The Herostratus Syndrome: The Trap of Standing Out at Any Cost
There is a name that has survived the centuries not because of greatness, but because of ego. Herostratus was neither a general nor a philosopher nor a great conqueror. He was simply a shepherd, a man with no achievements or merits, whose only obsession was to go down in history. But he had no talent, no brilliant ideas, no feat that would make him worthy of being remembered. So he did the only thing he believed could ensure his name would be etched in time: he set fire to the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.
He did not do it out of hatred, revenge or money. He did it because he wanted to be famous, at any cost. And although the rulers tried to erase his name from the records so that his act would not inspire others, his story survived, becoming a warning for centuries to come.
The irony is that the Herostratus Complex did not disappear with him. It repeats itself time and again, in different eras, in different settings... and in hospitality, too.
You do not have to be running a hotel to fall into this trap. I have seen it in department heads and directors who arrive with the need to make their mark and introduce radical changes, even when nothing truly justifies them. I have seen it in receptionists who need to be the centre of attention, even if that means overshadowing their own colleagues. I have seen it in chefs who remove successful dishes from the menu simply because someone else created them, or in restaurant managers who act out of spite by discrediting others' work.
Perhaps you have seen it too.
Think about it: a new department head takes up the role and, within weeks, everything that used to work begins to change. New protocols are implemented, routines the team had already mastered are eliminated, and adjustments nobody asked for are made. The goal is not to improve, but to mark territory. “If everything stays the same, no one will notice that I am the new manager,” they think. And in their eagerness to make their mark, they tear down what had already been built, without realising that you cannot improve something that no longer exists.
I have also seen the other side of the Herostratus Complex: when the department head being replaced refuses to fade away quietly and decides, consciously or unconsciously, to do everything possible to make their absence felt... but not because of how well they left things, rather because of the chaos they leave behind. Resentment is a poor adviser, and some people, instead of facilitating an orderly transition, choose to sow uncertainty, leave loose ends, withhold key information or even discredit their successor before they have the opportunity to prove their worth.
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Some act as though their departure marks the beginning of the end for the department, convinced that nothing will work without them. They refuse to document processes, withhold strategic contacts and even sabotage from the shadows, hoping the new manager will stumble and senior management will realise its “mistake” in replacing them. But what they fail to see is that, in this battle of egos, it is not the successor who loses, but the team and the operation. The true test of leadership lies not in how you manage a team when you hold power, but in the dignity with which you leave the role when the time comes to step aside.
The result is often the same: disoriented teams, less efficient processes and service that suffers.
When Ego Matters More Than Teamwork
But the Herostratus Complex does not manifest itself only through unnecessary changes. It also appears in the way some people seek to stand out, even at the expense of their own colleagues.
I have seen department heads who withhold key information so that others fail and they can emerge as the situation's “saviours”. I have seen employees who take credit for others' work to gain recognition. I have seen people who, rather than collaborating, compete with their own team because they believe the only way to shine is by dimming everyone else's light.
The problem is that hospitality is not a business of individual achievements. It is a team effort. And when employees within the same department do not trust one another, when managers are more focused on standing out than on making everything run smoothly, guest service inevitably suffers.
In the end, guests do not remember which manager imposed new rules or who took credit for improving a process. What they remember is the experience they had.
Sooner or later, you will face a crossroads: make changes because they genuinely improve the hotel, or make them because you want to stand out. The difference between the two is subtle, but fundamental.
Here are a few questions that may help you make better decisions before implementing something new:
- Does this truly improve the operation, or does it merely make my presence more noticeable?
- Am I eliminating a process because it does not work, or simply because I want everything to bear my signature?
- Does my team understand and embrace these changes, or do they see them as imposed?
- Am I collaborating with other department heads, or competing with them?
A good leader is not the one who makes the most changes or stands out most in meetings. It is the one who enables their team to perform better, even when they are not present.
In hospitality, every day is a perfectly synchronised choreography among different departments, and poorly managed ego is a silent threat. Both the person who arrives needing to reinvent everything and the one who leaves resentfully forget something fundamental: a hotel is not one person's stage, but a space for teamwork, continuity and guest service. Making your mark is not about making noise, but about building something that can endure beyond your presence.
The department heads who truly leave a lasting impact are not those who impose radical changes without measuring the consequences, nor those who sabotage the operation to prove how much they will be missed. They are the ones who enable their team to perform better, even after they are gone, because they knew how to strengthen processes, train people and improve the guest experience sustainably. They are the ones who, when they leave, make things easier for those who come after them, not more difficult.
The key question is not “How can I be remembered?”, but “What am I leaving behind that is truly worthwhile?”. The best way to leave a lasting impact in this industry is not through chaos or forced self-importance, but through the quiet legacy of a department that continues to operate with excellence, even when the name on the office door has changed.
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