Leadership is important in any business or organization, but I have recently been in an environment where I have seen how essential it is in the hospitality industry. In many ways, the leadership skills of the management team determine the success of the entire hotel. There are a few skills I believe are absolutely essential for a leader in the hospitality industry to possess:
Creativity. A successful hospitality leader must be creative in responding to guest issues and leading the management team. Many of the problems that arise are very similar, but a successful leader looks for new ways to address the issues. The manager must also look for creative ways to push the company in a new, positive direction.
Adaptability. In any hotel each day is going to look completely different. A good leader has to be open to going along with whatever problems or situations arise. It is important to have planned tasks to accomplish, but it is also important to leave enough time to properly deal with situations that arise. A guest complaint or phone call can entirely change the course of the day. A successful leader must be able to adapt to the change and roll along with whatever situations arise.
Commitment. Leaders in the hospitality industry must be committed to their job. This most of the time this means being committed to guest satisfaction. This means always going the extra mile to ensure the job is done. Commitment to guests means that nobody in management should consider themselves “too good” for a certain job. I recently started working in the hospitality industry and the General Manager of my hotel is a great example of commitment. She never considers herself “too important” to help in housekeeping when they are short staffed or at the cafe when an employee calls out. She understands that is what it takes to make the operations run smoothly.
Although it can be a very fast paced and exhausting industry, working in hotels is, for some, the most rewarding experience. Managers and employees are able to fulfill guest requests and as some say, “make dreams come true” on an everyday basis.
