One of the world’s leading experts on leadership – Warren Bennis – defines leadership as: “The capacity to translate vision into reality.”
Leadership is an essential element in an organization to drive progress, improvise innovation, and build work ethics. In the hospitality industry, where exceeding customer expectation, service quality, customer satisfaction and customer loyalty are vital, effective leadership is the foundation of success. Leaders have to inspire their teams to deliver memorable and outstanding guest experiences while improvising innovative techniques in a fast-paced and very competitive industry. In this article, I will discuss some of the fundamental qualities that constitute outstanding leadership in the hospitality industry and how these traits can be cultivated.
Vision
In the hospitality industry, as in many industries, the vision often revolves around creating remarkable guest experiences, offering high service quality and at the same time achieving operational efficiency and effectiveness. It is well accepted that visionary leaders set the direction of the organization that drives and motivates their teams to go the extra mile in order to achieve and exceed customer expectations. Leaders need to be aware of the current industry trends, embrace innovation, and ensure the organizations are prepared to meet evolving guest expectations.
Communication skills
Effective communication is at the heart of leadership, especially in a service-oriented industry. Effective communication skills start with effective listening skills. Hospitality leaders must excel their communication skills providing constructive feedback and maintaining open channels of communication with all team members. A clear – two way channel communication ensures that staff knows what they need to do and provides opportunities for leaders to get feedback from subordinates.
Emotional intelligence
Emotional intelligence (EI) is critical in the hospitality industry as in all industries, where interactions with both guests and staff require sensitivity and understanding. According to Goleman (1995) Emotional Intelligence refers to the ability to recognize, understand, and manage one’s own emotions while also recognizing, understanding, and influencing the emotions of others. It encompasses skills such as emotional awareness, empathy, self-regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness. Leaders with high EI can manage their own emotions, empathize with guests facing challenges, and resolve conflicts among team members. This fosters a positive work environment, which translates to employee motivation and guest satisfaction.
Decision making
Leaders often face high-pressure circumstances, such as handling guest complaints and requests, managing daily and unexpected operational issues and the need to respond to crises. The ability for fast and efficient decision making enables them to make the appropriate decisions that solve problems fast and maintain work sustainability. Skills and confidence in decision-making reassures team members on the ability of the leadership to overcome obstacles, helping them at the same time to stay focused and productive.
Adaptability
The hospitality industry is constantly evolving, influenced by changing guest preferences, technological advancements, competitive pressure and market dynamics. Leaders need to embrace adaptability in order to manage necessary changes effectively, ensuring their teams are able and eager to follow and accept the necessary changes in order for the company to stay competitive. Adaptability includes being knowledgeable on current trends and being open to adapting new innovations so that the company sustains itself.
Ethos/ethics and integrity
According to Aristotle, Ethos refers to a man’s character or personality, especially in its balance between passion and caution. Today ethos is used to refer to the practices or values that distinguish one person, organization, or society from others. Alongside Integrity, both are the cornerstones of leadership in hospitality. Leaders who uphold ethical standards, treat their teams and guests with respect, incorporate Corporate Social Responsibility and act consistently with the organizational values.
Empowerment and delegation
There are different types of leaders but a successful leader recognizes the importance of motivating and empowering their employees to take initiatives and deliver remarkable service. Delegation of responsibilities means trusting their staff and create opportunities for development and confidence. Empowered employees are more confident and motivated, contributing to increased performance and overall positive guest experience.
Cultivating leadership traits in hospitality
As was mentioned above, leaders need to have some specific traits and skills that are essential in leading an organization to success. People are born with inherent traits but in order to become successful, leaders need to develop them, usually through education in schools and universities. Here are some ways hospitality leaders can cultivate these traits:
- Reflect on your SWOT: Start by looking at your personal strengths and weaknesses, including soft and hard skills and how they impact team dynamics and guest experiences.
- Continuous education: Take an industry-specific leadership programs or workshop to enhance your soft and hard skills. Nowadays, many leadership programs are offered online by organizations and universities, including Harvard, MIT, Cornell.
- Get feedback: Seek feedback from the organizational stakeholders – employees, guests, suppliers to identify weaknesses and areas for improvement.
- Be more empathetic: Understand guest and employee perspectives and behaviours and nurture better bonds and understanding.
- Stay innovative: Keep an eye to new technologies and trends that can improve employee performance, service delivery and operational efficiency.
The hospitality industry is a very competitive industry, where leaders need to inspire their employees towards the vision and the value of the organization. Leaders need to emphasize on continuous growth, both for them and their employees. Successful leaders lead by example, mentor and develop employees, encourage creativity and innovation, build great relationships, take responsibility and they focus on results.
