BY DR . BRYAN K . WILLIAMS

LEADERSHIP IS NOT FOR EVERYONE . It demands a person who consistently sees the best in others — and acts on it . That takes energy , perseverance , forgiveness , faith and — gasp — stubbornness .

Wait , stubbornness ? Yes , stubbornness .

As a leader of a high-performing spa team , you have to be stubborn enough to maintain high expectations every day — even when you don ’ t feel like it . There will be days when you ’ re tired . Emotionally , mentally and physically spent . Everything in you will urge you to “ excuse ” someone coming in late … or doing their job half-way … or being short with their teammates . Don ’ t do it .

Keep your standards high . Be stubborn about it . Don ’ t compromise them for anyone . Ever . Once you start letting things slide , it ’ s a slippery slope . One infraction becomes two , and pretty soon , you become known as a pushover — a leader with suggestions instead of standards . And no one follows “ suggestions .”

No , only standards will do . That is why your expectations are critical . Keep them unapologetically high — even annoyingly high .

The paradox of high expectations But here ’ s the catch : Without a layer of grace to go along with your stubbornly high expectations , you risk becoming a dictator . Confused yet ? Good . Allow me to share a personal story . I grew up working in ultra-luxury hotels , mostly Ritz- Carlton properties . One of my jobs was as a banquet server , where timing and precise execution are key requirements for a flawless event .

On beach resorts , it is common for banquets to take place on the beach . The guests love it , but coordinating for the servers , cooks and bartenders is a logistical headache .

Enter Josep , the banquets director . He was impressed with my work ethic and attention to detail — Nice !— and one day delivered the best news an 18-year-old hotel nerd could every want to hear : “ Bryan , I would like you to be my right hand for tomorrow ’ s big gala on the beach .”

To celebrate , I went out to a local nightclub . The clubs on St . Thomas close at 4 a . m . Why would l leave any earlier ?

The next morning came , and I was supposed to report to work at 9:30 . I woke up at 10:30 .

I was mortified ! I expected to be fired on the spot because Josep ’ s expectations were high . Stubbornly high ! So I arrived to work , sweating and full of excuses . He listened , saw right through me , and said only ,“ I was counting on you ,” before turning and walking away . I felt that in my soul . I can still feel it to this day .

That afternoon , I did my job as a banquet server and went home . A week later , another beach banquet was being

CONTINUED ON PAGE 28

”... Josep later told me that leaders shouldn ’ t treat people solely according to their behavior , but also according to their potential .“

PULSE n MARCH / APRIL 2025 26