Leadership in Hospitality Series VI: Good Leaders Create Great Experiences

For article #6 of the Leadership in Hospitality (in the Golf Industry) series, the writing and posting of Marcus Buckingham are really resonating. Personally, I find inspiration in his delivery and direct commentary on topics that are highly relevant to our hospitality industry.

For this piece, let’s focus on his comments about the importance of being intentional as leaders—specifically in how we create great experiences for our teams (and/or teammates). We’ll use this Instagram video by Buckingham as a starting point: “As a leader, you better be a darn good experience maker…”

There were some excellent takeaway phrases Marcus shared in this video. Let’s highlight them and explore how they apply specifically to the golf and hospitality industries.

He begins with:

“Be a good experience maker… Somehow, you gotta help people have an experience or set of experiences that have you, as their leader, have confidence that they’re going to make the choices and decisions that they’re gonna make when you’re not there. It’s these choices and decisions that are going to determine whether or not they go where it is that you want them to go.”

Takeaways and Application:

• Experiences, curated by an intentional leader, can transform a team member from a “reactive, affected, and impacted” individual to a “responsive, effective, and impactful” one.
• Experiences that include role-playing scenarios, reframing challenging situations, and walking through key “show-your-work style” decision-making processes can build confidence, drive engagement, and fuel buy-in.

“(Too many would-be leaders)… go into leadership to get more power, more control… Instead, the best leaders realize that as a leader, you have less power, you have less control… you have to manage by ‘remote control.’”

Takeaways and Application:

• Leadership is not about power and control—that’s micromanagement, often driven by:
  • Insecurity or a sense of inferiority stemming from a lack of true confidence
  • A scarcity mindset (i.e., “if they win, I lose” thinking)
• Instead, as Buckingham suggests, effective leadership is about recognizing your lack of control and embracing the opportunity to build experiences that shape team members who don’t just know what to do—but how to think on their feet and act effectively when you’re not there.

“I’m on stage. I’m being watched all the time.”

Takeaways and Application:

• Micromanagers tend to be “watch-me-fix-it” leaders. I’ve certainly been guilty of that mindset myself and have been working for a long time to grow out of that tendency.
• Instead, Buckingham reminds us of our responsibility to model the right behaviors—through our actions, nonverbal cues, and language—to “show the way” in how to:
  • React or respond
  • Solve or surface a problem in a way that allows others to step in and solve it (possibly even better than we could)
  • Include others in the process, creating “teaching moments of truth” at every opportunity
  • Approach every team interaction or meeting with a servant leader’s heart and mindset

“Deliberately. What sort of actions, and moments, and rituals, and routines can I create for people so that, as they watch me, they can begin to find the space and the focus to be able to deliver their very best…”

Takeaways and Application:

• I appreciate Buckingham’s clarity here. Thinking with intentionality, taking deliberate steps, and engaging in meaningful conversations are all essential for any leader striving to be their best.
• I especially love the question he poses: “What can I do, what can I create? What should I be doing (as I know they’re watching me?) So that ____________.”
  That’s a question for me, for you, and for anyone who aspires to lead.
• Finally, his “so that” is powerful: So they can begin (the process, the development) to find the space (within our team, within our mission) and the focus to be able to deliver their very best.

What a great call to action.

At the start of this article, we explored the importance of being intentional as leaders with a strong focus on creating great experiences for our teams (and/or teammates). Why does it matter? Simply put, it matters because our hospitality teams need these experiences so that they can, in turn, create the customer/member experiences that drive top-line revenue and keep our businesses moving forward.

As always, I know you’re busy, but if any of these thoughts from Marcus Buckingham gave you a new perspective, I’d love to connect with you and hear more. I’d also enjoy speaking with you about the context of your situation and how we can work together to help you apply these principles in a win-win way at your facility.

Check out my calendar booking link below to find a time that works for you.