How many emerging leaders have been missed or lost? Now is time for a mind-set shift

It happens within all businesses; genuine leadership talents are overlooked for those who may be more visible or who deliver greater sales or make most noise. This is nothing new; great leadership talent has long been missed across all businesses.

However, if we are all looking to improve, build stronger frameworks and are struggling to find great talent then the need to ensure that we develop leadership talent is greater than ever. Surely we need to work harder in this area?

One Exec recently noted that L&D have not delivered as it should have done for a number of years and now is the time for change. Maybe, maybe not; finger pointing will not solve the problem. It is far more about the creation of a mind-set that really sets out to free up and enable all talent. There will be leadership talent in the industry from all walks of life and the challenge is to find that talent and support its development.

Two of the most common observations in recent times has been on:

• Some exceptional customer experiences delivered through great staff in the last month; those on the floor interacting with customers
• How far removed some in corporate offices appear to be from the above.

It is a mind-set shift which is required to be combined with new frameworks. What existed pre the pandemic will not be good enough. The Industry and business in general need to work far better and harder at retaining talent and developing its leaders.

There will be many who will say that the industry does not have this problem but it does. One only needs to look round the sector at the number of new directors who have broken through to board level, their diversity and their backgrounds.

Hospitality has, within its power, the opportunity to be different; to stand for something more and to better. In its still very early days, Ritrovo has already been in discussions with overseas talent from countries as far and wide as Bangladesh, Mexico, USA, China and Australia. It is talking to charities helping asylum seekers as well as though coming from disadvantaged backgrounds. Equally, Ritrovo is talking to a number of corporates.

The philosophy is simple – Talent is talent; if you have talent, if you want to grow and learn, if you want to make a difference then Ritrovo is here for you. There are no lines in the ground, no barriers, no judgement. In the past there are many excellent CEOs who have come from the poorest of backgrounds, who possess few qualifications but have excelled. Over the last twenty years, barriers were created. Those barriers now need to taken down and a mindset developed which says if you are good enough, then let us support you as that is what matters.