Which Leadership (Shoe) Style to Fill?

 

Motivation is sustained when collaboration among highly creative, confident people are recruited, immersed in a shared vision and workplace values, and empowered to continually improve everything.

As hoteliers the leadership (shoe) style the Team fills is Transformational Leadership. Strengthened over time, this effective leadership style supports six basics conditions that achieve happy clients, the hotelier's Holy Grail. The symbiotic cycle starts with talented, creative and self-confident new-hires:

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Considering management styles, a hotelier possessing a leadership style that is Transformational can attain sustained profits, avoid obsolescence and staff turn-over.

In Carl Linberg's Leadership Ahoy! he profiles an array of "leadership shoe styles". His essay on Transformational Leadership is well-written. He even offers a quick on-line quiz to help put a label on one's own style.

Beckett Frith's 2017 study determined that Millennial workers are more motivated by and respond better to leaders who engage, challenge and inspire them - Transformational Leaders. Democratic Leadership was the second preference with Autocratic Leadership being the last.

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Frith stated “Organizations are increasingly vying with one another to gain a competitive edge; not just in the markets they operate but also in terms of attracting and – crucially – retaining the talent they need to help them achieve their goals," he added. "To do so means building winning teams, breaking down barriers, celebrating and rewarding successes, and identifying and developing those with the greatest potential within the organization.”

Berkeley professor James Downton first defined Transactional Leadership in 1968, a concept further strengthened by James MacGregor and Bernard M. Bass, recognizing four important characteristics:

  • Idealized Influence – Leader is a role model and "walks the talk”, it is easy to believe and trust in a transformational leader.

  • Inspirational Motivation – Staff is inspired by shared vision, mission and workplace values. 

  • Individualized Consideration – Team is self-actualized. Leader affords individualized attention to each team member assists in developing trust among the organization's members and their authority figure(s). This is an important element because teams are able to rely on and work together, so decisions can be made more quickly.

  • Intellectual Stimulation – Leader challenges followers to be innovative and creative, they encourage their followers to challenge the status quo. A common misunderstanding is that transformational leaders are "soft," but the truth is that they constantly challenge followers to higher levels of performance.

Achieving an authentic client experience with Omotanashi illustrates how Transactional Leadership can be so effective.

As the global economy adjusts to the post-pandemic economy, plenty of changes are under consideration. The Transformational Leadership style is not only suited for change, it is well suited for retaining the principle market position through continual-improvement like the well-known Japanese term Kaizen (meaning "change for better”, made famous by Toyota in the ’50’s). Virgin Group founder Sir Richard Branson is often held up as a highly successful example of a Transformational Leader. The Virgin brand is synonyms with innovative hospitality experiences in airlines and train service.

 
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