'There AreTwo Types Of Manager...'

Several years ago, a as relatively new food and beverage supervisor, Giles had the opportunity to work under a very unorthodox F&B manager. He was only at that hotel for a few months, but he learned a great deal from Mr. C. He still remembers several management principles and words of wisdom.

Once such expression Giles recalls even today. ‘Mr C told me once that there are two types of manager; those that entered the industry and made their way up the ladder so that they could call themselves ‘managers’ and are able to say that ‘I work in management’. The others entered the industry, and learned about the hospitality industry as they made their way up the ladder, and took the time to understand how the industry works and operated. After their slower climb up the ladder, they become leaders, not managers, and their insight and understanding of the industry is invaluable.’

Giles also goes further with Mr C’s words of wisdom. He ventures that the “two types of managers” theorem can be expanded, and goes so far as to engage with theories of leadership and management.

The matter of good leadership, people management, and essentially what makes a good leader has been debated over centuries by theorists and professionals alike, across all industries and sectors. The head accountant is as eager to be a good leader as is the Army General. Politicians would benefit from leadership master classes just as much as a hospital consultant would.

For Giles, the ‘different kinds of manager’ question is simple; those who treat their staff well, and those who don’t.

One type of manager is business focused. They put profit before all else- quite rightly so, because they are running a business. Working hours, working conditions, holidays, staff issues and requests go by the board, as the restaurant or hotel simply needs to turn over tables, and to get people staying there, and dining there. Staff know that their issues will not be listened to, or if they are, they will take a back number to the needs of the business. All that matters to the manager is the staff turning up on time for their shift, working hard, then going home after many hours of overtime. However, the business is successful, and that manager gets a pat on the back for his profit margins and productivity.

The other kind of manager is the opposite. For them, the needs of the business are secondary. Their staff are treated well, and are put first. They will always have time for their staff, will always be there to help them through tough times, will always have their back in any work related issue or dispute. For those mangers, an after shift drink is important for staff morale, instead of an expense to be accounted for.

Giles recalls one Central European manager he worked for once with great pleasure. ‘He was inspirational. He was very open about putting his staff first, and in being there for them, both at work and out of work. He stated that the customers were our responsibility and job, and that his job was us. That was his philosophy.’ That manager benefited from staff who were dedicated and loyal to him, and would go that extra mile for him, knowing that he was there looking out for them. As such, it was a very happy and dynamic team, a team that smashed every challenge handed to them by the hotel’s management, and generated a healthy profit for the hotel.

Indeed, there was another manger, of the first category, that Giles also recalls. She was very much working in a world of her own, he recalls. She was driven by profits, and in balancing the books. However, to her credit, the records on paper that she achieved, the productivity and the profits made were impressive. However, one look at her hotel restaurant told a different story.

The staff held her in contempt, and actually often concealed information or issues from her. They knew that involving her in matters was often detrimental, so they banded together, and worked together, often excluding here. ‘The relationship between staff and manager was very cordial, but it was also very strained, and tense. She, however, could not see that.’

Giles ventures that there are two other types of managers in addition. When I query as to what those styles of leadership are, he smiles enigmatically.

‘Another time, William. That is for another post.’