Leadership Lessons From A Five-Star Resort

In the winter of 2024, I was privileged to spend some time at a five-star resort. It was a beautiful reprieve from the cold winters of Canada. After a few days, I began to notice different aspects and dynamics of the managers, staff and guests. The amount of teamwork, coordination, and communication it takes to operate a resort is endless. At one point I opened the notes app and began jotting down all the leadership lessons I could.

The following are five simple leadership lessons I learned while on vacation at a five-star resort.

1) Serve with a Helping Heart

If you don't want to serve others, don't be a leader. Nearly the entire time we spent at the resort the staff exceeded our expectations. Our oldest daughter has severe allergies and needs to carry an Epipen wherever she goes. We were quite concerned with the food at the resort as we needed to know the ingredients of many items. On our first full day, the resort sent someone to walk through the buffet and talk to us about each item. This was so important as it put our minds at ease. One of the restaurants we wanted to eat at for supper was filled with sauces, and ingredients that would most likely affect our daughter. We were able to have a face-to-face meeting with the head chef of the entire resort and he assured us that they would take care of all our needs and was able to help with the ingredient lists.

If you don't want to serve others but be served, don't be in leadership, you will never make it. Jesus stated in Mark 10:45: "For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."

Now and again (but honestly only once or twice), a staff member would make you feel bad for asking for something. Not anything out of the ordinary, just a simple request. Making people feel like they are an inconvenience is distasteful at the best of times and is poor leadership. Serve with a heart attitude that says, "How can I help you?" Leading begrudgingly is no leadership at all. Wear a smile. Leadership is hard, you won't always feel like it. That's ok, but making those you lead like an inconvenience will hurt those you lead and your leadership.

Paul's famous words in Philippians chapter two ring true, "Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men."

2) Follow Through On Your Word with Clear Communication

If you want to be a strong leader, be a man or woman of your word. Follow through, don't make promises you can't keep. Don't over-promise and under-deliver. Like I said already, the staff of the resort were incredible. My brother-in-law is a huge Coke fan. Unfortunately for him, the resort served Pepsi products. One day while sitting by the pool, my brother-in-law asked for a Coke. To his surprise, the resort staff said, "We don't serve Coke products but I will get you a Coke for tomorrow." The next day, my brother-in-law was given two cans of Coke. This made his day!

Sometimes it is a painful experience to follow through on your word, it requires sacrifice. We honour God when we are true to our word as we reflect the character of God in that He is true to every word He has spoken.

The psalmist knew the cost of being true to his word. Psalm 15: Lord, who may dwell in your sacred tent? Who may live on your holy mountain? The one whose walk is blameless, who does what is righteous, who speaks the truth from their heart, whose tongue utters no slander, who does no wrong to a neighbour, and casts no slur on others; who despises a vile person but honours those who fear the Lord; who keeps an oath even when it hurts, and does not change their mind; who lends money to the poor without interest; who does not accept a bribe against the innocent. Whoever does these things will never be shaken.

Not only should leaders follow through on their word, but they must communicate clearly and effectively. Most leadership problems and downfalls happen when communication is lacking. Difficulties arise and expectations go unmet when there is a communication breakdown. The communication among the staff had to be extremely high to serve so many guests.

3) Work in Teams

No man is an island. We should also say no leader is an island. Leading in teams is imperative to accomplishing a common goal. Every morning when we arrived at the restaurant for breakfast we could see through the glass doors that the resort staff were having a team meeting. I would imagine they were reminding each other what needed to take place to have a successful day. No one person could accomplish everything.

The author of Ecclesiastes says in chapter 4:9-10: Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up.

Throughout our time at the resort, almost no one was working alone. There are many benefits to working together, and most of what you accomplish in leadership will be because you have successfully put together the right team.

4) Celebrate and Honour Those You Lead

Celebrating those you lead is incredibly important. As a leader, you can accomplish great things but you will never do it all on your own. Too many people have served the leader's vision and have only been used along the way. This is how people get burned out and disillusioned. When we celebrate others and who God has made them to be, our wins become everyone's win. The goal of every leader should be to see those they lead walk in the gifts and talents God has given them, everyone plays a part in seeing the vision accomplished.

While at the resort, every morning as they opened the doors for the guests, the staff would clap and cheer as the guests entered the restaurant. They celebrated those they served. Leaders must learn to celebrate those they serve, it would go a long way in keeping their hearts soft towards those they lead.

1 Thess 5:11: Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.

Paul gives us great instruction as we lead others, and celebrate the diversity of the body. We have all been made in the image of God unique with different talents and gift sets, no one is better than the other.

1 Corinthians 12:15-20: Now if the foot should say, "Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. And if the ear should say, "Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? But in fact, God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body.

5) Be Quick to Clean Up Your Mess

Undoubtedly, when at a resort, many staff members and guests are walking around with dishes, cups, etc. From time to time, you would hear, "Crash," look around and someone had dropped a plate or cup and it shattered all over the floor. Within seconds, staff members were there to help clean up and make sure no one cut open their feet or got injured in any way.

I thought a lot about this and how it relates to leadership. Leadership is messy. Leaders are not perfect nor are the people they lead. Leaders have messes they need to clean up and leaders help others clean up the messes of their lives.

James writes in chapter five of his letter, "Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed." When we wrong others, fall into sin or make mistakes, we must quickly clean up the mess we have created. John shares this beautiful truth in his first letter, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness."