Management by Excuse: How Poor Hotel Leaders Avoid Accountability
Albert BarraDecember 9, 2018 · 4 min read
Behind every failure is an excuse. Leadership manuals constantly tell us that excuses are for losers, while winners find solutions to difficult challenges, or at least pursue initiatives with a winning attitude and use the situation to develop solutions for future scenarios.
In today’s social media era, people seem to prefer playing the blame game rather than taking responsibility. Unfortunately, deflecting attention, rejecting the truth and making excuses are skills that are far too often rewarded in modern society.
There have been some outrageous excuses over the years, many of them from very well-known public figures. It is surprising that so many leaders, in politics or business, fail to recognise their mistakes. Even honest mistakes can undermine a person’s credibility, but not as much or as deeply as cover-ups or blaming others.
Most of these poor managers are not really bad people. In fact, once you get to know them, they may be sincere, understanding and practical. Many of them, when confronted with evidence that their management skills are less than ideal, are surprised and try to refocus those skills.
Here are the most common real excuses used in the world of mediocre hotel managers to justify their behaviour, along with my view on each of them. I hope no one sees themselves in these:
1. "I was hired/promoted to drive change: it must be understood and accepted that not everything will be a party."
No, no, you were hired to lead change, not to force it through like a jackhammer
2. “We have the worst HR/finance/budget/sales processes and policies! My hands are tied; I am almost forced to act this way!”
In other words, it is the "system’s" fault, right?
3. "I inherited a bad team, and bad employees make a bad manager."
Right, and if it were not for those dreadful Human Resources policies, I could fire them all.
4. "My previous managers did it this way."
So it is Mum and Dad’s fault? Did you inherit your poor management skills?
5. "Honestly, I really do not care about the explanations they give me."
Really? Are you serious? I could never understand that.
6. "I am new, and I have not had time to familiarise myself."
OK, fair point. Organisations that do not provide management/leadership training are more likely to end up with poor managers. But even so, managers must take responsibility for their own development.
7. "This is not the real me; the job makes me this way."
Then why do the rest of the managers in your department not have the same problems?
8. "Everyone is jealous: I got the position and they did not."
Perhaps some employees are, but you have had plenty of time to earn their respect. Besides, not everyone wants to be a manager.
9. “I am who I am, and people should accept me for who I am.
Leadership is not an inherent trait; it is a skill that can be developed through hard work. Great leaders come in all shapes, genders and colours.
10. "There are many other managers worse than me!"
That is what children say when they bring their report cards home—unacceptable.
No one sets out to be a poor manager on purpose. Poor managers are made in the same way as great ones. Either the organisation did not provide the necessary training and support, or they are simply not cut out to be a hotel manager.
In this respect, it is necessary to look upwards, because the problem does not lie in the leadership ability of the manager, but in the person who chooses them to perform that role.
Most of these poor managers are not really bad people. In fact, once you get to know them, they may be sincere, understanding and practical. Many of them, when confronted with evidence that their management skills are less than ideal, are surprised and try to refocus those skills.
Here are the most common real excuses used in the world of mediocre hotel managers to justify their behaviour, along with my view on each of them. I hope no one sees themselves in these:
1. "I was hired/promoted to drive change: it must be understood and accepted that not everything will be a party."
No, no, you were hired to lead change, not to force it through like a jackhammer
2. “We have the worst HR/finance/budget/sales processes and policies! My hands are tied; I am almost forced to act this way!”
In other words, it is the "system’s" fault, right?
3. "I inherited a bad team, and bad employees make a bad manager."
Right, and if it were not for those dreadful Human Resources policies, I could fire them all.
4. "My previous managers did it this way."
So it is Mum and Dad’s fault? Did you inherit your poor management skills?
5. "Honestly, I really do not care about the explanations they give me."
Really? Are you serious? I could never understand that.
6. "I am new, and I have not had time to familiarise myself."
OK, fair point. Organisations that do not provide management/leadership training are more likely to end up with poor managers. But even so, managers must take responsibility for their own development.
7. "This is not the real me; the job makes me this way."
Then why do the rest of the managers in your department not have the same problems?
8. "Everyone is jealous: I got the position and they did not."
Perhaps some employees are, but you have had plenty of time to earn their respect. Besides, not everyone wants to be a manager.
9. “I am who I am, and people should accept me for who I am.
Leadership is not an inherent trait; it is a skill that can be developed through hard work. Great leaders come in all shapes, genders and colours.
10. "There are many other managers worse than me!"
That is what children say when they bring their report cards home—unacceptable.
No one sets out to be a poor manager on purpose. Poor managers are made in the same way as great ones. Either the organisation did not provide the necessary training and support, or they are simply not cut out to be a hotel manager.
In this respect, it is necessary to look upwards, because the problem does not lie in the leadership ability of the manager, but in the person who chooses them to perform that role.
- How many organisations choose managers based on their technical ability rather than their team-building and people skills?
- How often do senior management and ownership care about how you do it, as long as you exceed your targets?