Feature

Fast Track To The Top

Getting the top job isn't easy and staying there is even more difficult. Sheer grit, hard work and perseverance with a little bit of luck is sure to get you success, but what if your luck runs out and you're not getting the promotion to the top job, a place where you should be. What should you do? Express Hospitality asks the people already there on how to take the fast track to the top job.

What do you do if you have been at the same position for so long that you don't remember when you were promoted last? What do you do if your boss doesn't appreciate your work and doesn't think that you are fit for the top job? What do you do when the only opening for a top job has five other contenders and all of them have some amount of experience of being there? The answer is simple: Switch.

Working in a large hotel chain is a problem for getting to the top spot at a property let alone the entire chain. Working in a small hotel chain is also difficult with fewer properties to handle and fewer jobs at the top. Working at a stand-alone is still more difficult with most of the top jobs taken up by family members or a slower rate of turnover of people going up the ladder. What do you do? The answer again is switch.

Everyone works hard to get to the top tier of the pyramid. The only thing about a pyramid though is that there isn't space for everybody at the top and if you don't have the required edge or as Ravi Menon, general manager, Best Western Emerald, Mumbai puts it, 'have a godfather', it is difficult to get anywhere near your ambitions.

Most people already at the top job for example, chief executive officers (CEOs), directors, presidents, vice-presidents, general managers and executive chefs would tell you that the easiest way to the top is proving yourself everyday. Working like there were no tomorrow and giving it all that you've got, in short, guts, hard work and perseverance. What they won't tell you though is the route that some of them took to reaching the top level of management and how they grew from that level.

With so much of competition across the fields be it production, management, housekeeping, front office etc expecting growth is as difficult as handling any of the top positions. Joseph D'Couto, general manager, Le Meridien, Ahmedabad, says, "It is very difficult to stay at the top. You have to know everything from finance to production. One requires a basic knowledge of everything. In the end everybody wants to win the race and it is only those of the highest calibre who get the job."

Most people at the managerial level who talk about switching companies also talk about switching cities as a catalyst to faster growth. Here are the ups and downs of shifting cities to find the much needed step up in your designation.

Talking about cities

Switching cities: From metropolitans to non-metro politan cities

The metropolitan cities of Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, Kolkata and Bangalore are some of the best places to work in, with higher salaries, more scope of activity, better work environment and exposure. "In smaller cities the growth is limited; there is only a certain amount of growth that could be achieved. The time frame internationally for a person to become a general manager has reduced tremendously and the job is becoming much more stressful in a larger city," says Anurag Bajaj, general manager, Hotel Marine Plaza, Mumbai.

With the ages of people becoming general managers falling every year, it isn't surprising to know that the burnout experienced is faster. Most companies select candidates with potential of becoming general managers and transfer them to smaller properties in the chains to train them as general managers. Bajaj says, "Most hotel chains usually use smaller properties in smaller cities in their chain to train executives a rung or two below the managerial position so that they can get the necessary experience before they can be brought to head a property at a metro city."

The reason for this manoeuvre is to allow the incumbent to get the necessary exposure of running a hotel and taking their decisions as they would. In case of any wrong decisions, the loss of revenue is less as compared to the same effect of the wrong decision taken in a larger property or in a larger city. So, if you would enter a large chain of hotels and have reached a position just a step or two away from the top job, "Shift to a smaller city," says Menon. "In smaller cities a person could show his managerial skills. It is easier to be a big fish in a small pond than vice-versa. Shifting to a smaller city at a level higher than what you had at the non-metro city makes sense," concludes Menon.

The strategy has been tried more often than not and everybody at the top who did not shift from the metros knows someone who did to gain the designation. And while the strategy has worked as a catalyst to quicker growth it is imperative that the experience at the position gives you the edge as compared to a number two person from a metro city while wanting to shift back to a metro city.

Once the move has been made of getting the top designation, shifting back to a larger city on the same position is easier. "Once you become a general manager, the work is the same across the country," says D'Couto. It is for this very reason that a person in a smaller town with the experience of being a general manager or an executive chef can go back to the larger cities to remain in the top level of management.

