MY UNSENT NOTE TO ARNE ... AND MY TRIBUTE

Today, Feb 16, 2024, is the third anniversary of Arne's passing away. I am still heart-broken, like many that I know, and the sense of loss has not diminished at all! All of the words and sentiments from my tribute three years ago remain as relevant and as strong as ever. So I am sharing it again, since we need to remember Arne ... and be grateful that we had the great good fortune to work with him. Meanwhile we also need to grateful we have Bill Marriott . I wish him, David Marriott , Anthony Capuano and the entire Marriott world the very best.

Feb 28, 2021 tribute

Like thousands, I was devastated to learn of Arne ’s passing away. Somehow, I fully believed that he would beat his ailment. Twelve days later, the heartache is greater and the feeling of loss even bigger. It is a colossal loss—for??his family, for Marriott ... and for the world, considering the global business-statesman he was increasingly becoming. ?To some degree why it hurts so much is that he was at his peak, with so many great years ahead of him. But more importantly, he was just the??kind of leader our??world needs in these troubled times ... a shining example of leadership with humanity, integrity, values and principles.??

Quite simply, Arne was one of the finest human beings I knew. I admired him for his?brilliant mind, his leadership, his vision, his grace, his ability to communicate and to relate with everyone; but what I admired him for most was his towering humanity.?

Why? Because all too often, the biggest casualty of??success and power is one’s humanity. It is difficult to stay grounded when one is at the pinnacle, presiding over an industry leading global giant, surrounded by people who aim to please. Such success can be soul destroying. I have seen good people succumb to it time and time again in my career and life. Arne did not let that happen ... and that is extraordinary. He seemed to elevate his already great humanity even further after he became CEO.

I had the privilege of working with him quite a bit, from around 2000, shortly after I joined 万豪酒店 . He was our CFO then, and unusually for a CFO, had great curiosity about the emerging field then called eCommerce, as well as online travel intermediaries. Invariably, he took the initiative to reach out, asking about the potential of our own website, the OTAs, the emerging “merchant model”, etc. He intuitively grasped the strategic significance of the area, its opportunities and threats—and the imperative of building a strong protective moat around our business by making??our direct channels powerful and leveraging our customer loyalty. This support was crucial to us, as a little understood, embryonic, “hi-tech” area embedded within a massive “hi-touch” business like Marriott.??And we were always asking for money. (Curiously,?the only two people who ever asked us if we needed MORE money were Arne and Mr. Marriott).?

As CEO he involved himself in most of our major initiatives—from Marriott.com, to OTA negotiations, to Marriott Mobile, to international websites, etc. He would frequently ask for a personal briefing, apart from our many group meetings. He listened well, always asked the most strategic questions, solicited advice and invariably acted upon it. We did very well, and I believe we owe much of our current strength to the support and trust he gave us in our foundational years.??

Since leaving Marriott five years ago to start my literacy mission in developing countries, Teach the World Foundation , we stayed in touch, in-person and by e-mail ... through his illness and recovery. He took a special interest in my project and had me update him regularly. I always encouraged him to take a global business-statesman role, to which he invariably responded well. Arne had a passion for the underprivileged and wanted to be more involved, but first Starwood, then his health, and then Covid intervened. In our last email exchange, a couple of months ago, he asked for an update in early 2021. I had meant to follow up but failed to ... something I will regret forever.?

When I learned of the recurrence of his cancer, my heart sank. I struggled with what to say to him this time, and finally wrote the note below, wondering if I should send it. Then I got the news ... on February 16. I’m sharing my note because it conveys what I believe his impact was, what he meant to the world, and what he really accomplished:??

Dear Arne:

I have been struggling to write this ever since I heard about the recurrence, not being sure what to say. Finally, I thought I would simply say this:

Life itself is terminal; it is only a matter of when. So what matters most is what one does in the life one is given. If God forbid your life were unfortunately shortened, it would be a huge loss to the world … but you would still have done more of consequence in it than most of us could do in many lifetimes!

You are blessed to have been able to go through life with such grace, humanity and integrity … and to have earned??the love and respect of so many! You have touched the lives of hundreds of thousands at Marriott, been a superb role model for leaders at the company, in the industry and in business overall, as well as for countless people.

Knowing you, if I had to bet on anyone to beat this ailment, it would be you, but if God forbid you don't, you will still have lived a magnificently blessed life.

I am putting my bet on you ... but please take care of yourself first. I will be checking-in from time to time,??as before. God bless you.

My very best wishes.

Shafiq

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Reflecting on a great man’s loss, I have this to say ...

ALL human beings, but especially leaders, have a force field around them. It can be good or bad;??weak or strong;??it can inspire or be toxic (haven’t we seen that?).?The leader’s force field is usually a reflection of their personality, their stature, their strength, the esteem in which they are held.?

Arne’s force field was immense and growing, first within the company, then to the industry, then to business in general and finally to the larger world.?(Remember his letter to Trump in November 2016??How many CEOs could credibly pull that off?).?

His force field radiated his grace, calmness, confidence, competence, integrity ... and immense humanity. It permeated the entire company, and made everyone feel better and act better. It strengthened, amplified and reinforced the already strong Marriott culture … which ironically, had at one time been considered “at risk” if a non-Marriott succeeded Bill Marriott .?

We ALL have our force fields, large or small, as senior execs or??as junior leaders,??even as moms and dads, colleagues, friends, neighbors. They affect those in our orbit very much.?

It is great to honor someone with remembrance and acknowledgement ... but the very best way to pay tribute is to emulate.

While we grieve Arne's loss immensely, the single biggest way we can honor him is by emulating his humanity, by carrying his torch and passing it on to others ... and modeling our "force field" after his.

And while we are celebrating Arne, let us not forget the person at whose feet Arne learnt.?It is a reflection of Bill Marriott 's genius that he picked Arne—a brilliant litigation lawyer, but with no real corporate experience—and put him in roles that were worlds apart. It was Arne’s brilliance that allowed him to excel superbly in them. But in doing so, he also imbibed the values of Mr. Marriott and lived them to perfection.?

We were blessed to have had Arne among us. We are blessed that we have Bill Marriott . This is the time to celebrate him too.??

This is also the time to be grateful for Tony Capuano and Stephanie Linnartz. They are great professionals, steeped in the culture and values of Marriott. As Arne learnt at Mr. Marriott’s feet, they learned from Arne as well as from Mr. Marriott. Between them, they have almost 50 years with the company. They are stepping into giant shoes, at a very difficult time for the company; but I am confident that they will fill these shoes as best as they can be filled. Let us root for them and pray for their success and that of our beloved Marriott.?

Finally ... we were singularly blessed to have had Arne among us. The world was a better place for it. Let us be grateful for that.

God bless Arne, his family, and us all.?