July 14th 2021

It is a new reality that change is constant, a new phenomenon

While I was writing this article a friend, industry titan, one of my most admired called me excited that a person she had just interviewed had gone so well. Its magical moments that moisten the eyes like this when people come together and simply get each other. I could have suggested other people; people who had driven volumes and grew companies but hadn’t really taken their people with them. I recall a colleague once saying, ‘I am going to get to the top of this company and I don’t really care how, but I will’ What I didn’t hear was ‘We have a vision, a vision to be the best in our sector, we will realise the dreams of our leaders to achieve their career goals and more. We will become the best by outthinking our nearest competitors and attracting the most aligned people to our teams. People will want to work for us because we care, people will have certainty about their future, they will have clarity and they will have high expectations of us as their leaders’.     

One thing that has remained constant throughout my career is the ability to attract, retain and develop quality candidates, and I have always insisted that in every town there are always good candidates.  

Marriott are clear, ‘Ladies and Gentlemen serving Ladies and Gentlemen’. It’s one of the simplest expressions, yet so powerful. ‘We are clear in who we are hiring and who we are hiring for’.

I read in the global media that the effects of the pandemic have caused a shortage of skilled hospitality staff which may well be the case where travel restrictions are preventing the recruitment of front-line workers

Staff have had to worry about uncertainty of their jobs and where they lack clarity, they will seek certainty with someone else and then the inevitable distraction of leadership who are trying to spin more plates than they can already handle.     

There is not a shortage of talent. We are simply struggling to grasp the new reality that change is constant, a new phenomenon. Those that have been clear about what they want, with leadership teams who can articulate their organisational vision aren’t claiming a ‘shortage’ it’s more about how can I keep them motivated, what will inspire them to achieve more, how can I coach and support them to foresee and embrace the new and variable speed and direction of change.

There are fantastic people in the market, but leadership have to be clear about what they want. Not every manager wants to be a director, not every server wants to be a manager but as their leader do you know what they really want? I recall a while ago I took time out to have a coffee with a barista trainer who worked in my team. By just stopping and listening I learned that we had to work together as a leadership team to enable his progression to a more senior role so his family could live together in one country, which we achieved. I later learned after I had moved on he had been moved to a role that was beyond his capability and he ultimately left. Without clarity we are distracted. When we are distracted we are not focused, without focus our Guests suffer, our employees suffer and the vicious cycle goes on

You don’t have to be a global leading brand to have a firm hand on the tiller of leadership attraction, what is your mantra for your business large or small, what’s your ‘Ladies and Gentlemen’?  

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 is now a storyteller, 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