Leadership that matters, when it matters

Shantha de Silva, a global hospitality veteran, is a much sought after Leadership Mentor, Executive Coach and Business Consultant, currently based in Sydney, Australia. After taking early retirement from IHG to fulfil his lifelong ambition to inspire people and transform organisations, he started his own venture – Plus One. 

WTO estimates a loss of US$ 300 – 450 billion in international tourism receipts – almost one-third of the US$ 1.5 trillion generated globally as the worst-case scenario on the impact of the COVID-19 on global tourism.

What do we do at times like these? One of my favourite books is Good to Great by Jim Collins: why some companies make the leap... and others don't, which says we should retain absolute faith that you can and will prevail in the end, regardless of the difficulties AND at the same time confront the most brutal facts of your current reality, whatever they might be. Granted that success may be measured very differently to the way we have been used to, but the fact remains that there are opportunities out there.

There will be examples of leadership at all levels, especially at the national level, of great foresight and resolve, the courage to take tough decisions and unprecedented strength of leaders that resulted in literally saving lives, as well as unfortunately those leaders that misread and misinterpreted the situation, leaders who were not decisive nor prompt in taking action, thereby resulting in loss of many lives.

Once we have come to terms with the current situation, then we need to retain absolute faith that we can and will prevail. We need to be able to get away from the noise on the dance floor and spend time on the balcony to reflect on the possibilities. When history comes to judge what happened, it will be a brutal reflection not of age, background or experience of leaders, it will be how well they adapted to the situation and the foresight they had to lead through difficult times.

Though there is so much doom and gloom around us, there are some great examples of leadership too. Take for example the leadership Singapore displayed at the onset of the crisis, how decisive action in South Korea contained the spread of the virus to a great extent and the swift and stringent action taken by New Zeeland, all drawing global praise. These examples are not by themselves, I am sure there are many other such examples, not only at the national level but at all levels, including in the hospitality industry. Let me share two examples that drew my attention while connecting with industry professionals.

Relationships matter: The Great Southern Hotel in Perth, Western Australia has been experiencing occupancies in excess of 90% consistently for the last couple of months. General Manager Arith Ratnawibhusana shared the secret of his success, what worked for him and his team. Loyal guests stay more, pay more, and importantly say more. As a result of the great service provided to guests, Arith and the team have established great relationships with their guests, who look forward to returning to their favourite hotel in Perth. No wonder they receive guest comments such as “wow, what a gem!”. Through networking, they have built a great network of contacts and the strength of these relationships are evident at times like this when you receive unprecedented support from those with whom you have established a trusted relationship. For organizations to achieve success in a constantly changing world, they need to be able to change and adapt. As a result, speed & agility is an important element to succeed in a dynamic environment. The team was quick to access the situation, evaluate alternative strategies and act quickly to capture business opportunities they identified. As a result not only is the hotel enjoying market leadership but continues to support those that are dependent on the hotel at a very difficult time.

Advantage Lockdown: As the lockdown became increasingly imminent in Jakarta and led to the closure of all city stand alone and hotel restaurants, there was an urgent need to augment the F&B revenues at the Holiday Inn Kemayoran Jakarta. From this was born the need for "Drive through / Delivery to your rescue" says General Manager Jagdeep Thakral. Strong teamwork helped quickly establish a value proposition, taking into consideration the situation and the needs of the market segments that they would be catering to in order to create the best fit product. As a result, family dining proved to be the key target. The team was innovative to then develop a family Rice/ Noodle Bowl, similar to the Indian Biryani. This immediately hit the right spot, and feedback showed a bigger demand for pork belly with rice, Hainan chicken rice and individual portion sizes. Since the inverted model of empowerment was practised in the hotel, the line team quickly modified the offerings, adding the in-demand dishes. This action proved pivotal, as they tripled the sales. Though the revenue stream was not huge, it made a significant impact in a challenging time.

Henry Ford said famously: Whether you think you can or think you can't - you are right. One common factor in the success both the Great Southern Hotel Perth and the Holiday Inn Kemoyaran Jakarta has in common is Leadership. General Douglas MacArthur the American five-star general who was Chief of Staff of the United States Army during the 1930s and played a prominent role during World War II says: A true leader has the confidence to stand alone, the courage to make tough decisions, and the compassion to listen to the needs of others. He does not set out to be a leader but becomes one by the equality of his actions and the integrity of his intent.

People will Stay Home Today and Travel Tomorrow, albeit more likely at a lesser intensity than we are used to. Businesses will adopt a new way of working albeit with less travel and more reliance on technology, and people are likely to adapt to a new norm of social behaviour. This calls for a new breed of leadership – leaders who believe; believe in themselves, their teams and in the opportunities out there. Leaders who embrace the current reality and move on to have unwavering faith that they and their business will prevail. And importantly leaders who are bold enough to act on it. In the words of Abraham Lincoln, You can have anything you want if you want it badly enough. You can be anything you want to be, do anything you set out to accomplish if you hold to that desire with singleness of purpose. When it comes to the time to read this chapter in history, what will it say about your leadership?