December 28th 2020

So who put a big unashamed middle finger up to the year that’s just gone behind us? That’s pretty much most of us. I don’t want to be one of the many who might prophesise on the year ahead or be over reflective of 2020 but I will certainly join the many who crave for a better year in 2021.

 I remember sitting in the Board room in 2016 and asking my colleagues ‘anyone think next year is going to be any better than this year…’ most agreed that next year might not be as good, and we set about planning a transformational restructure with meticulous focus taking as much care and time that was required. A colleague reflected of the differences of the 08/09 crisis and the one we were going through almost a decade later; he said the first was like a shotgun, but this would be like a slow poisoning, which turned out to be one of accurate vision.

But 2020 was cataclysmic and one that has affected everyone’s lives from deep and personally to something far reaching. There was no time for meticulous planning this time, it was a monstrous knee jerk for survival and the fittest have, but not without seismic changes.

On the back of 2020 no one really knows whether 2021 will be any better. We live in the most unpredictive, unparalleled time as we plough new furrows in commerce, whatever that may be. What we do know is that we can be ready, must be ready for anything now.  

I’ve worked deep within the hospitality industry around the world and now part of my working week is assigned to that of a transformational leadership coach. I ask questions such as ‘What’s standing in your way’ or ‘What will happen if you don’t take this step?’ Sometimes it’s even more simple, but more powerful asking ‘why?’, not once but several times, as it gets to the root cause of whatever they are facing. Initial answers to this question, clients offer a conscious answer, something that they have rationalized for a very long time. Once we go deeper, we get to the real reasons and the light bulb goes off and it’s in these difficult times more people are asking ‘why’ to enable them to pivot or look deep within the challenges they face.

Change often meets with resistance, but with little time to resist responses like ‘I can’t, won’t, shouldn’t’ are more now ‘why not’, or ‘let’s try it’. Who would ever have thought that before now Accor might collaborate with Ennismore as they double down on lifestyle and accessible luxury, but it seems that they are boldly leading collaborative efforts combining luxury thinking with digital domination across its China retail market places teaming up with the giant Alibaba Group accessing 700 million consumers in the region.

Collaboration, bold confident leadership, empathetic leadership, courage and kindness throughout industry and our hotels and restaurants will continue to carry us through the undoubted far-reaching impact of the virus that landed in 2020 and one that will stay with us forever. Like a having a new-born child, our lives change forever; we learn to live and lead differently.

Crave as we may for a better year ahead, the history book of our sector has been written, and we have to be the author and change leaders of what we want; no one will do it for us.

So let’s see much more of ‘let’s try it, what’s standing in your way’, or what about ‘what will happen if you don’t take this step…’

Here’s wishing all our readers a healthy, prosperous and transformative new year.

David Singleton has worked in the hospitality and retail industry around the world as a brand builder, creator, operator, franchisee, and franchisor for some of the world’s best known and respected brands. He moderates, speaks, writes, advises and mentors across the hospitality and service sectors globally.

Find out more at www.sociusgroup.com, www.davidsingleton.work and @coachwithdavid