Every Hotel Manager makes Mistakes

Something I’ve noticed in my work as a Hotel Manager is people’s surprise that even the top leaders in their field can be troubled by fears.

Hotel Managers think once you make it to a certain level you have it all under control. But running a Hotel and leading people are difficult, complex jobs, and leaders - like the rest of us - have their share of fears.

It’s not having fears that’s important – all Hotel Managers do, at least once in a while. It’s what you do with your biggest fears that makes a difference in your future.

Here are some of the top fears top Hotel Leaders still have. Do any of them sound familiar?

Making a bad decision. Making decisions is still a big part of the work of the greatest leaders within our Hotels. We can be making decisions hourly or more frequently. It’s easy to fear that you’re going to make a wrong choice from which a disaster will follow. But here’s the thing: you will make a wrong decision at some point. Every Hotel Leader does. And the best way to overcome the fear is to remember that fact.

Taking risks. Every Hotel Leadership role demands a significant amount of risk taking, which leads naturally enough to the fear of failure. But a certain amount of risk is necessary for successful Hotel Leadership - so allow yourself to feel the fear, then do it anyway.

Being ineffective. Every Hotel Leader wants to be effective, and fear often takes the shape of concern that you’re not being as impactful or credible as you could be. The only way to overcome the fear of ineffectiveness is to make sure your character and values always lead the way. You will occasionally not be as effective as you could have been; but learn from these errors and improve what you do around the Hotel in the future.

Failing badly. The fear of failure is possibly the most significant amongst Hotel Leaders. That’s why it’s important to remember, that failure is not often fatal in Hotels. Often failure is the thing that causes you to look at things differently and improves your odds of success the second time around.

Not being smart enough. Many of the greatest leaders within our Hotels are afraid of not being smart enough, knowledgeable enough and competent enough. It’s a fear so common it has a name - imposter syndrome, the feeling that you’re not at all qualified to be doing what you’re doing and that you’ve landed where you are through some oversight or mistake of the universe. Learn to leverage this fear by tapping into your competences and capabilities so you can build the confidence you need to get rid of your lack of confidence. You are not an imposter. You are a talented Hotel Leader.

Fears will always influence us and cause a certain amount of inner problems. It’s what we do with these fears that will make the difference around the Hotel in the future; as a Hotel Leader, you gain strength, courage and confidence through every experience in which you really stop and work through your fear with dignity.

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My posts are intended for hotel workers, supervisors and managers around the world, who are (or want to become) actively engaged in learning and development.