HB ROUNDTABLE: Action & Optimism – How a positive outlook and approach can inspire change

Since 2012, Rockbridge has hosted RTRX, an immersive leadership experience that brings together businesses and individuals “to create a better, brighter future through a focus on leadership, innovation and well-being.”

Created by Jim Merkel, Rockbridge cofounder/CEO, the event is a unique partnership between his company, Pelotonia and the Columbus Partnership. It has raised more than $7 million for cancer research.

The speakers and activities each year are designed to inspire attendees to learn about themselves and find ways to help their businesses and communities once they leave the event.

In conjuction with RTRX, which is held every year in Columbus, OH, Hotel Business held a roundtable, hosted and sponsored by Rockbridge, where top industry executives explored how they inspire their teams to make their operations—and the communities they serve—better.

The roundtable, moderated by Christina Trauthwein, VP, content & partnerships, Hotel Business, included Tom Healy, president/COO, Rockbridge Hospitality Management; Ben Pierson, managing director, Rockbridge; Robert Cole, president/CEO, HVMG; Michelle Russo, founder/CEO, HotelAVE; Matthew Nuss, president, ZaZa Hospitality; Sarah Best Chensky, VP, global sales, MGM Resorts; Carly Edgar, VP, asset management, Strategic Hotels & Resorts; Michael Dominguez, president/CEO, Associated Luxury Hotels International; and Scott Hammons, president, Ground LVL.

With no two people being the same, good leaders must adjust their strategies of understanding and working with different people—from employees to partners to guests.

“Depending on where you stand on the mountain, the shadows look different,” said Healy. “You have to be open-minded to the fact that people’s experiences set the tone for their beliefs, which sets the tone for their reactions and understandings. If you don’t stand in someone else’s shoes, you can’t understand how they are going to respond to what you are asking.”

You have to have that understanding to help make them better and achieve positive outcomes. “You can’t just go in and say, ‘You have to perform better,’” said Healy. “It should be, ‘How do I help you move? How do we advance the ball together?’”

That attitude is what Healy said gives his management company an edge. “Ownership groups get that we want to add value and help inspire people to do better,” he noted. “That is what gives us a half -turn more.”

It is important that you don’t assume what their perspective is, added Pierson. “You’re not just telling them, ‘Hey, here’s what I see,” he said. “You’re asking questions. That is how you make people feel really valued. That is how you build the relationship from trust. You can’t assume you know what that person’s perspective is. You learn so much when you just ask questions.”

Standing in someone else’s shoes can help a good leader motivate employees—and recognize that each one is different.

Dominguez likened it to learning how to dance. “There is a rhythm, and you may not hit the rhythm from day one,” he said. “It takes a while.”

He shared that he had one employee who he felt he had to “walk on eggshells” when offering any constructive criticism to help the employee grow in his role. He decided to talk to the employee about the issue to explain things.

“Since that conversation, it has been just wonderful,” he said.

As a contrast, he pointed to his chief sales officer, to whom he said he can say anything. “She never questions my intentions because she knows they are only about what I think would make her or the company better,” he said.

It takes time to earn that trust. “There is no fast track to it,’ said Dominguez. “I think we move so fast today. We don’t take the time. If you are going to change behavior, it has to be intentional—and that’s hard.”

That intention is extremely important to Best Chensky. “I will let my team know my intention,” she said. “‘If I am giving you this feedback, it’s because I want you to be able to grow.”

It is important to share with employees how they are perceived if it is in a negative way. “They may not understand that is how they are coming across,” she said. “If you can work with people and have them understand that your intention is to try to help, for them to believe and trust that, then they can really accept that in a way that moves them forward. They can be inspired to move forward instead of being defensive.”

Best Chensky added that it is important to go with the assumption that someone within your organization is coming to you with good intentions. “Sometimes, there are people who will send you an email where the second you get it, you are already annoyed,” she said. “But you are assuming that their intention is bad. That is what brings that feeling.”

As an example of learnings that take place when leaders get together, Best Chensky brought up a quote that Healy shared with her to “accept any idea as a good idea for 10 seconds.”

“It is in that train of thought of not automatically thinking someone’s intention is poor,” she said. “Try to mull it over in your mind instead of automatically saying you don’t like it.”

Edgar added that if you are intentional, it will encourage employees to share their ideas. “We are always asking them to generate new ideas,” she said. “So, if you live by that, they are more willing to share those ideas because they know they are not going to be shut down instantly.”

Some of the best ideas come from the staff who are on the grounds every day. “We get shielded,” said Dominguez. “We find that our greatest ideas for relationships with us and our clients are coming from our global sales associates who are reaching them every day.”

