Know Your Superpower.

This February, at Otolo, our main focus is growth.

What does growth mean to you, and how do you apply it to different areas of your life?

How do we measure our own personal growth, and how does that differ from our career growth?

We sat down with Rachel House from Impetus to discuss how her experiences have taught her what areas should be focused on to grow a career in hospitality.

Be warned; this isn’t career advice as you know it. With over 30 years of experience in hospitality under her belt, we asked Rachel to share her secrets to success!

1) Passion

I found passion in my first role in hospitality.? You might ask, how can you be passionate about ‘bucketing balls’ all day on the battle boat game in Holywell Bay fun park? But I was.? I loved it.? I loved seeing people smiling and having fun.?

Showing this passion in a ‘menial role’ exposed me to other areas of the business, and I developed quickly into an all-rounder.

I have tried to retain my passion throughout my career and have been fortunate enough to have been able to have that in most of my roles.? Working late nights in a hectic environment at Yates’ in Leicester Square would not have been much fun without the passion to serve and see others having a great time.??

Paying attention to this feeling meant that I was also able to notice when I didn’t feel quite right about something, it was probably that I had lost (or never had) the passion for that role and was able to understand why I needed to change function or even move on.

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2) Being Kind

My passion at Holywell Bay led to me looking after the founders’ kids and getting to know the senior people really well.?

Showing kindness has always been a value for me and one which has served me well throughout my career.

People often think that kindness and business can’t co-exist, but I and many others in my network have shown that to simply not be the case.?

Working overseas as a holiday rep, I forged some lifelong friendships, which were all born out of the kindness we showed each other as young professionals away from friends and family for long periods.? Turning Ayia Napa into the resort of the year for 18-30s was a testament to the kindness which brought the team closer together in extremely challenging circumstances, and this clearly resonated with the guests.

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3)?Asking For What You Want

After a successful spell recruiting into the hospitality industry, I saw some powerful shared values with my client Krispy Kreme. I asked the Ops Director at the time for a role within the business, which he gave me.? ?

I built on my initial success of simply asking for what I wanted and, through passionately proving my capabilities, I asked once more, this time for a new role to be created for me.

They created the role of “New store opening manager” for me, and I was afforded the privilege of opening the first Krispy Kreme in Manila, with 7000 smiling faces in the queue the day we opened the doors. I went on to open the first two ‘Hotlight’ stores outside of London, which was a huge achievement.? The Ops Director went on to become the CEO, and he remains a friend and mentor to me to this day.?

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4) Value Relationships

I learned early on in my career the value of relationships and have always been interested in getting to know ‘good people’.? This has served me at every juncture, and I can think of people in every business that I have worked in over the years whom I am still in touch with today.

I have always invested my energy into people without expectation of anything directly in return.

‘My tribe’ has never let me down when I have needed some assistance, sometimes years later.??

I have recently leaned on a couple of long-term relationships to help me build my new business, Impetus Global and develop our product Drive.? We were up against the clock and desperately looking for someone to run a ‘Tech Project’ for us.? I reached out to a few key people for referrals and wasn’t let down.? Not only did we get the project done on time, but we also acquired a long-term partner for our business.??

5) Be Your True Self

I have always felt like I am honest and forthcoming as a professional, but this quality came into focus during my time in recruitment.?

In an often cutthroat competitive environment, I was quickly able to differentiate myself from many others by simply being entirely transparent.

Giving difficult feedback, especially when someone hasn’t performed that well in an interview, may feel tough at the time, but many of my network have told me how grateful they were, which led them to make the improvements they needed.?

I really get to know people on a professional and personal level.? I found authenticity a natural gateway to introducing myself to anyone and everyone, which has given me access to some very influential people over the years.??

I would rather tell someone I can’t help them and leave the option open to work together again in the future than close hard for a quick win and risk being caught out.? This long-term view is paying dividends, with so many people keen to help me build my new business.?

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P.S. KNOW YOUR SUPERPOWER

We all have a superpower, which I describe as our unique combination of what makes us who we are.? For me, it’s a combination of all of the above points.? I know that if I show up as this version of me, there can never be any source of regret.??

It takes many of us a very long time to realise that we have something special to offer.?But we all do.

My challenge to you is to think about your own superpower and cultivate that over time.? Understanding yourself will give you a deeply rewarding career in hospitality, just like mine has been.?

Our superpowers change, grow and evolve, and so long as I feel I have done the best I can, in line with my values, I can be satisfied whatever the outcome.? Not everything has been a success, but I have been able to learn and grow.?