HTM301: Leadership Development Plan

Sections:

Vision and Goals
Reflections
Competency Assessment
Personalized Development Activity

Vision and Goals

About Me (at the time of writing)

Section and Semester: HTM301 in senior year, going into super senior years

Degree Emphasis: Meetings & Events Operations Management

Current Job: Guest Experience Expert at THE US GRANT, A Luxury Collection Hotel

Expected Graduation: December 2023

My PRINT: 2 Major and 6 Minor

The Ideal Hospitality Leader

The hospitality and tourism industry is unique in that it is undoubtedly defined by being people-centric. Thus, leaders will be held to a higher regard and expectation. However, societal standards are constantly changing, and so those higher expectations can be different depending on the time and context. I have talked to a handful of managers and faculty members about this and it seems that the consensus to becoming a good leader in the hospitality industry is to exercise mindfulness and empathy at all times. It has helped me realize that there is a lot more to leadership in hospitality in that there are plenty of both logistic and emotional intricacies that need to be constantly considered.

At this time of writing, I believe that the competency behaviors that are most connected to my vision of the ideal HTM leader are Creative Decision Making, Coaching / Training, Spirit of Optimism, and Self-Development. I envision the ideal leader to be able to make critical and creative decisions in times of adversity, lead their team with proper support and training, be able to envision a positive outcome and see the potential in others, and see the potential in oneself and strive for constant improvement. That is the kind of leader I want to be, but it is also the most challenging type of leader to achieve for me as all these qualities are competencies that I need the most improvement on.

Career Goals

My values and passions are deeply rooted in making the people around me feel happy, regardless of whether or not they are family, friends, or strangers. In that context, the hospitality industry as a whole is a great place to find my ideal career. It is now a matter of what kind of hospitality work will utilize my talents and skills to the fullest to bring the greatest positive impact on people's lives. However, I acknowledge that I must also be happy at work in order to bring my all to making others happy. Thus, I will need to feel satisfied with the work that I do. At this moment, it is difficult to envision what that ideal long-term career would be in the context of these criteria. My short-term career goal that I hope to achieve by graduation is to discover what that ideal job would be for me, or at least get a better sense of which part of the industry it would lie in. I know that with my experience now with hotels, my eyes have been opened to more career possibilities as I am currently enjoying the work I do while discovering parts of myself that still need improvement.

Other Goals

Extracurricular activities that I plan to do to help me achieve my short-term career goal is my involvement with SDSU's Meetings and Events Student Association as the Secretary of their Board. While I engage in that, I should try to overcome my discomfort and unfamiliarity with social media, as it is a vital part of hospitality in this current day and age. I want to develop my critical thinking and decision-making skills. as I am too afraid to make mistakes to take any substantial actions. However, I know that if I keep in contact with the staff and students that I have met so far in the Payne School as well as maintain a positive relationship with my coworkers and other industry professionals, I will always have a means to shadow, train, and improve upon myself.

By the end of college:

I will have identified which sector of the hospitality industry fits my exact needs and goals.
I will have a solid foundational start to my career in hospitality by having a strong network and having gained more work experience.
I will have grown and developed closer to the kind of leader I want to be.

Mind Map

Reflections

Simulations

In HTM301, we executed two simulations supervised by industry professionals: Conquest Air and 4theBiz. I personally believe that I did a great job facilitating conversations and encouraging creative ideas from my team members. It felt exhilarating to help guide the flow of the discussions in the direction that would benefit the group the most. However, I do believe that I need to be better at suggesting creative ideas of my own and coming to critical decisions faster. All our progress and growth within the simulations were at the result of my amazing teammates' ideas and deciding on which great idea we went with was a much slower process since I made sure that most, if not everyone, was on board with the idea. If I can master these two skills, I will be able to better facilitate conversations within my teams and equally contribute ideas.

