Don’t Be the Ambition Killer: A Note to Hotel Leaders

If you've ever worked in a hotel where your drive was mistaken for ego and your ideas were seen as stepping out of line, you know how fast motivation can disappear.
You stop raising your hand in pre-shift.
You stop suggesting new ways to improve check-in or cut down on guest complaints.
You start shrinking.

Not because you lost your spark, but because someone in charge made you feel like your spark was dangerous.

I’ve worked for that GM.
The one who saw initiative as competition.
The one who gave credit sparingly and took the mic in every meeting.
The one who thought leadership meant guarding the top instead of lifting others to it.

But I’ve also worked for the other kind.

The kind of leader who called out talent before you saw it in yourself.
Who introduced you by your strengths instead of your title.
Who opened doors and said, “Go on, walk through. I’ve got your back if you stumble.”
The kind who believed that real leadership is about building a deeper bench, not being the only star player.

Let’s get something straight. If you're a GM, AGM, or department head, your job isn’t just to run the operation. Your job is to develop people who can run it without you.

So, here’s your gut check:

Are you creating a culture where people feel safe to speak up?
Do your staff meetings invite input, or just nods?
Do your supervisors feel empowered to lead, or afraid to make a call without your sign-off?
Are you opening the path for future leaders, or silently blocking it out of fear they’ll surpass you?

Because the truth is, legacy isn’t about being the best manager in the building.
It’s about the people still thriving long after you’ve moved on.
That’s when you know you led right.

I once promoted someone who barely said a word when I hired her. Quiet. Inexperienced. Overlooked. But I saw potential.
So I gave her goals that stretched her.
I backed her in front of owners and supported her in private.
I told people what she was good at before she fully believed it herself.
Three years later, she was running her own team.
Not because I micromanaged her.
Not because she owed me.
But because I lit the match and got out of the way.

So no, don’t be the ambition killer.

Be the fire starter.
Light people up.
Then step back and watch what happens when they take off.

That’s leadership.
That’s a legacy.
That’s how we move the industry forward.

#LeadFromTheLobby #GrowYourBench #HospitalityLeadership