Cole said his company, like others, has an open-door policy when it comes to employees. “People know they can come in, whether they are a direct report or not, with an idea or a problem,” he said. “They are going to find a solution and own it. We ask, ‘What are your ideas to solve that?’ They are going to walk out with the solution.”

Pierson shared that he had an employee who was struggling with his role in a project and came to him to discuss it. “He felt like he wasn’t going to be able to affect the outcome of this project, and he was struggling,” he said. “I pulled up a photo of a horse tied to a plastic chair. I told him that he was the horse that thinks it’s tied up and can’t move. In reality, he has all the ability in the world. I told him to tell me the next best thing he could do.”

He added, “When you have people who are willing to change, when you spend time to get the trust, you can use humor or other things that create an opportunity to change behavior.”

Russo pointed that if you don’t go with an employee’s idea, you need to explain why. “You have to close the loop,” she said. “‘We took your feedback into consideration, but we’re going in this direction because…’ Then, they understand.”

Handling change
Much like each person is different when it comes to being led, each person is different in how they handle change.

When Trauthwein asked about how to handle opposition when initiating change, Dominguez brought up the Kübler-Ross Change Curve, which, much like dealing with grief, offers the stages of dealing with change.

“Leaders should understand that if they are making a change, everyone is on that change curve at a different place,” he said. “That doesn’t mean they are resisting the change. Some people go through it in five minutes, some in five days, some take five weeks—but that doesn’t mean they are working against you. It means they are a human being who is processing it.”

His company has a 24-hour rule in dealing with decisions that an employee doesn’t like. “You have 24 hours to be as mad as you want,” he said. “Go home if you need to or yell at me. I don’t care. After 24 hours, if you are behaving like a petulant child, we will have words. But for 24 hours, I am giving you permission to feel what you feel because I don’t have the right to take away your feelings.”

He has never had to implement it because “when you put that on the table, there’s a giggle when you say you’re acting like a petulant child, and you are going to take your ball and go home. Nobody wants to be that. We give people permission to feel the way they feel.”

While accepting the idea that your employees are human beings is a sign of good leader, Hammons said that showing them you are human is a good quality as well. “Some of the best leaders I’ve worked for don’t just talk about what’s great,” he said. “They talked about their fears and anxieties and share that with you. When you realize that leader is human just like you, it helps to inspire you as a leader to remember everyone processes things differently. You sometimes have to craft your message about change to different people in different ways.”

Dominguez also shared that he has twice-yearly, 30-minute calls individually with his employees to see how they are doing. “It is not about work,” he said. “It’s about their life. I hear from every one of them, ‘Thanks for your time.’”

He shares this piece of advice with other leaders when he talks with them: “If I was to ask you what your greatest asset is, you’ll say your team. Then I ask, ‘Does your time reflect that statement?’”

He added, “That is the piece that really makes you think. Does your time reflect what you just said? Are you spending more time with your people than on emails, phone calls and meetings?”

Nuss said he is fortunate to spend time with his employees, noting, “My office is right next to the time clock for the housekeeping department at our Houston hotel, and I absolutely love to go in early.”

This allows him to spend time with the staff and “be available, visible and approachable,” adding, “It’s at that level that you create the relationships to those that are doing the jobs. To be a part of that at the level where you are hiring their kids when they get older, going to quinceañeras and dressing up as Santa Claus at the associate Christmas party, that is where you build and create bonds that values a brand and creates the service and commitment. That’s powerful leadership.”

Hammons said, “You might interact with housekeepers from five different countries, and you might interact with billionaires from three different countries. You have to navigate a huge spectrum of people. As long as you remember that, no matter what aspect of our business you go into, it can benefit your leadership style.”

A people business
Hospitality is a people business.

HVMG’s Cole has a saying at his company: “We are in the talent and relationship business; we just happen to manage hotels.”

Somehow the industry has lost sight of the fact that hospitality is quite simple when it comes down to it, according to Healy. “It is no different than what you would do when someone comes to your home,” he said. “You greet them, give them a good meal, give them a good bed and have a great conversation. You hug them goodbye when they are leaving and thank them for coming.”

He said it is all about servant leadership, adding, “You have to like to please other people to do really well in this industry.”

Healy likened being a hotel employee to being on stage. “You should have a coat rack and a heavy bag at the hotel’s entrance,” he said. “Hang all of your problems on the coat rack. If you have any problems, punch that bag. Once you cross that line, you’re on stage. We have to take care of the customer. Everything else will take care of itself.”

Russo said that the hospitality business is not like others in that it is about making connections and not transactions. “When people come to your house, you’re connecting with them, not transacting with them,” she said.

