Developing Your Next General Manager (And no, “They’ve Been Here the Longest” Is Still Not a Strategy)
Let’s get real for a second.
When was the last time you intentionally developed someone to take over as GM?
And no, I don’t mean tossing them a set of keys, mumbling “good luck,” and hoping osmosis kicks in.
I’m talking about grooming someone. Teaching them how to lead, not just how to survive.
Too often, hotel owners promote the one who's stuck around the longest. Not the one people respect. Not the one who calms chaos without you having to step in. Just the one who didn’t quit.
And then you’re shocked when they crash and burn in the GM seat.
Here’s the truth: developing your next GM starts long before the job opens up. It starts with paying attention.
Who’s stepping up when you’re not on site?
Who’s coaching others without a title?
Who’s curious enough to ask why, not just what?
That’s your bench.
Now here’s the tough part: stop hoarding all the leadership.
Let them run a pre-shift.
Hand off a tough guest issue and don’t rescue them.
Debrief. Talk through the decision-making. Explain the why behind your call, not just the result.
If they shadow you for a week and still want the job, that’s a green flag.
If they ghost you halfway through, good. You just dodged a future headache.
Development doesn’t happen in conference rooms. It happens in laundry rooms. On the walk to the breakroom. During an elevator ride where someone asks, “What would you do?”
That’s when leaders are born.
You want to know if you're doing your job as an owner or regional?
See how many people around you have leveled up.
Not everyone will make it to the top. That’s okay.
But if you’ve built a property full of people who could step up tomorrow, you’ve done your job.
If you have to be on property every day or everything falls apart, you haven’t built a team. You’ve built a dependency.
Build replacements. Not followers.
Because the day you can step back and your hotel runs like you’re still there, that’s the win.
#BuildFromWithin #GrowYourOwnGMs #LeadershipPipeline #HotelOwnership #OperationalExcellence