When Field Leadership Fails: Signs Your GMs Need More Than a Zoom Call

(Because a Camera Can’t Coach What You Won’t Show Up to See)

When I took over as a regional, I asked a GM when their Regional last visited the property.
They paused, laughed awkwardly, and said, “Well… we had a Zoom eight months ago. Does that count?”

It doesn’t.

We talk a big game about support.
We throw around words like “partnership” and “collaboration.”
But when a GM is drowning in turnover, walking 20,000 steps a day, managing guest complaints, owner expectations, and trying to train three new hires before check-in, support needs to be present, not pixelated.

Let’s be honest.
Field leadership fails when it becomes a calendar item instead of a commitment.
When it turns into coaching via email.
When "support" is reduced to spreadsheet reviews and dashboard downloads.

You can’t assess culture from a PowerPoint.
You can’t fix morale from a Monday call.
And you definitely can’t build trust when your GM hasn’t seen your face in eight months.

I showed up unannounced at a struggling property once, and the GM was overjoyed. Not because I brought answers, but because someone finally showed up. That moment said more about our leadership culture than any performance review ever could.

Want to know if your GMs need more than a Zoom?
Check the body language on your next video call.
Are they nodding politely but saying very little?
Are the smiles polite but the eyes tired?
Are you hearing a lot of “We’re fine” while seeing service scores and retention slip?

That’s not fine. That’s survival mode.
And survival mode doesn’t get better with more metrics. It gets better with leadership that shows up.

Walk the property.
Ask the housekeeper how she’s doing.
Watch a check-in.
Sit with the GM after a 12-hour day and say, “How can I help…for real?”

Because sometimes, what they need isn’t a report review.
It is a second set of hands. A sounding board.
Someone who isn’t judging them for missed goals, but asking what got in the way.

Field leadership isn’t just about accountability.
It is about presence.
And if we forget that, we don’t just lose performance.
We lose people.

Are you leading from the field, or just watching from a screen?

#ShowUpToLead #BeyondTheZoom #SupportMeansPresence