Take Charge Without Taking Prisoners

Leadership in the hospitality business means not letting your staff hold you hostage, but not tying their hands, either.

by Don E. Vance, CCM (editor@clubandresortbusiness.com)
August 2007
 

Afew years ago, I was waiting for a table at a restaurant on Hilton Head Island, when I witnessed an employee incident that amazed me. The restaurant appeared to be very understaffed and it was clear that the manager was stressed to say the least. As another employee showed up to work, the manager immediately confronted her, telling her she was late and must learn to be on time, or otherwise she would be written up.

The employee laughed and replied to the effect that “there are more jobs available on this island than there are people to work them, so back off if you want me to wait tables tonight, or I will go right down the road to another restaurant where they won’t hassle me.”

Immediately, I wanted to step in and confront this employee for insubordination. I could hardly contain myself. Had I been in charge, I would have sent her home for the night, and perhaps forever, without any hesitation. But believe it or not, after hearing this, the manager quietly stepped away with his tail between his legs.

I knew right away that this manager had no hope of developing the leadership abilities that are needed to advance in the hospitality profession. While ours is not a cutthroat business that requires a ruthless, dictatorial style to succeed, there’s one thing about it that’s no different from any other field: Leadership is about respect, and becoming a leader requires making sure employees don’t hold you hostage. Once you allow employees to dictate the terms of when and how they’ll work, you’re doomed to have the inmates run the asylum.

General Schwarzkopf’s Rule #13 of Leadership: “When Put in Charge, Take Charge!”

No More Flying Knives
Certainly, being a leader today has become much more challenging because of our changing workplace environment. With so many lawsuits centered around employee discrimination and hostile work settings, the dictatorial leader is a vanishing breed. Other than to call a lawyer, employees no longer respond to the threat that “it’s either my way or the highway.” And remember the days of chefs throwing knives at kitchen help? That doesn’t fly any more, either. The effectiveness of these “styles” has also been shortcircuited by the fact that there are no longer long lines of employees waiting for most positions.

But while these new factors may call for a different approach in management style, most of the basics of leadership remain. First among these is to continue to recognize the major difference between management and leadership. You can manage deadlines, priorities, projects and priorities, but you must lead people. Leadership requires awareness of our emotions and depths, as well as of the environment that shapes us. The most effective leaders are consistent in their own leadership style, regardless of the circumstances, even when under fire. And truly great leaders can accomplish what’s needed for the good of the team, without sacrificing the good of the individual.

A strong effective leader has a participatory style, involving everyone on the management and employee teams through the sharing of leadership roles. This takes place through empowerment, by building trust, loyalty and respect within your people, and by understanding the values of each individual team member. People bond when they actually experience difficult or challenging times together, if they are brought together and led in such a way that it becomes rewarding for everyone.

A few years back, I attended a Club Managers Association of America conference where General H. Norman Schwarzkopf gave the keynote speech. I have great admiration for the man, so I arrived early and found an open seat on the front row. He kept me on the edge of it for his entire 30-minute talk, and I’ll never forget his “Rule #13” of leadership: “When

Put In Charge, Take Charge!”
Surprisingly, “Stormin’ Norman” also stressed that good leaders must also be good followers, because even five-star generals report to someone. He talked about how important it was for strong leaders to not only have a clarity of purpose, but also to communicate that purpose and engage those around them, so they will take it upon themselves to follow.

Leadership, he said, is about working with common people to achieve uncommon performance.

They’ll Follow You Anywhere
In the hospitality field, it’s also been my observiation that effective leaders are approachable and enjoyable to work with. This is why so many of the outstanding leaders in our field today are able to recruit employees with whom they worked with in the past. It takes time to build this kind of loyalty, trust and respect. And when we surround ourselves with people we believe in, and who believe in us, we create an unstoppable team that can achieve the highest level of excellence.
Good leaders also have consistently positive attitudes, even when times are difficult. A leader really can’t have any “bad days,” but must instead be able to look at problems and disappointments as opportunities to overcome adversity and fix unworkable situations.

That’s where problem-solving techniques become so important. In the case of the late restaurant employee, while you must still be firm in the face of insubordination when it surfaces, the far better solution—and better sign of leadership—would have been to try to work with her to solve the problem, rather than just be confrontational.

After the employee arrived, I would have said nothing and let her get to work knowing that having her there late was still better than not having her at all, given the restaurant’s customer service needs. But before the night was over I would have called her aside, in private, and insisted that before she came to work again, she come to me with a plan for curing her lateness.

In my own career, it is uncanny how many times turning the tables in this way has led to discussions that have revealed the root of the problem (child care, transportation, financial problems, etc.) and opened the door to finding the solution and keeping a good employee. In this way, what you’re really doing is teaching your people to lead themselves. And that’s the best way to get everyone pointed in the right direction.