Those Who Created the Problem Cannot Be the Solution
In hospitality, we often expect the people who created a problem to lead its solution. Real change requires renewed structures, fresh perspectives and the willingness to let new people lead.
Some ideas resonate so powerfully that they need not be repeated to retain their impact. This is one of them: those who created the problem, or are part of it, cannot be part of the solution. And yet, in hospitality, we constantly see strategic decisions driven by the very same people, structures or mindsets that led to declining service, team burnout or a brand’s loss of relevance.
It is a curious phenomenon. We redesign the menu, but not the chef who has been repeating it for twenty years. We rethink the hotel concept, but leave the same operating philosophy untouched. We change the logo, the slogan, the amenities… but do not question the chain of command or the leadership model that exhausted the team in the first place. And when something fails again—because it inevitably does—we say the problem was execution, not design.
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