What is Stopping You From Investing in Yourself?
As much as I love the hospitality industry, I do need to dog on it for a second. Leadership development resources in the restaurant business are lacking, leadership development programs are nonexistent, and management training programs don't set you up for long-term success. Many of us in the industry did not get a college degree in Hospitality Management to get where we are today. Many of us have had to rely on the examples of other managers around us to show us how to lead, and how not to lead.
In my opinion, if you want to invest in your leadership skills and grow your career, you have to do it on your own. There are a few major problems with this though:
What if you don’t know what leadership qualities you need to work on?
What if you don’t have the courage to ask for development because you aren’t great at asking for help?
What if you don’t know where or how to look for resources?
Throughout my career, I have faced each of the issues discussed above. I have always had a desire to become a better leader and focus on self-improvement, but I struggled with identifying where to begin. Instead, I relied on my superiors to provide me with opportunities for growth and became resentful when they did not meet my expectations. In some instances, I convinced myself that I was too busy or lacked the motivation to invest in my own development. Looking back, I recognize that this behavior did not align with being a good leader.
Over the years, I have spoken with several leaders who lack experience in performance reviews and understanding their leadership style. As a result, it becomes difficult for them to identify their strengths and weaknesses as a leader. If you are one of those leaders and want to enhance your leadership skills, check out the helpful tools that I have used in the past.
Here are some quick and free tools you can use to improve your self-awareness, get feedback from your boss and team, and work on your mental wellness.
Mind Tools offers a quick and free Emotional Intelligence Assessment and Instant Development tools. I love Mind Tools, as you can search for any leadership topic you may need help with, such as “how to give a performance review.”
To gain insight into your leadership abilities, I suggest asking your boss to specify three areas in which you excel and three areas in which you could improve, along with specific examples for each.
To gather feedback from your team on what's working and what's not, I’ve included my Start, Stop, Continue Exercise. Keep in mind that your team may not feel comfortable giving you direct feedback, so consider asking your boss to send out the exercise instead.
4. Check out CHOW, which stands for Culinary Hospitality Outreach and Wellness. CHOW is a Denver-based non-profit that offers many free resources, such as Zoom and in-person peer support meetings, wellness partners, and wellness app resources, to anyone who works in the hospitality industry.
5. Visit my website's Blog or Bookshelf for more leadership resources such as books, podcasts, and websites.
Investing in yourself doesn't have to be difficult. Taking small steps, like scheduling some time for self-care each day or week, can go a long way towards improving your overall wellbeing and achieving success on the job. As you begin taking care of yourself and making sure that your needs are met, you'll find that it becomes easier to stay motivated at work, reach goals faster, and lead a happier life. With dedication and persistence, investing in yourself will pay off both emotionally as well as professionally!
Your challenge: Ask yourself which area in your life you’d like to invest in and take one tiny step toward that investment.
