How to transform from a hotel manager into a great leader

The hotel industry is an enormously large economic playfield with a global market size measuring in hundreds of billions of US dollars per year. In order to control a piece of the market share, hotel owners expect their management staff to create a profitable balance between the interests of the hotel and the requirements of its guests. To do this, they don't just have to be a boss, they have to be a great leader.

Many think that by being a manager you are also a leader, however, the two can be seen to be quite different. A manager expects his or her own ideas to be heard and followed, while a leader works with their team to create ideas and plan them out. Managers can be forceful in their approach while a leader will motivate their team by allowing them to understand why tasks should be performed in certain ways and are happy to answer questions and hear opinions.

So how does one turn from a manager to a great leader? We've done some digging and come up with some tips on how to get started.

Change your perspective

As we already said, leading and managing are related but not the same. A manager is focused on getting the expected results, therefore they see things from a business point of view. On the other hand, leaders have a much deeper understanding of the needs of their staff when it comes to completing their jobs.

To become a leader, you should start looking at things through the eyes of your team members. This way, you will be able to understand the difficulties and challenges each of your staff members is facing and find the optimal solution for any kind of problem. Remember, you will also be acting as a role model for many of your staff who aspire to be managers.

Be proactive and assertive

According to research, only 35 percent of managers are actively engaged in the work process. The same source indicates that staff members who work with engaged managers show better results in terms of productivity, engagement, and efficiency while at work. This data goes hand in hand with the notion that great leaders lead by example.

Being proactive means motivating your staff members assertively. It's not about being the loudest person in the room or making people do your bidding, it's about knowing how to motivate your team by expressing yourself in a manner that they can relate to. An employee will do what their manager orders, but the performance of the employee depends on how motivated that person is to complete that task. Fear and pressure make people work, but they hardly ever motivate people to work well.

Get to know your staff

The relationship between staff members and their manager should not be superficial. A leader knows all the upsides and downsides of each member of their team and can delegate work accordingly.

Knowing your team members strengths will also help when challenging situations start to arise. Depending on the situation you'll know which team members will be best to discuss the issue with. Then, by working together with those team members, you can actively solve the issue and work together to find a solution before it escalates any further.

Don't forget that each of your staff members is only human, so it’s normal to expect occasional ups and downs in their work performance. As a leader, you should be able to notice when a member of the team is underperforming and make sure to help that person get back on track or work within your team to find alternative measures that would keep the integrity of the work process.

Find a mentor

Leadership is a trait, which means it requires constant development and growth. Learning as you go is always beneficial, but with the help of a mentor, you can not only learn from your own mistakes but learn from theirs too.

Looking back through history you can note that almost every great leader had a mentor - someone who could embed all the necessary knowledge and wisdom to guide them in achieving their vision. A good mentor should be an experienced leader who knows how to provide meaningful council but also owns the ability to jump in and point to potential mistakes before the mentee makes them.

Transforming yourself from a manager into a leader isn't easy and requires work and effort but the rewards are endless. Not only will it provide higher engagement rates from your team, it will ensure an increase in their work effectiveness and possibly an increase in profits. 

Learn from some of the world's best leaders including Four Pillars' Cameron McKenzie, E.P & L.P's Louis Tikaram, and Red Lantern's Pauline Nguyen with Typsy's mentor sessions. 

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Lauren Adley is a writer and editor at BrillAssignment and Rush My Essay. Also, she is a restaurant and business expert. She is dedicated to her family, work and friends. She is keen on reading, playing the guitar and traveling. Lauren is interested in educational, marketing and blogging issues.

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