice.
I’m not alone in feeling these frustrations. Ted Borsuk, who served as my assistant GM years ago, encountered the same void when he became GM himself. I asked him to share that experience for the benefit of readers.
Ted on mentors
Prior to becoming GM, there was never a shortage of mentors willing to give advice. Whether it was my first few years at a front desk or my last few years as an assistant GM, I always had someone on property willing to help me reach the next level of my career.
Not all of the managers I worked with were good ones. Some of them taught me more of what not to do. But most took their role as mentor very seriously. I would not be where I am today without them.
Once I reached the GM level, I found myself in a position where those soundboards and mentors disappeared. My only leadership was a VP of operations whom I spoke with about once a month. When we did speak, our conversations usually were focused on our profit and loss statement or requests for capital improvements.
After a while I realized I was no longer growing as a leader and manager. For a while I blamed my boss. I felt he was not giving me the support I needed. But then I came to my senses and realized that he had 12 other hotels to oversee along with leading the acquisitions team for our management company. If he was not able to give me support, I would need to find it myself.
After all, it is my career. I needed to take control and look elsewhere for the mentorship I needed to grow. This can be a humbling experience. I felt as if I finally made it, and five minutes into my role as GM I needed to ask someone for help. For the first time in my career I was forced to be proactive to seek a mentor from the outside. I also needed to redefine, for myself, what mentors were and where they came from.
The first place I looked was the pool of GMs to whom I previously had reported. Even though the most successful manager I knew now worked for another company, I did not hesitate to call him from time to time to ask for help. It was important for me to talk to someone on a regular basis who knew more than I did and was willing to give me an unbiased opinion. He also wasn’t my boss, so I wasn’t afraid to ask him anything.
The second place I looked to were other hotels in the market. I would look at guest satisfaction scores and call or email GMs at the top performers to find out what they were doing that I was not. This can be a bit intimidating, but I was surprised how many managers were willing to help and give me advice.
Once I realized mentors weren’t just going to fall into my lap, my confidence grew exponentially. I was able to break down the barriers of my ego and receive guidance from the people I respected most. I became more aggressive in my decision making. Those monthly calls with my VP of operations became biweekly calls once I started to initiate the conversations with emails outlining new ideas and analyses of cost-saving measures. I later learned he appreciated me getting more aggressive and communicative.
It has taken me some time to realize that it really isn’t lonely at the top. I now realize the value in the connections I have made through the years with great people. The hotel industry can be very nurturing. Talk to most GMs, and they will tell you their story of how they started as front desk agents, housekeepers, maintenance engineers or restaurant attendants.
Without effective mentors, none of us would be where we are today.
Dispelling the fear
“Help Wanted” signs should not be hung outside hotel organizations anymore; it now should read “Change Needed – Apply Within”.
To clarify, Ted’s frustrations went on for years, not weeks or months. His story is not unique. He has aptly expressed what all GMs feel at times.
Imagine the increased productivity and engagement if Ted knew he had a career plan and someone were helping him along. Many are swimming in that pool of uncertainly and isolation. Some aren’t able to paddle their way out like Ted, so they either leave the industry or this culture of isolation gets them terminated.
Companies in the hotel industry are in the Stone Ages, organizationally. There are CEOs, presidents, executive VPs of this, senior VPs of that, regional directors of something else. Revenue managers aren’t talking to sales directors. Financially educated asset managers manage the management companies, etc, etc.
These layers and silos build brick walls of safety around these “above property” leaders, but it makes them unapproachable. The kiss of death for any leader in hospitality is to be unapproachable.
Above, when referring to one of his mentors, Ted said, “He also wasn’t my boss, so I wasn’t afraid to ask him anything.”
The fear of having honest, open dialogue with a direct supervisor is a symptom of a larger disease. If this symptom is left untreated, it will ruin profitability, stunt growth, ruin efficiencies and greatly reduce guest and employee satisfaction.
Have you ever wondered why one of your GMs (or anyone reporting to you) didn’t tell you about something important that made you or the company look bad? It’s because your GMs are afraid. The solution is to attack the symptom like you would a fire or leak in your building. Approach them with a classic Oprah-like sit down. Ask questions. Listen. Then, listen more.
We’ve all been there, either needing a mentor or letting arrogance get in the way of being a mentor. This awareness and action is not for the weak, but neither is hospitality leadership. Sensing these symptoms is easy. Uncovering the root causes takes awareness and persistence. Doing something about it takes courage.
Thank you to Ted for sharing his story and exemplifying the courage it takes to lead.
Adam Zembruski is president and co-principal of Pharos Hospitality, a Charlotte, North Carolina-based hotel company and investment platform explicitly designed to build, acquire, own and operate hotels in the upscale to luxury segments. Adam oversees all functions at Pharos, including site selection, capital structuring/partnering, brand relations, design, project management, marketing and operating. Pharos has a no-fee operating/ownership model, without departments or divisions—guaranteeing alignment throughout the organization from property level employees to core investors. Adam can be reached at 704-333-1818, ext. 12, or via email at azembruski@pharoshospitality.com.
Ted Borsuk is GM of the Courtyard by Marriott in Cranbury, New Jersey.
The opinions expressed in this column do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Hotel News Now or its parent company, STR and its affiliated companies. Columnists published on this site are given the freedom to express views that may be controversial, but our goal is to provoke thought and constructive discussion within our reader community. Please feel free to comment or contact an editor with any questions.