However it is also important to have your contacts in the larger cities to help leverage the jump in designation. "Out of sight is out of mind," says Abhay Manikeri, director of sales, InterContinental Marine Drive, Mumbai. The market is small and the competition is fierce, knowing people amongst the top rungs is important to get that important shift back to a metro city with the promotion you have received in the smaller city.

A shift to a smaller city though means a reduction in salary since the standards of living are lower. Bajaj says, "The salary of an employee at a property is in direct co-relation with the Average Room Revenue (ARRs) of the hotel." And while there is a dip in salary, an incumbent must remember it takes two steps backwards to jump across further.

So, is moving to a smaller city worth the cut in salary? Sarosh Khatib, director of marketing, Grand Hyatt, Mumbai says, "Shifting to a smaller city could be used as a catalyst as moving to a smaller city does cut down the time to get to the desired position than if one were working in a larger city."

Also people in sales and marketing do have the option of shifting sectors for instance from hospitality to FMCG. "The scope is wider for a person in marketing and sales as compared to production or management in a hotel," says Tapan Nanda, director - sales and marketing, Golden Palms Hotel and Spa, Bangalore. "While food and beverage sales and food and beverage production have a limited scope, a person from sales and marketing has the basic knowledge of selling a product or service which is applicable in other fields also," concludes Nanda.

As proof for people who have gained by using this sure-fire route is Sumit Kant, general manager, Ritz Hotel, Mumbai. Kant says, "It is easier to work in a metropolitan city since trained manpower is easily available but by shifting to a smaller city I reduced the span of time in which I became a general manager. On an average, people working in metro cities would take at least 12 to 15 years to get to the position of general manager, while in a non-metropolitan city the time frame gets reduced to eight to 10 years. It is sensible to go to a smaller city and get the top job, and then come back to a metro city with the designation in hand."

Switching chains: From large chains to small

Switching cities either with the same chain or different hotels may be a good move but another way of doing things is to move away from the company you are working for. A person working in a small chain in a large city would be benefited by shifting to a larger chain in a small city. From a small chain to a large hotel chain is a better ploy, while shifting cities. Also from stand-alone hotels in larger cities to a small chain of hotels in a small city can give your career the required boost.

Partha Chatterjee, general manager - sales and marketing, Roots Corporation Limited, the company that has launched the indiOne chain of budget hotels says, "A single property hotel pays higher than a chain. Working for a chain is an advantage in the form that you could leverage the brand value."

So, when shifting cities it would not make too much of sense shifting from a chain of hotels to a stand-alone in a non-metro city. It would be a better move to either go from a small chain of hotels or a stand-alone in a large city to a larger chain of hotels or a small chain of hotels in a small city respectively. Chatterjee says, "It is best to move up the designation first and then move up the responsibility ladder by going to a larger city."

Rakesh Mathur, president WelcomHeritage, Delhi says, "The most important thing about a person when we are looking at filling up the spot of a general manager is the person's capability, management skills, experience and personality. Whether the person comes from a smaller city or a large one, it makes very little difference. There are better opportunities to prove ones abilities in smaller cities and if that can be achieved they would most certainly get the top job."

Turning the business around in a smaller city, of a stand-alone can help retain the top job while shifting to a larger city or proving your skills while working for a chain of hotels should ensure that the position is retained, while joining a hospitality chain in a metro city.

Deepak Bassi, chief executive officer, Mayfair Rooms through his experience says, "I know of a lot of people who have shifted cities for a better designation. I used to work for a large chain of hotels and branched out into a new venture, which is apparently a small chain as compared to the company I used to work for. I have become CEO here, something I wouldn't have dreamed of if I would have continued working for my former company. The hierarchy would not have allowed me to grow, but by getting to a smaller company I could achieve my ambitions. The growth that I have experienced here would make it easier for me to grow further."

There are many thriving instances of the phenomena. Amongst them Gaurav Kant, director of marketing, Radisson, Delhi is one of the perfect examples having worked in Delhi as a sales manager and then shifting to another chain of hotels at a position above. He was called back by his former company to become the director of marketing. Kant says, "It is a good idea to shift chains, the shift was a catalyst in my career and it took me to the position earlier than if I had stuck on to the same company."

