USTA's Roger Dow Leads the Troops | successmtgs.com
Roger Dow, CEO of the U.S. Travel Association, has come a long way from the housekeeping department of the Houston Marriott. At the start of a tour of duty in Vietnam, Sergeant Roger Dow kept some distance from his men. He believed it was the way to establish leadership; his squad quickly dispelled that notion. Someone must be on patrol 24-7, and Dow was in charge of the schedule. A soldier pointed out that Dow didn't have any patrol duty of his own. "I thought as a sergeant I was supposed to be the boss, which meant not having to do what the rest were doing. I realized the message I was communicating and took the 3 a.m. post," explains Dow. "Although I was scared to death, this turned out to be one of the greatest experiences of my life." He was forced to lead in an environment where everyone's life was at risk.
