Today we’re going to share some insights from my career on how to lead and survive change. I’ve lived through some of these changes, and we’re still transforming at Louvre Hotels Group.
To give you some background on me, I was born in Madrid in 1964. Exactly 30 years ago, in 1995, I had been working for P&G for seven years and was invited to move to Brussels for two years. And today, 30 years later, I’m still working outside Spain.
After my time at P&G, I spent eight years at Disneyland, where we also went through transformations and changes. Later, I joined Radisson (then known as Rezidor), where we also worked on a major transformation. And two years ago I took over as CEO of Louvre Hotels Group, and we’re in the middle of another transformation.
Currently, Louvre Hotels Group operates around 2,000 hotels worldwide, with 170,000 rooms and 30,000 employees, in 70 countries. Based on these experiences, I’d like to share some key lessons I’ve learned about surviving transformations.
The first lesson is the ability to change, not just once, but every day. Secondly, you need a clear plan, with a diagnosis and vision that addresses all the key issues of the business, none of which can be overlooked. The third point is to work with the right people, the right partners and to create the right culture within the business. This has to be done quickly, otherwise it’s too late. Fourthly, you always have to keep the customer in mind. And finally, leadership is everything.
Firstly, the ability to change and adapt on a daily basis. There are many business books on leadership, and one I particularly like is ‘Why CEOs get fired’. It’s a 300-page book that says one thing: 90% of CEOs who get fired…
