Having come up through the legal and M&A departments, Marriott International CEO Arne Sorenson in a February interview offered HOTELS his take on what’s required to become a more complete hotel leader: don’t always act like you’re the smartest person in the room. Here is his take on management effectiveness and click here to read the complete profile of HOTELS 2020 Legend from the April issue:
“To do well, you must recognize that there are many, many different aspects of the hotel business that have to be valued and understood.
“And the traditional hospitality and people side of the business is still enormously important, and it’s going to be important forever. If you think you can manage this business only from a deal perspective, you’re doomed to fail. At the same time, if you’re an operator and have come up through the hotel ranks, you’ve got to make sure that you’re investing in learning the platform side, the branding side, and the transactional side of the business.
“If you’re engaged in a brand platform with a management and franchise business, you really need to understand both of those things.
“For emerging leaders, be curious always. Don’t quit learning. Listen — always listen. Force yourself not to jump in and immediately prove that you know well what somebody is talking about, because you don’t need to prove yourself in every conversation that you’re having. So make sure you listen.
“The more senior the job, the more important communication skills are. And those communication skills include how you inspire people and communicate with people to create a single team. How do you communicate with clarity about what’s important, what’s not, and the direction that you’re heading? And how do you communicate authentically to who you are? That communication is, I think, a pretty essential part of what we have to do.”