EP Business in Hospitality Issue 49 - April 2014

CHRIS SHEPPARDSON OPINION
Leadership is about people
– not textbooks
We talk so much about leadership but rarely about the one
thing that makes a difference – emotional engagement
A small challenge – make a list of the five
leaders that you most admire. They can be
from any walk of life, from business, politics,
sport, charity. Now ask yourself why you
admire them?
The chances are high that your admiration
is based on more than their accomplishments,
impressive as those may be. Most likely everyone on
your list reaches you on an emotional level. When
EP wrote its book on leadership, one leading hotelier
remarked: “Those leaders that you remember are those
that possess conviction. They inspire because they
believe in something beyond the average.”
Another remarked: “We all strive to inspire our
customers and in turn we seek inspiration from our
leaders – something that will unlock our ability to
excite our customers.”
Leadership is about the most
subjective traits within a person.
Ken McCullough will often say
that he designs hotels for women
because if they are happy, then the
chances are the men will be happy.
If one looks at the legacy of JFK
as one of the great presidents,
one has to ask whether it is based
on his achievements or based on the fact that he
personified something new and exciting which people
wanted to believe in. So what traits do great leaders
possess that make them stand apart?
Emotional intelligence
Leaders understand empathy and have the ability
to read people’s (sometimes unconscious, often
unstated) needs and desires. This allows them to
address these needs. When people feel they are
understood and empathised with, they respond and a
bond is formed.
Continuous learning
One of the great learnings from writing the book was
that success often came from failure and the ability
to learn. Leaders are rarely satisfied with the status
quo and welcome new knowledge and fresh input.
It’s all about change and reinvention. Too many
others stand still.
Leaders respond to each challenge with a fresh eye.
They know that what worked in one situation may be
useless in another.
Letting go
Too many people think leadership is about control.
In fact, leaders inspire, provide a framework and
then let their teams operate. They know that talented
people don’t need or want hovering managers.
Leadership is about influence, guidance and
support, not control.
Not a week goes by that we don’t hear about a leader
losing credibility because he or she was dishonest.
Often this is because of pressure to try and be
excellent – but it often serves to hide what is genuine.
We live in an age of openness and transparency,
where it is nearly impossible to hide anything, to not
be genuine and authentic. Teams will forgive their
leaders’ mistakes if they are genuine.
Respect
“Leadership is both
an art and a science.
It cannot be learnt
from textbooks”
One of those horrible phrases
is that ‘nice leaders’ finish last.
It just is not true. Because the
world is transparent, those
that display kindness and
respect will finish first again.
Ignorance and arrogance are
traits for short-lived leaders.
Those that have lasted the test
of time will possess strong relationships which will be
based on giving to others. It is this giving to others that
leads to respect.
Team
People’s jobs and careers are integral to their lives.
The more your organisation can make them a
partner, the more they will deliver good results.
This means, to the greatest extent possible,
communicating your organisation’s strategies,
goals and challenges. This builds a mark of
respect. People won’t be distracted by setbacks
if they’re in the loop.
People are the core of any business. As I said
above, people’s careers are a big part of their lives
and they want to be successful at work. They do not
mind tough leadership if the leader will make them
successful.
Leadership is both an art and a science. It cannot
be learnt from textbooks. Everyone has to develop
his or her own individual leadership style, but it is
all about emotion.
Chris Sheppardson is the Founder of EP
EP | April 2014 | 15