Travel industry leaders must learn from the challenges they faced during the pandemic and “completely reset” their management approach, according to speakers at the third annual International Women in Travel and Tourism Forum.
Jo Rzymowska, Celebrity Cruises EMEA vice-president and managing director, encouraged leaders to acknowledge the “non-stop” challenges the industry is facing, and alter their leadership styles to reflect the impact of the pandemic and the period of uncertainty travel businesses are experiencing.
She said: “We are living with Covid and on top of that we have got the devastating situation in Ukraine, the cost of living crisis and the current air travel chaos, so we are in a situation that is non-stop and we all need to completely reset our leadership styles.
“The pandemic gave companies an incredible opportunity to improve their collaboration, communication and cooperation, and now we must build on that.
“When I became a leader, I wasn’t allowed to show vulnerability, but now we are in a better period and we are realising that saying you don’t know the answer to something and showing vulnerability is so important.”
She went on to urge leaders to take control of their teams and offer clear direction even in times of uncertainty.
“We are in a turbulent time and people want direction”, she said. ” Leaders need to listen to their staff then put a stake in the ground and say ‘this is where we are going’. We have to make decisions when we don’t know what will happen next, and leaders need to take ownership of their business and move forward.”
Julia Lo Bue-Said, Advantage Travel Partnership chief executive, echoed Rzymowska’s points and urged workers to communicate with each other and not to apologise for “saying ‘I don’t know'”.
“The pandemic enabled us to reset our work lives and gave us time to think about the things that were most important at work and it’s all about the people,” she said.
“Goals kept changing during the pandemic and that made it okay for people to not always have the answers. As long as leaders are doing their best in that moment, communicating clearly with their staff, and working as a team then it’s fine to say ‘I don’t know’.”
Amanda Mason, head of marketing for Roadchef, urged leaders to make time for their teams and listen to what they had to say.
“It is all about listening to people – you must get to know your team and hear their thoughts and feelings”, she said. “If they feel heard at work then that will be reflected in their output.”