ent spa in Texas , I really started to figure out the qualities I was looking for in a great leader and how I could apply that understand in my own career and add more value to a strong leadership team .

Thankfully , we were in an environment that cultivated leadership growth and professional development not only within the leadership team but throughout the resort . This was a consistent practice that impacted not only the success of the team , but the success of the operation and resort as a whole . Not only did it open opportunities for me grow in my position within the Resort but it opened opportunities and doors for team members to recognize their own potential to grow as leaders and pave a path for success if they chose to take it .

Make It Yours Putting this practice in motion in my own department , I found more innovative ways to develop my team from within . At one point , I was looking to grow my leadership team and hire some additional supervisors . As any spa leader knows , it can sometimes be a struggle to find a good fit with outside hires .

Because I have always loved finding opportunities to grow from within , I wanted to take the opportunity to start developing my own leadership team , intent on finding someone who had the desire and drive to be a successful leader in our industry .

I observed , listened , got to know my team better and really tried to understand each individual team member ’ s “ why .” Why were they here ? Without putting any limits on themselves , where would they like to see themselves in the company the next three to five years and why ? Their answers provided me with a better understanding of who on my team had the desire and potential to grow as a leader and — even more importantly — what I needed to do as a leader to help pave their career path and give them a way forward .

Thus , the “ trainer program ” was born . I designed this program to provide those team members who weren ’ t quite ready or qualified to step into a leadership role with the opportunity to master skills in their area of interest , grow their confidence in themselves and take time to develop and train the team around them to do the same . I have seen this trainer program help team members who didn ’ t have a clear vision of where they wanted to be in their career by providing them with a glimpse of what it is like to be part of a successful leadership team .

As I have observed the wonderful leaders I ’ ve been fortunate to work alongside and sharpened my own leadership skills , I ’ ve learned that becoming a great leader requires a clear vision of what makes a great leader in the first place . One good way to develop this vision is to picture the faces of excellent leaders you ’ ve observed up close , then write down the best one-or two-word character traits and qualities that describe these leaders . You may come up with terms such as :

Integrity Passionate Understanding Humble Visionary

Innovative Good Listener Patient Driven Influential

Disciplined Focused Loyal Decisive Supportive

Together , these characteristics add up to a solid definition of leadership , but for any leader to be successful , they must apply and practice those qualities in their daily lives . This simple but effective exercise will help you grow as a leader and is a simple tool to use with other team members who want to develop their skills and establish a vision for their own approach to leadership .

APRIL 2022 • PULSE 43