Leading at the departmental level in the hospitality industry involves increased responsibilities: not only managing a functional area, but also leading team leaders and supervisors, and in many cases, they have risen to leadership positions due to their technical skills and operational experience. The real challenge lies in helping them understand that effectiveness in their new role depends on leadership skills and not just technical expertise.
The director’s mission is, therefore, to guide and develop their team leaders, transforming initial potential and limitations into solid and sustainable leadership capabilities. It is up to them to inspire, support, and challenge their direct reports so that they, in turn, lead cohesive, effective teams aligned with the organization’s common purpose: to provide each client with a memorable experience.

The course takes place in a 100% Digital format with Synchronous Classes.

By the end of the program, participants should be able to:

• Redefining the role of the team leader, helping them transition from a performance based on technical skills to the effective exercise of leadership.
• Manage the day-to-day performance of team leaders, ensuring continuous feedback, trust, and consistent results.
• To promote the growth and continuous learning of team leaders by applying appropriate leadership styles and fostering a growth mindset.
• To foster initiative, autonomy, and commitment among employees, creating an environment of trust, psychological safety, and accountability.
• Managing time and priorities in a balanced way, ensuring that the attention dedicated to operational management does not compromise, but rather enhances, the quality of relationship management with team leaders and supervisors.

Hotel managers, department heads, with responsibility for managing a functional area and leading team leaders, supervisors and foremen.

The role of the director

• The director as a leadership role model.
• Distinguishing between technical skills and leadership skills.
• Changing the mindset of team leaders regarding their mission as leaders.
• The ethics of leadership as a benchmark for daily practice.

Managing daily performance

• Maintain an open and constructive dialogue with each employee.
• Give ongoing feedback (frequent conversations)
• Building trust through timely and appropriate praise and criticism.
• To help reflect on challenges and ambiguities and to make good decisions.
• Establish realistic and verifiable goals and monitor their achievement.
• Conducting group briefings and problem analysis meetings.
• Celebrating collective achievements

To promote growth and development.

• Identify strengths and weaknesses in learning.
• Turning mistakes and failures into opportunities for growth.
• To support the definition of learning objectives and facilitate access to resources.
• Apply leadership styles appropriate to the maturity level of the employees (situational leadership).
• Inspiring and mobilizing through purpose (transformational leadership)
• To foster a continuous development mindset (growth mindset)

To foster initiative and autonomy.

• To delegate effectively and in a way that is tailored to the appropriate skills.
• Creating conditions for individual and collective accountability.
• Promoting psychological safety as the foundation for autonomy and innovation.
• Encourage initiative and problem-solving within the team.

Managing time and priorities

• Balancing attention between operational management and relational management.
• Progressively redirect time and resources towards the relational aspect of leadership.
• Integrate planning practices that ensure availability to support and develop team leaders.
• Using simple tools to clarify priorities and manage operational pressures.

Leading in diversity

• Interpreting behaviors based on cultural specificities
• Recognizing and questioning one’s own biases and prejudices.
• Adjusting leadership practices to the cultural diversity of the team.

Gonçalo Rebelo de Almeida
João Paulo Feijoo