Steve Jobs stated in ‘The Lost Interview’ that to be truly successful and accomplish something great together you need to build a team of A players and should not settle for B or C players.

This is true for any industry, but especially for hospitality. Receiving average service from an associate who is not passionate and doesn’t seem to care, and experiencing service from someone who sincerely cares about you and about providing excellent service, makes all the difference for you, and how successful the hotel can be.

Yet too often do we seem to turn a blind eye, and accept B or C players and the performance that comes with it. Why? Because we either want to avoid uncomfortable conversations and holding our players accountable, or we think that it’s not that bad.

So we start to accept B and C players, who in return hire and attract more B and C players (either because they don’t want to expose themselves, or because they’re ok to settle for less), and because the financial impact of hiring B and C players is not as evident as it could be in other industries, we get away with it for too long.

And do you think A players surrounded by B and C players are at their best? They’re probably not, right?

As a leader it is your responsibility towards your team, your management company and owners, to hold your team accountable to the highest standards and accept only the very best attitude and work ethics from yourself and your players.

I have experienced hotels and teams suffering because they were led by B and C players and because their leaders failed to help them improve or make a change, and I have witnessed how one leader can turn all this around and help teams and divisions that were declining before be on the rise again.

Don’t create a culture where your associates just come to work to collect a pay check and because they have to, foster an environment where people are excited to accomplish something great and be part of something special every day.

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