Write a 2 ‐ 3 page (minimum of 600 words) research paper on the person that you perceive
as an effective hospitality leader and explain why you selected that person.
Be sure to include the following in your paper:
o Leadership characteristic(s) that led you to select this person.
o Their history in the Hospitality industry – How did they get started in the Hospitality business?
What jobs did they work? What was their career path?
o Who inspired them? Who or what motivated them?
o Are/were they a transactional leader or transformational?
o What are/were some of their most significant accomplishments or contributions?
o What is/was their leadership philosophy and how do/did they inspire those around
him?
o Include any other information that you feel is important.
An Effective Leader in the Hospitality Industry
Leadership is critical in all organizations in all sectors, including in hospitality. Companies in the industry should have leaders with a vision and influence others to support its realization. Vision and influence are essential aspects of effective leadership in organizations (Berson et al. 53). Although I have encountered many leaders, I consider the manager of Hilton Hotels the most effective in the hospitality industry.
I selected the leader due to his charisma and ability to motivate others to perform exceptionally. For example, he creates teams of employees and provides each member chance to lead on different occasions. As a result, the leader, applying a transformational leadership style, has managed to improve the performance of his units. He is also a servant leader, who believes in being a servant first to lead well.
The manager studies hospitality management since he intended to work in the industry in a leadership role. When he joined the workplace, he worked as a supervisor before becoming a manager of the multinational hospitality company. He has led in the industry for the last ten years in different positions to gain the experience he uses today. His career path has been challenging due to working in a leadership role without experience, but he trained on the job to become a great leader in the industry.
The manager gained experience with other leaders in the industry. He believed in the ideas of Johnson that while leaders are born, training and experience are critical factors for success (213). He acknowledges that he gained inspiration from Bruce Faber, Owner at EHS Hospitality, who has managed to create and lead a significant firm in the industry. He says that he will also reach the same place in the future when he builds his global brand in the hospitality industry. For now, he believes in the need to remain humble to learn more from his current position.
The manager is a transformational leader since he believes in the need to influence others to achieve their potential. Such leaders motivate their followers to support their vision and work towards shared goals (Barbuto Jr. 27). He also uses charisma when working with his followers, allowing them to participate fully in leadership and decision-making. As a result, he works with motivated followers to achieve organizational goals.
The leader has accomplished many things in his career as a manager in the hospitality industry. For example, he has, individually and in his teams, won awards in culinary competitions. He had also won the award of the best leader at Hilton Hotels for three years out of the five that he has been working in the organization. However, he believes that his best accomplishment has been the award that his subordinates have won in various competitions since they are part of his legacy.
The manager is successful due to the use of his philosophy that his success is evident in the performance outcomes of his followers. He acknowledges that he cannot be a leader without his followers. As a result, their success is essential to him, which causes him to inspire them to improve their performance. He motivates them to lead by realizing and supporting their potential. While I have encountered many leaders in the industry, the manager of Hilton is the most effective as a transformational leader who believes in and inspires others.
Works Cited
Barbuto Jr, John E. “Motivation and transactional, charismatic, and transformational leadership: A test of antecedents.” Journal of Leadership & Organizational Studies vol. 11, no.4 2005, pp. 26-40.
Berson, Yair, et al. “The relationship between vision strength, leadership style, and context.” The Leadership Quarterly vol. 12. no.1, 2001, pp. 53-73.
Johnson, Alan R. “An Anthropological Approach to the Study of Leadership: Lessons learned on improving leadership practice.” Transformation, 2007, pp. 213-221.