The fact that there are critical leadership issues in the hotel industry, and not only, is there for all to see.
At a time when the entire sector is still experiencing a vocational crisis due to various factors, strategic and organisational investments to make hotels and accommodation facilities attractive places to work are fortunately growing.
But on this growth we must open an important digression, which concerns the issue of staff engagement, often the primary goal of the aforementioned investments.
The following is a quick parenthesis, to better clarify the subject of this shared reflection.
What is the real meaning of staff engagement?
Engagement refers to the level of emotional and psychological involvement a person has with their work and the organisation of which they are a part. It is a mix between feeling an integral part of the company, motivation to give one’s best and proactivity in solving problems and proposing ideas.
According to recent studies, organisations that record high levels of engagement among their staff show:
- a 21% increase in productivity
- a 22% increase in profitability
- a 41% reduction in employee absenteeism
The subtle line between benefits and risks
Data in hand, the increase in investments is good (at least something is happening), but beware of the strategic impact of these actions, which are often completely decontextualised from the company growth plan and risk becoming a big boomerang.
Here are a few examples:
The “magic wand” effect: when urgency replaces strategy
Too many times we witness the activation of organisational actions and efforts at the very last moment, in an attempt to solve in a few days critical issues that have been dragging on for years. This reactive approach, often dictated by urgency, risks compromising the effectiveness of the actions themselves.
Initiating a culture of training and internal growth cannot be improvised or relegated to an emergency response. Instead, it must be an integral part of strategic planning. If it is now clear that investment in employees, relational dynamics and the quality of the work environment directly affects organisational results, why are these levers still treated as secondary priorities?
It is time to overcome the illusion of the “magic wand” and recognise that real change requires vision, continuity and structured commitment.
‘People Washing Machine’: when involvement is only a show-off
By ‘people washing machine’ we mean those initiatives, often isolated and unstructured, designed to increase employee involvement but which, in practice, seem to have social media visibility as their main goal. Well-packaged events, full of photos and slogans, that convey the image of a dynamic and people-oriented company – at least in appearance.
One does not question the intrinsic value of these activities: they can generate pleasant moments and leave positive memories. However, if they are not included in a broader and more coherent path of organisational and cultural development, they risk remaining isolated episodes, incapable of producing a lasting impact. Real involvement requires continuity, listening and consistency between what is communicated and what is experienced on a daily basis in the company.
“Not in This Lifetime’: when management remains on the sidelines
It often happens that activities are organised for the whole team, with the intention of promoting involvement, learning or change. However, in many cases, management chooses not to participate actively, maintaining a position on the sidelines in relation to the rest of the team.
This type of attitude can generate several side effects:
- Gap in skills and languages between those who take part in the experience and those who remain outside, hindering internal communication.
- Loss of opportunities for authentic discussions between roles and levels, which are fundamental for building trust and alignment.
- Perceived inconsistency between the content that emerged during the activity and subsequent managerial behaviour, with the risk of increasing misalignment rather than reducing it.
For an activity to have a real impact, it is crucial that the leadership also gets involved. Consistency between what is proposed and what is practised is the basis for building credibility and trust within the organisation.
So? It’s time to get your Authenticity on the line
The wonderful discipline of the neurobiology of interpersonal experience helps us in understanding the impact of all this and the close link between engagement, leadership and authenticity.
I use the term authenticity because, besides being an ethically relevant factor, it plays a crucial role in creating a psychologically safe environment where the seeds of trust can sprout and, in this, leaders play a crucial role.
A manager who admits he or she does not have all the answers, who shares his or her vulnerabilities or who apologises for a mistake is helping to shape and share an internal culture. And this culture, which on the surface may be seen as weak, actually represents a relational and biological signal of humanity, vulnerability and courage, which can generate a healthy empathic response based on truth.
And, above all, it is an invitation.
An invitation to help create an environment where you can show your true self, without wearing masks to please or for fear of judgement. At work, this translates into the ability to express opinions, emotions, doubts and ideas without fear of being stigmatised or criticised.
Psychological safety, a concept made famous by Harvard professor Amy Edmondson, is the shared belief that the team is a place where it is safe to take interpersonal risks.
And authenticity is the catalyst for this.
When leaders and team members show authenticity, they give implicit permission for others to do the same.
On the contrary, dangerous viruses and examples are sown:
- the persistent inconsistency between saying and doing
- the unwillingness to get involved
- the unwillingness to take responsibility (but only credit)
- the lack of clarity of intentions towards people who collaborate with us
- the lack of care in interpersonal relations
- widespread victimisation and complaining
Engagement, authenticity and leadership are therefore not just results of structured processes, but are individual choices, what each of us at all levels decides for ourselves and others to bring into the work environment every day.
And this can trigger a real domino effect, transforming people, corporate culture, and entire organisations, generating security and, hence, trust. Engagement, authenticity and leadership are therefore not just results of structured processes, but are individual choices, what each of us, at all levels, decides for ourselves and others to bring into the work environment every day.
Michele Prete
Author of the Article and Co-Founder of Hospite
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[1] https://blog.empuls.io/it/employee-engagement-statistics/
[2] https://www.ibs.it/mente-relazionale-neurobiologia-dell-esperienza-libro-daniel-j-siegel/e/9788832853278
[3] https://hbr.org/2025/05/what-people-get-wrong-about-psychological-safety?ab=HP-magazine-text-2