There’s no doubt that today’s STR and VR leaders have to be technophiles, embracing
the ever-changing world of the business ecosystem and somehow managing to get all
their API- connected tech to work in unison. Unfortunately, the required attention on the tech stack comes at the opportunity cost of focusing equally on the “people stack.”
I read and hear a lot of talk bemoaning today’s workforce, with words like entitled,
unengaged, and unmotivated being thrown around. But from what I see as a hospitality industry trainer who spends 70+ days a year teaching lodging industry workshops filled mostly with Gen Z and Millennials, the real issue is the lack of inspired leadership.
My impression of the younger generations who are early on in their careers is that most of them are hungry and eager to learn, like a bottle of resin poured into a mold, waiting for a drop of catalyst to convert it to become solid and durable.
It’s clear to me that behind every smiling face greeting guests is an inspired leader with a passion for “generativity.”
Generativity is my new favorite word which I came across recently in reading an article on psychology. However, the word itself is certainly not new, and when I researched its etymology, the word became even more meaningful to me. The term generativity was a minted by Erik Erikson in the mid-20 th century as part of his theory of psychosocial development throughout one’s lifetime, which contrasted with the Freudian focus on childhood experiences having an oversized impact.
According to Erikson, humans go through 8 stages of development in life, each
presenting a sort of conflict of choices. In middle adulthood, the choice is between
stagnation or generativity, which he defined as a desire to mentor, guide and nurture the next generation.
One reason the word really hit with me is because at my phase of my career, when so
many peers are eagerly taking early retirement, what keeps me out on the road 38% of my life (138 days each year) is what I now know to be generativity.
While it’s always been rewarding to receive positive feedback at the end of my training workshops, or afterwards in the form of emails and DM’s, I now recognize that these messages are even more meaningful. I just love it when I bump into participants from many years ago who share comments about how our seemingly “micro” encounters have somehow had a lasting impact on their career paths.
Perhaps Erikson was right when he talked about that while parenthood is one way to
express generativity, teaching, sharing knowledge, and engaging in one’s community
provides another option for those who are not parents or for those who are empty-
nesters.
Generativity is Erikson’s positive alternative to the other option he identified, which is
the stagnation that results from self-absorption and unproductiveness in middle age.
There’s lots of great things that will come about when you foster a spirit of generativity among your leadership team. Not only will your frontline staff benefit from the mentorship and your guests benefit from the positive hospitality experiences delivered by satisfied staff, but your leaders also benefit as well from knowing they are leaving a legacy in this world.
I often teach a class I call “The 3M’s of Hospitality Leadership: Model, Measure,
Mentor,” which has a strong focus on mentoring, (which I will hereafter call generativity.) One of our activities is to break out in teams and share a story about someone from earlier in your career who mentored you, and how that impacted your career thus far. When I ask for volunteers to share their stories with the general session, nearly every hand goes up. And more than once a tear is shed as participants reflect gratefully on those who have touched their lives.
If you want to inspire a passion for generativity in your leadership team, I highly suggest an activity like this as a starting place.