The international experience

"Everyone is being trained abroad these days," says Chef Mark Crocker, executive chef, Hotel Marine Plaza, Mumbai. With most international chains bringing in expatriates to run the show of their hotels in the larger cities, the competition has just become tougher. So, is it necessary to have international experience?

Ranjan Gupta, general manager, The Lotus Suites, Mumbai says, "If you notice most of the large hotels these days have expatriates as general managers. This is because there is a lot of international movement these days and understanding the global scenario is important in making a hotel function up to international standards."

Gupta who has become a general manager has gained international experience while getting there. Gupta says, "I worked for a British chain with a German F&B manager and Sri Lankan colleagues. In an environment like that the interaction with people from across the world is helpful in learning. Working at a managerial position later helped me gain the experience that I required to become a general manager in India. While shifting designation and the brand that you have worked for plays a very important part in gaining that next job or going up the ladder."

Shifting cities to get closer to the top may not be a bad ploy and shifting the group of hotels that you work for isn't either but the international exposure is an experience of knowing how the same industry across the world works, plus it gives you the much required influence in getting a higher designation in India.

Talking jobs

Talking about particular jobs in the hospitality industry, the major functions would fall under management and production. Job-wise for managers, either in handling the daily routine of a hotel or selling and marketing its food and beverage or its rooms, the top extends to the CEO's position. For production, viz chefs the highest a person could rise in most cases, to executive chef or in rare cases corporate executive chef. A shift from cities is possible in both instances to enhance ones careers.

Management

"Everybody likes to work in a metro city, the exposure is good but it is more difficult to get the top designation in a metro," says Sudhir Babu, director of human resources (HR), Grand Hyatt Mumbai. Perceptions in smaller cities are different from that of a larger city, "The management level has a perception that giving a higher designation to the second or third in command would make them take the promotion and leverage it to find a better salary with the competitors," says Manisha Sharma Shastry, regional sales manager, Carlson Hospitality Marketing - India Pvt Ltd. "I think it is a good idea for a person in the lower rungs to shift cities just to break away from the impediments that block their rise to the top jobs," continues Shastry.

Menon agrees with Shastry saying, "Moving cities for a person in the management aspect of hospitality makes absolute sense. You have to be on the move. If you go slowly it would take a sizeable amount of your working career to get anywhere close to the top." Manikeri however explains, "In sales and marketing the top jobs are usually in the metro cities and only the handling of the pressures of the metro cities would help in getting the job that the person wants."

Production

Working in a non-metro certainly makes one grow faster and gets the person to the required designation, but the pay packet remains commensurate with the standard of living of the city. So, a shift to a smaller city to get the post of an executive chef would be a sensible thing to do as long as you do plan on going back to a metropolitan city and furthering your career from there.

Apparently a person working in a metropolitan city has more responsibilities than a person in the same designation in a smaller city, since the number of clientele is more and the hotels are usually larger. Working in smaller cities would help a person coming in from the second or third rung gain the experience in handling clients. This experience can then be used as a base in a larger city where the top management has to deal with much more complex issues.

About the top

Now that a route has been found to get to the top, the question about what is the top arises. Is the general manager a top position? Well, yes and no. Yes since they do head a hotel property and no since there are always the directors above them. So, are the directors, the top positions? Or is the vice-president the top? Or is the president the top job? Or is the CEO the top position in the hospitality industry?

Even a CEO might not have the top job, since there would be the group CEO and the board of directors of the entire company that would be above the CEO. So, what is the actual top job? Elucidates Rummy Anand, director of sales and marketing, Carlson Hospitality Marketing India Pvt Ltd, "Everybody is accountable to someone else and has to report to someone above themselves." It is a cycle, which is never ending and getting to the highest level isn't the end of it. But keeping the thought aside of what the top job is, it is imperative that knowledge in each and every field that comes under the purview of hospitality, ensures your rise. "A person handling only finance and having no knowledge about production could not get to the top because the role of a manager is to be a trouble shooter and to set the standards as required in each and every area. The best way to any top position and to stay there, is to invest time in each and every department of the industry and to know the basic rudiments of how everything works so that you can get the top job easier and stay there longer.”