Leadership in Hospitality Series VIII: Great Leaders Rally People to a Better Future, Even When Their Tank Isn’t Full

It is late summer here in the PNW and the golf season has been “rockin’ in full swing” for several months now. In my experience, it is this time when the “dog days in the golf business” truly begin and weigh most heavily on lead PGA professionals and their key leadership staff. With that in mind, let’s continue to consider the inspiring thoughts from Marcus Buckingham.

Very recently, he shared this post: (I’ve added bullet points to help readability)

• The opposite of a leader isn’t a follower. It’s a pessimist.
• Leaders rally people to a better future. No matter how bleak things look, nothing undermines your belief that things can get brighter.
• If you’re not wired that way, don’t worry. There are jobs for you. Just don’t lead.
• It’s easy to show a brighter future when the road is clear and your team is with you.
• But what about when you can’t see the road? When your team is undermining you?
• That’s when real leadership shows up. Real leaders find hope in hopeless situations. They see possibility where others see problems.
• Are you rallying people to a better future, or just managing the present?”

So, with that in mind and the acknowledgement that we’re all tired, especially those with frontline customer and member-centric roles or who lead people in these positions, let’s consider these thoughts shared by Marcus. Also, let us consider them in terms of the golf and hospitality industries specifically. He starts with:

• The opposite of a leader isn’t a follower. It’s a pessimist. Ouch! That was direct. It seems he is going directly against our perspective, doesn’t it? Maybe top leaders in the golf industry are keenly aware of their perspective and how it creates a storyline that is one of a leader or a pessimistic follower. 
• Leaders rally people to a better future. What is the better future that you can rally your team towards? What is that “status quo” thing (e.g. program, policy, procedure, format, etc.) that is no longer a better future, but instead a status quo that frankly, sucks and needs some overhauling? And if that better future is worth going after:
  • What are the ways to highlight what status quo is “sucking” right now? And, how will you highlight it so it makes your case, but doesn’t attack others who may be invested in that particular thing? Or better yet, helps them discover it needs updating/changing?
  • What are the incremental steps or markers that you can build and share to rally people toward it?
• It’s easy to show a brighter future when the road is clear and your team is with you. I hear Marcus highlighting the importance of bringing people along with you. “Help them see it” is another way to describe this effort. Help them see how staying put in the current situation (status quo) is not only a bad idea, but we can’t stay there because it will cost us, cost our team, cost our facility too much.
• But what about when you can’t see the road? When your team is undermining you? That’s when real leadership shows up. It’s the dog days, the long days, when the tank is nearing empty when your “real leadership” needs to show up. Seeing possibility (or opportunity) when others see problems (or threats.) Flip the threat into opportunities.

Maybe giving some thought now, when you’re likely your most tired or worn down is a worthwhile call to action? Maybe thinking about these things now, when you’re more than usual could be:

• A positive pick me up for you and your team(mates).
• A way to reassert yourself and focus more on your Locus of Control (that special place where what you care about and what you have some control or affect upon) so you can point towards a brighter future that others can join you in focusing on.
• A way to create alignment within your team at a point where it is needed most (as the rest of the world, the business and circumstances are trying to do the opposite.)
• A way to authentically lead, and point to a brighter future that will keep you engaged, and those you lead or work with engaged and supportive of.

More than ever, I am hopeful that this post from Marcus Buckingham gave you a bit of a new perspective. If so, I would love to connect with you to learn more about it. As always, I would enjoy connecting with you when you have time to talk about the context of your situation and how we can work together to help you apply these principles in your career in a win-win way at your facility. Check out my calendar booking link below to find a time that works for you.