A Higher Purpose in Hospitality: 3 Rules of Conscious Leadership
The following is a confession that I make out loud in my classes and seminars: "In my professional career of more than 20 years leading teams in different countries, I have been a bad boss at first, then I improved, but I stayed at levels of mediocrity for a long time. And only in my final stage as a manager could I define myself as a good boss. In any case, I'm not sure I was an exceptional boss. Probably not."
The shocked faces are priceless. Some student uses it against me in his evaluation of the teacher, when for some reason he did not connect in my classes: "He teaches us leadership, but he admits that he has been a lousy leader. What a bad example!"
The truth is that if such confession is made in a selection process, the chances that you would end up being hired would also be slim. By the way, this makes me wonder how much the typical interview question can turn against you: "What would you define your areas for improvement? What are your weaknesses?" When I hear these questions, I always think of the scenes of police officers in arrests: "You have the right to remain silent: anything you say can be used against you." Above all, the people asking the question may not be prepared to hear an honest and self-critical answer.
Why then would I define myself as a mediocre boss? Because mediocre is average. To the same people who are surprised, it is possible that they are also mediocre, like the people who would be doing the interview, as well as the managers who throw their hands in the air when they hear this statement.
When Max DePree, founder of successful furniture and design firm Herman Miller, was asked in a presentation seeking investors: "What is the most difficult area you would say you need to work on?" The audience had the same surprised faces that I did in my classes.
Max DePree replied: "Fight against entropy". Although this is a very technical term that defines the second law of thermodynamics in physics, its banal interpretation is explained by the tendency of the entire universe towards disorder. Murphy also explained it in his law that says: "If something bad can happen, it will."
My honesty is also explained through the vision of Max DePree. If someone asks me, 'what is the most challenging thing in your role as a director?' My answer is: to be able to get my team out of a habitual state of complacency. Why? Because it is always easier to improve things when they deteriorate, implement new ways of working or priorities to focus on, make people improve, and even get results. But the most challenging thing is getting to the next level. Getting people out of their state of satisfaction and success, raising the pressure level without burning out your team. Preventing them from relaxing.
A higher purpose: 3 Rules of Conscious Leadership
The book that I would like to present to you through the attached video delves into a more up-to-date leadership idea, which I believe necessary in our hospitality sector -even more necessary in this Covid time.
A Conscious Leadership pursues a higher purpose. And it covers a larger leadership spectrum than we are used to.
Conscious Leadership responds to three rules. Why rules? A rule is a principle imposed or adopted to direct the conduct or the correct performance of an action. Rules are necessary for the proper development of an activity. Leading people involves following rules.
This book presents a higher purpose through three rules. These rules, in turn, make up a conscious leadership:
- Enhance the power in others
- Enhance the power in yourself
- Enhance the value among all stakeholders
Eight years ago, I wondered what the point of my work was. I remember the conversation with my wife after picking her up one day at her company. At that time, I had been looking for a job for more than nine months. It was a time in which my motivation and confidence were cracking. The economic crisis had affected us all. It was a desperate moment because not only did you have the financial pressure on you, but you also suffered an inner emptiness, finding yourself without direction or purpose. That day, two questions changed the course of my life and provided my escape from inertia. My wife asked me: "How is it possible that you don't make your talent worth more?" "Why don't you start working for yourself?"
Since then, I have regained my sense of purpose. In my case, it did not come suddenly, but little by little. Every year that I have spent on this new professional stage, I have seen it more straightforward. This book is the culmination of all these years.
Why write this book?
I have not stopped asking myself this question. Writing a book is a very long and laborious process. At least in my case. It is also frustrating because blocks, doubts, laziness, anxiety, procrastination arise in the process. Although the opposite also happens, there is nothing that beats a flowing creativity. It is an essential work of learning, necessary in putting ideas in order.
Is it worth all the effort? There are millions of books, and leadership books number in the hundreds of thousands. Will it be read? Will it be valued? All these doubts always appear, but in the end, the purpose always wins. My students are the main engine: they are my purpose because they are the future leaders.
My purpose is crucial to me because it has awakened a passion and energy that, until then, I had not appreciated in my life. This is also important for other people, such as my MBA, MiM, University students, and many other professional individuals and teams who seek to improve their leadership skills. But it also provides value to society since my lessons aim to improve the quality of leadership in companies.
I would have liked to have these things in mind when I was a first-time boss. The path to being an exceptional boss requires a lifetime, but it is a purpose worth pursuing. My tiny contribution seeks to raise awareness, showing that there is another more conscious way to lead a team or a company. All these years, I have been focused on analyzing successful case studies and best practices in leadership. This book has taken four years of work, and its value lies in its proposal of synthesis. Although many concepts are might be new, I have not discovered anything that has not really been told before. I have not come to anything first, nor have I had doctoral research that has led me to a pioneering discovery about something in particular. Everything has already been seen. However, creativity and originality also lie in forming a new concept or a new idea, bringing together different elements that were scattered. Therefore, the value of the book lies in the way it presents the ideas and vision it offers. I don't limit myself to citing only the best management practices, but I also bring my own experience in leading teams. So, I will share my mistakes and successes in different stories throughout the book.
We may still not understand what it entails to be a leader after thousands of articles, books, seminars, videos, and stories on leadership. The concept has been tampered with so much that it has lost its value. The same thing happens with the term leadership as with the idea of democracy.' People continually mention these concepts to convey a positive notion that is on everyone's mind. But in practice, people's intentions and actions are opposite to what the idea represents.
A final reflection about leadership…
Bill George is the Henry B. Arthur Professor of Ethics at Harvard Business School. He has also been named among the most influential CEOs when he ran the healthcare giant Medtronic. Bill proposes that his students and future leaders to ask themselves three questions.
We should first ask ourselves: What kind of leader do we want to be, and how will we use our leadership talents? The response we make will define our leadership priorities. This question, in turn, raises other questions: Are you going to prioritize yourself or others? How are you going to channel your energy and passion? What are you going to spread to others with your leadership?
The second question is about you: How are you going to develop as a leader? The answer, however, does not focus only on the technical-professional level. Obtaining professional degrees or just knowing more is not enough to answer this question. We also have to be able to work and develop our interior, our character. This question is crucial because it is necessary to banish the concept of heroic leadership that has been implanted in the collective subconscious. Leadership skills are developed; they are not given. An exceptional leader is not a person chosen by the gods, capable of pulling the sword from the rock. It takes work. Lots of work. An exceptional athlete is a person who works very hard to improve. An excellent boss presents the same effort mentality as an elite athlete does physically.
The third question is about the impact you will make on others and society: What difference do you want to make in the world with your leadership? This question may seem idealistic, but it is very close to our reality. The answer to this question is measured through the impact of your actions on other people (your team, organization, clients, and society.)
This book answers the three leadership questions that Bill George asks.
A Higher Purpose from Arturo Cuenllas on Vimeo.
