Jos Jumelet | October 03, 2017

By Jos Jumelet

There are a plethora of lists of traits of Business Leaders but what makes a great Hospitality leader?

According to Forbes, the 10 traits of Business Leaders are:

  • Persistence: It’s all about determination. Failure (sometimes) happens on the road leading to success.
  • A thick skin: Never give up if you believe in what you are trying to achieve or accomplish.
  • An eye for talent: Hunting for talent and surrounding yourself with other specialists and great minds.
  • Can't get no satisfaction: Leaders are never satisfied and will always strive to take their company or business to the next level.
  • Fearlessness: Show courage, make calculated risks and dare to step out of the comfort zone.
  • Owning your mistakes: Do not just take the compliments for your successes but also stand at the front line when trouble needs to be managed.
  • Toughness: Fighting for the business and overcoming challenges and being tough when it’s needed.
  • Winning friends & influence people: Always remember: People leave their Manager, not the Company!
  • Singular vision: This is about the ability of seeing opportunities that others do not see.
  • Powerfully passionate:Can any true Leader do without Passion?

But what makes a great hospitality leader?

  • Vision is your road-map to get to your targets or goals. It’s up to the Leader to initiate and set the company’s vision and to make sure that it is clearly communicated. After that, show trust in your people and in your teams to let them make it happen.
  • Inspiring leaders make people and teams feel more respected and empowered reaching to achieve their goals. Inspiring Leaders share their vision and at the same time give the opportunity to others for input and suggestions.
  • The future of hospitality is all about people; we have to focus on the human element. In today’s landscape, people’s involvement in (creative) processes is becoming more and more important. As a consequence, Leaders need Innovation in order to improve their organization. This means that Great Leaders are perceptive to the ideas of others, show flexibility, and look at situations in different ways.