The Center For Hospitality Research
Industry News
| Nine Tasks of
Manager-Leaders - By Denise Franck Aboody & Lamar Hamilton
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Challenging people to achieve more
than they thought was possible starts with management. Managers
must possess clear self-awareness and self-management before
they can influence others effectively.
This presentation was a discussion of the nine tasks of
leadership as outlined in the book 'On Leadership' by John W.
Gardner. Hamilton presented and explained how the nine tasks can
be applied in one's organization, including which tasks should
and should not be delegated. Aboody (nee Franck) then
facilitated a goal setting session for attendees focusing in on
their management practices and development areas for their
organization.
You know you're in the hospitality industry when on the opening
night of your new restaurant and your building is crammed with
well-dressed people...you notice water running from under the
bathroom door into the lobby...and you still love your job. Our
task as leaders is to pass on this enthusiasm for problem
solving and commitment to those who look to us for guidance.
Motivating people to achieve more than they think is possible is
the task of the manager-leader.
That brings the discussion to the nine tasks of leadership taken
from John W. Gardner's book, On Leadership. Our focus is on the
key leadership tasks that keep a restaurant or hotel growing and
unleashes motivation in the hearts of its people. We will
consider the tasks in the context of three focus areas:
Management savvy, Cultural Intelligence and Adaptability. Every
great manager-leader possesses management savvy, demonstrates
strong cultural intelligence and is adaptable to change. The
first focus, Management Savvy includes the first three
leadership tasks: envisioning goals, managing and renewing.
The first task, envisioning goals, is one of the tasks that
should never be delegated. This is the ability to define
overarching goals that serve to unify people and focus energies.
It's about effectively declaring what's possible for the team to
achieve and compelling them to accomplish more than they ever
thought possible. Your task as leader is to envision what's
possible and rally the troops to get it done.
The task of management deals with visualizing a path to
achieving the goals you have set in practical, feasible steps.
This task is about being intimate with your work and setting the
priorities. It can be delegated, but you as the leader have to
remain engaged to ensure the stated priorities and goals are
being implemented. So, if your goal is to sell more sandwiches
at lunch, and your shift manager comes up with three steps to
reach that goal, you have to understand what the three steps are
and ensure the activities will result in achieving the goal.
Manager-leaders are responsible for fostering the process of
renewal. Renewing has to do with providing new processes and
resources. The practices and strategy that got you where you are
today may be inadequate for the challenges and opportunities you
face tomorrow. For example, create an environment where people
can approach you with creative changes to policies or service.
You will elevate the group and the business will benefit from
process improvements and higher employee morale.
The second focus area, cultural intelligence, covers the next
three tasks of the leader: affirming values, achieving workable
unity and representing the group. Cultural intelligence grasps
the things that are important to the group and institutionalizes
them. The manager-leader who seeks cultural intelligence will go
to great lengths to understand past successes and failures of
the organization while charting the course to future success.
Affirming values requires the manager-leader engage his or her
people to create clear values that capture the collective
beliefs and hopes of the group. Clarifying values with key
outcomes will provide the foundation for decision-making. The
manager-leader must affirm those values consistently with
everyone. For example, if respectful relationships is a shared
value, that means acknowledging every member of a team,
regardless of their position in the company. It means greeting
the housekeeping staff or the dishwasher as you pass and
expecting the same behavior from everyone in the organization.
Conflict is inevitable, so achieving workable unity is critical.
When the group is achieving workable unity they are cooperating
for collective advancement and the good of the organization. As
the manager-leader your task is to find the areas of conflict
where people are becoming polarized between two different views
or ideas and build a sense of common interests.
Representing the group means you interact with other departments
within the company and with vendors on behalf of your group
without personal agenda. You represent your group by negotiating
on their behalf and defending the integrity of the organization.
It's about projecting a good image and being true to your brand.
The third and final focus area is adaptability. This is a
non-negotiable area in our business especially. You have to
adapt to the ever-changing hospitality industry or you will not
survive. The three tasks under this topic include: motivating,
explaining and serving as a symbol.
Motivating others is all about tapping into the motives of the
individual to serve the purposes of achieving shared goals.
Leaders unlock existing motive in the team members and leverage
it for the benefit of the whole. For example, revenue growth is
more likely to be attained by a manager who is motivated by
results or has a high drive for personal financial success.
Explaining what's happening, and why, is the most basic and most
profound of the nine leadership tasks. It is simply the ability
to define a problem and explain why someone is being asked to do
certain things and why that person might face frustration. When
there is a lack of explanation or information people will make
it up. Manager-leaders find the words to explain situations and
how they will impact everyone involved.
Finally, serving as a symbol is another one of the tasks the
leader must not delegate. You as a leader symbolize the group's
collective identity and continuity and it's your responsibility
whether in the media or out in public, to be the symbol of the
organization. You represent the group. It's not about you. The
most casual observe recognizes that the identity of many great
organizations is embodied in a key person or leader. Michael
Jordan, for example, was the embodiment of the Chicago Bulls
throughout the world and Jack Welch became synonymous with
General Electric.
Taking action
Step one: Review the nine tasks and determine which one or two
tasks would, if focused on, increase your effectiveness as a
manager-leader.
Step two: Describe the current state (what's not happening), and
then describe the desired state (what outcome you want).
Step three: Write three measurable actions that you will take to
get the results you want.
For manager-leader development or culture development, contact
Denise info@dfranck.com.
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Date Listed: 2006-03-23
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