My Perception and the Perceptions of Others

For both simulations, I have been told that I show qualities of a natural leader. I have a welcoming air about me that makes it easy to open up and share ideas with me. I've also been told that I am a macro-thinker and stay on track with the "big picture" of a project while having a good balance between creativity and realism. However, I have also been told that my tendency to try to include everyone as much as possible in the discussion may take away from the team's efficiency and distract us from the work at hand. I also have a strong presence that, although can help with leading others by creating a figure that people can look up to, can be equally damaging in that my words hold a lot more weight. In that sense, ideas that I shut down too fast may be hurtful or discouraging to my teammates. If I could do things differently, I need to be more conscious and cautious of my words and how I interact with my group. I need to find a balance between nurturing every great idea and declining unrealistic or irrelevant suggestions.

Competency Self-Assessment

Self-Graded from a range of 1 (Critical Need) to 7 (Role Model). Criteria is set through my personal interpretation of how an ideal leader in that competency would behave, summarized into four points.

Business Savvy Competencies

Numberwise [5]

1 - Feels comfortable and willing to experiment and work with large data sets or numbers of high importance (such as budgeting, PnL, etc.)

2 - Sees beyond the numbers and can interpret the story behind each total, increase, decrease, and stagnation.

3 - Strives to see and understand all the numbers involved in an operation to better optimize current functions and processes.

4 - Can explain the numbers and the story to someone else who is not well-versed in numbers.

Planning [6]

1 - Sees the bigger picture in every operation or project and can set goals that lead the team closer to achieving said big picture.

2 - Understands the function of every moving piece in a process and can keep all pieces on track.

3 - Keeps a consistent and accurate form of organization for goals, tasks, dates, etc.

4 - Anticipates potential worst-case scenarios and creates measures for both avoidance and mitigation.

Strategic Decision-Making [4]

1 - Keeps a clear and stable mind in times of adversity and keeps focus on the task at hand.

2 - Assesses the gravity of various tasks quickly and is able to re-prioritize on the fly.

3 - Understands different methods of achieving the same goal and is able to choose the method that works best for the resources that they have available to them.

4 - Has the strength to make the difficult decision or say what is difficult to hear when the situation calls for it.

Superior Technical Service [5]

1 - Understands the processes and functions of the software they are working with and how to utilize it to its full potential.

2 - Is knowledgeable on the advancement of technology and online tools and how to use them to their advantage.

3 - Is not afraid to change current systems if it is beneficial to the team and/or the clients involved.

4 - Provides exceptional and uninterrupted service to clients by having mastered all systems and procedures behind the scenes.

People Savvy Competencies

Interpersonal Communication [6]

1 - Communicates effectively with team members with varying personalities and needs.

2 - Treats people outside their own team with respect and understanding for a better, more empathetic collaboration experience.

3 - Writes clearly and effectively for their intended audience.

4 - Is well regarded by all of their colleagues.

Networked [5]

1 - Takes every opportunity to expand their connections beyond their own department/sector.

2 - Maintains a positive professional relationship with existing connections. This also means being able to fulfill promises of a helping hand when they are needed.

3 - Strives to ensure that every worker, whether in-house or third-party, is taken care of and has everything they will need to succeed.

4 - Does not shy away from people in higher positions within and outside the workplace.

Coaching / Training [5]

1 - Exercises patience and understanding when training a new associate.

2 - Makes an effort to understand how each person functions and what method works best for their style of learning.

3 - Teaches complex functions and lessons in a gradual and intuitive manner.

4 - Assesses the strengths and weaknesses of every individual and is able to provide effective and appropriate praise and constructive criticism as needed.

Superior Expressive Service [5]

1 - Strives to go beyond client expectations and "wow" them with what they asked for and more.

2 - Creates personal and meaningful connections with clients with the intention of building lasting loyalty.

3 - Shows commitment and passion for clients' needs and comfort through the entire interaction.

4 - Provides anticipatory service appropriate for each client's varying situation.

Self Savvy Competencies

Professionalism [6]

1 - Maintains composure in difficult situations, such as an upset client or uncooperative coworker.

2 - Able to distinguish between subjectivity and objectivity and is able to keep their personal feelings and work matters separate as appropriate.

