How to Build a Winning Management Team (Hint: It’s Not Just About Talent)

You don’t build a winning management team by hoarding talent like trophies on a shelf. You build one by paying attention to the things most people overlook, how someone reacts when the power goes out, when a guest screams at them for something out of their control, or when a team member starts quietly falling apart mid-shift.

A résumé can’t tell you how someone leads under pressure. A good interview won’t always show you how someone steps in for a coworker who's drowning without being asked. But those are the moments that build culture, not strategy slides or vision statements.

Look for Alignment Before Experience

I’ve said it before, and I’ll keep saying it: I’ve hired people with stacked credentials who fell apart the second they had to handle a no-show housekeeper and a lobby full of check-ins. And I’ve promoted hourly team members who led with grit, heart, and discipline, because they understood what it meant to show up for a team and not just a title.

It’s not about who’s the most polished, it’s about who’s aligned. Aligned with your values. Aligned with the work ethic and attitude your business needs. You can teach someone how to write a forecast. It’s a lot harder to teach ownership.

Traits That Matter (More Than People Think)

Coachability. I’ll take the person who says “I hadn’t thought of that, thank you” over the one who pretends to already know everything, every single time. Ego kills progress. Humility fuels growth.

Follow-through. It’s easy to talk big in meetings. I want to see who actually follows up with the night auditor, solves the issue they brought up, and circles back. Words are cheap. The exhibition is gold.

Situational awareness. I once had a manager who could sense when tension was building in the break room and handled it before it turned into a blowout. That’s leadership. It’s not about fixing things after the fact, it’s reading the room, responding in real time, and showing your team you’re present.

The ability to disagree respectfully. A great management team doesn’t agree on everything. If they do, someone’s playing it too safe. You want people who’ll challenge you, who’ll see around your blind spots. The key? They do it without turning it into a turf war.

Promote From Within, But with Intention

Promoting from within is powerful. It shows your team there’s a path forward. But here’s where people get it wrong: promoting someone before they’re ready and calling it “development.” That’s not a favor. It’s sabotage.

A winning team requires that each person understands not just how to do their job, but how to elevate everyone around them. That only happens when leaders take responsibility for developing replacements before they advance. If you’re not leaving your role stronger than you found it, you're not leading. You’re just passing the buck.

Accountability is Love

I don’t coddle my managers. And I don’t want them coddling their teams either. Accountability is not punishment. It’s how we show respect. It’s how we say, “I believe in you enough to expect more.”

When something goes wrong, I don’t want finger-pointing. I want problem-solving. I want people who say, “We dropped the ball. Here’s how we’re fixing it.” That kind of ownership builds trust fast.

Let Them Lead

The hardest part for some GMs? Letting go. You can’t build a strong team if you’re hovering over every decision or jumping in to play the hero. Let your managers lead. Let them make mistakes. Let them learn the hard way sometimes. Just make sure they know you’ve got their back when they do.

Trust is the oxygen of a winning team. Without it, everything suffocates.

Food for Thought

If you want a management team that wins, you have to stop looking for perfection and start looking for potential. Then nurture the hell out of it.

And remember leadership is a behavior, not a job title. Hire and promote accordingly.