Dominguez agreed and feels as though we have lost the “hospitable” in hospitality. “We say that word, but some of us forget that no matter who you are serving and what audience, it is about people,” he added. “We tend to forget about the people vs. ‘We have a great building and a great experience.’”

The importance of the people connection is why Nuss said his company boils down its hiring of future associates and managers down to one thing—whether or not they are nice,. “Are you a nice person?” he said. “Can you communicate that kindness? If you hire nice people, a lot of it takes care of itself. It facilitates great transactions between associates and guests.“

Pierson said that when he hires someone, he looks for a growth mindset. “It is less about where you start and more about what headroom you have,” he said. “If you have a growth mindset and a willingness to learn, to be vulnerable, those are keys to unlocking great potential.”

Best Chensky talked about taking the next best step when coming out of a difficult situation.

“We do find ourselves in so many situations that aren’t ideal,” she said. “It’s not going to be the way we hoped. At that point, it is ‘This is now the situation, what’s the next best step?’ Looking at it from that perspective and not dwelling too much, you can learn something. How are we going to move it forward?”

Ground LVL’s Hammons said that when you are working at the front desk, you are taught very early on that, “No is not an option.” Anyone working in the business has to have that attitude.

“You are faced with all sorts of variables every day in the hotel business, whether you are in operations, senior management or development,” he said. “It’s problem-solving and strategic thinking, and you have to have someone with an open mind.”

Hammons works in design and development “not because of the design, but because of the problem-solving,” adding, “You have to be a creative person to solve problems super effectively. You have to think about every option. The hospitality industry teaches that so much better than so many other industries.”

Nuss said that his company teaches its newest employees about the nuances of the job, especially that important skill of critical thinking. “It is fun to sit down and distill the business down to a process and help them understand how things go from good to great and educating them on the fact that they are not going to be the GM next week,” he said. “We’ll teach them to understand their debits and credits, and understand how things go wrong and how they can analyze things to make it go better.”

He continued, “You have to approach a problem and understand it from soup to nuts. The more that younger managers understand the basics of problem solving, critical thinking and hypothetical situations, the more successful, comfortable and confident they feel as part of the team.”

For Edgar, a good quality for hospitality employees is that they are genuine. “If a guest knows that you genuinely care and that you are genuinely trying to help them through something, they are less likely to yell at you at the front desk because they know that you are doing the best you can,” she said. “You are doing what you think is right to help.”

“It fosters loyalty, tenure and cohesiveness,” added Nuss.

Helping the community
While being a good leader means instilling optimism into employees so they can be their best selves both at work and in life, it also means working to help your community.

In addition to its work with RTRX, Rockbridge also works with Big Brothers, Big Sisters and other community organizations.

When Rockbridge brings new employees on at the corporate level, they join a committee that raises money for Big Brothers, Big Sisters. “They are in charge of that, and they know it is important,” said Pierson. “You create that culture because they are responsible for that event.”

Getting out and helping the community can help put things into perspective. “You see the best of people when they are out volunteering in your community,” said Best Chensky. “For us, it is about going out and doing something bigger than us. We can all get stuck in the mundane things of the day, and these little things that we feel are huge issues to us. Then you go out and you are grounded again that what you are dealing with are not life-and-death issues.”

Getting out of the work environment can also have the benefit of team building. “You’re all working together for this common goal, and you can see a different side of people,” she added.

As the largest employer in the state of Nevada, Best Chensky said there is a lot of responsibility on MGM. The company has served five million meals to those in need and is working to help with the state’s water issues. Beyond implementing water conservation practices at its hotels, the company also educates its employees on saving water in their personal lives.

“We encourage and incentivize our employees to save water at home because that is going to be the next step,” she said. “We can only do so much within these buildings.”

Her company also encourages its employees to inform them of organizations that would benefit from help. “We will all show up for whatever organization they choose,” she said. “It may not be one of our corporate partners, and that is fine. When your teammates show up for you and a cause that is important to you, you are gaining that trust and building that relationship.”

Dominquez brought up something that has stuck with him his entire career from Jonathan Tisch, executive chairman, Loews Corporation. “He got us out of saying ‘giving back,’ because to give back, you have to take something,” he said. “We have a responsibility as human beings to make our communities better, and to make our industry better. When you put it in that mission, and it gets people galvanized behind it.”

He talked about how his company has taken many efforts to fight human trafficking, noting, “I’ve seen this pride swell within our team because we’re making a difference.”

It doesn’t have to be a big organization that you can help. “It’s not hard to be nice, make contact, engage with people and be appreciative,” said Healy. “Those little things, that ‘Pay It Forward’ concept, it really does matter. There is the organized work, but there’s what you have to do personally. You have an obligation.”