3 - Always presents themselves in a dignified and respectful matter regardless of the occasion.

4 - Acts with integrity regardless of whether or not someone is watching.

Time Management and Priorities [5]

1 - Plans a clear roadmap with detailed due dates for their goals and objectives and sticks to it.

2 - Creates deadlines that are reasonable and realistic within the scope of the situation and the resources available to them.

3 - Understands the importance of each task and is able to delegate workloads and set deadlines based on their priority levels, espeically in time-sensitive situations.

4 - Is open and flexible to change based on their surrounding environment and situation and is able to maximize their effectiveness regardless.

Self-Development [6]

1 - Evaluates every action they take and strives to understand how they could have done it more effectively or efficiently.

2 - Listens to the feedback of others and takes it to heart, but not personally.

3 - Understands their own strengths and finds ways to maximize those skills in every situation appropriately.

4 - Understands their own weaknesses and takes every opportunity to improve, learn, and grow better.

Spirit of Optimism [4]

1 - Sees the positive lining or opportunity in every situation and keeps that positive outlook through times of adversity.

2 - Spreads positivity and encouragement to the people around them and helps keep everyone motivated.

3 - Keeps their head up and leads by positive example.

4 - Provides positive feedback and praise when appropriate to the team.

Development Activity Ideas

Summary of Competency Assessment

My Competency Strengths:

Professionalism
Self-Development
Interpersonal Communication

My Competencies to Develop:

Spirit of Optimism
Coaching / Training
Strategic Decision-Making

Develop Activity Ideas

Practice Coaching / Training by joining a student organization and taking on a leadership role.
Start a club or student organization that tackles difficult scenarios in the workplace and how to best approach each situation.
Take on a leadership position at work by feeling more empowered to make appropriate judgment calls and working beyond what my job description entails.

My Kaleidoscope Development Activity

Title: Practice Coaching / Training by joining a student organization and taking on a leadership role.

Background: This will be important for my envisioned future career because I will eventually need to be able to train new associates, set better roadmaps for success, and make critical decisions on the fly as needed.

Description: Next semester, I will be part of the MESA Board as Secretary. Although the Secretary’s duties are more about general organization, I plan to go beyond that and create a framework that will set future MESA leaders up for success. This includes instructional guides, templates, and more! I will have to first observe MESA’s current structure and processes and once I get a better understanding of that, I plan to optimize that and bring out more of MESA’s potential
Success Indicators: I will know if my development activities are successful if MESA implements my new templates and training grids for future board members. Feedback from current board members will also be positive and claim to have helped them in fulfilling their roles more efficiently and effectively.

Timeline:

Phase 1: Gathering Information
- Prior to Start of HTM480: Keep in communication with the current MESA president and stay up-to-date with upcoming plans and meetings.
- Week One: Start my duties as Secretary. Assist with planning recurring meetings if they have not already been set. Also begin setting up the MESA student drive for the new semester.
- Week Two - Four: Observe current MESA processes while executing my assigned duties. Take notes on what works well and what needs improvement.
Phase 2: Proposals
- Week Five - Six: Propose potential ideas for improvement to the MESA president and any other board position that is affected. Keep this discussion flowing and take notes on their reactions and feedback.
- Week Seven - Eight: Begin implementing proposals that were accepted and approved by the board members involved. Work with the MESA president to encourage current board members to utilize these new tools at hand.
Phase 3: Observation
- Week Nine - Eleven: Observe how the tools are being utilized. Assess whether or not the existence of the new idea or tool helps increase the overall efficiency of the group or hinders it. Gather feedback from affected individuals.
Phase 4: Proposal Revisions
- Week Twelve - Thirteen: Return to the MESA president and affected individuals with a revised proposal based on the feedback and observations received from the board.
- Week Thirteen - Fourteen: Implement revised proposals.
End of Semester: Set MESA up with the tools that worked and revised proposals for more potential growth next semester.

Contact

I'm always looking for new and exciting opportunities. Let's connect.

jeanchristie.go@gmail.com

linkedin.com/in/jeanchristiego