Team Morale: The Heartbeat of Success
Regardless of location, culture, background, or ethnicity, there are several common elements that all humans thrive on: respect, opportunity to grow, a desire to be great, a sense of belonging, and feeling appreciated. Without these fundamentals, you end up in what I call the “fear zone.” This is where confidence is lacking, excuses are made, focus on targets is lost, finger-pointing is rife, and the team becomes disengaged.
Ultimately, this leads to a struggle to deliver the desired commercial results because the effort, belief, and excitement—the “mojo” of the team—are simply not there.
Great teams are built on great individuals. Individual motivation and success create collective team success. Happy teams win. They demonstrate irrational levels of commitment and loyalty, they understand the mission, relentlessly focus on hitting targets, feel purpose, and most importantly, feel involved and accountable.
The heartbeat of commercial success in hospitality is having great team mojo. After all, hospitality is the business of creating and delivering experiences, memories, and moments of magic that leave guests speechless and transform them into our best storytellers.
What “Mojo” Really Means
In hospitality, mojo is simply the morale and mood of our people and teams. Team excellence is not an accident; it is a designed practice driven by the power of purpose. High-performing teams have a guiding light. They work together, analyze what is wrong (not who is wrong), aim to be first in everything, and act with truth and trust. These teams exude infectious passion. They feel empowered, recognized, and involved, their opinions matter, and they feel obligated to act.
Yet supporting and nurturing mojo is often overlooked. Too often, this comes down to not having the right leader. We should never be afraid to hire the “right leader” instead of the “wrong experience.” The human equation must never be underestimated. Great leaders engage, retain, and sustain their teams. They motivate, excite, and build those around them through trust, communication, respect, and honesty.
When mojo and the emotional connection of a good leader are present, smashing targets and achieving strategy becomes the natural result.
Reigniting Mojo: A Case Study
In one leadership role, I was tasked with taking on the sales and marketing function in a hotel experiencing financial and market share free fall. As the guest or outsider in this environment, I knew I had to gain the trust, respect, and acceptance of the team.
I had two choices: build a new team, which meant letting people go, or build the existing team to deliver what was needed. I chose the latter. My approach was “spray and pray”: I “sprayed” my knowledge, ideas, and beliefs, and I “prayed” the team would accept and absorb them.
We agreed that while we all came from different cultural backgrounds, which we would respect in our personal lives, we would develop a unified work culture that all could adhere to without compromising personal beliefs. Together, we created urgency and purpose around a common vision: regaining the hotel’s rightful place as market leader.
We empowered the team to act by removing obstacles to change, encouraging risk-taking, and embracing non-traditional ideas. This created renewed energy and belief. Our mantra became “records are meant to be shattered,” and the team lived by it. As General George S. Patton said: “We fight wars with machinery, but we win wars with people.”
Within 18 months, with the same individuals but a transformed attitude and energy, we reclaimed the #1 market share position. The mojo was back.
Spotting Early Warning Signs
Signs of declining mojo are easy to spot for leaders who are aware of their team’s pulse. Warning signs include:
- Talent exodus, when your best people begin leaving.
- Leaders acting against their stated values, creating gaps.
- Lack of accountability: teams show up but do not truly care.
- Continuous conflict and disagreement between members.
- Silence in meetings, with no new ideas or solutions offered.
Astute leaders act quickly to resolve these issues. Exceptional leaders are generous with their time, avoid favoritism, demonstrate emotional intelligence and resilience, and obsess over morale and teamwork.
Solutions exist, but they require tangible, decisive action by determined leaders. In many cases, engaging expert hospitality consulting services can provide the external perspective and structure needed to realign culture and strategy for long-term success.
Culture vs. Strategy: Which Matters More?
Commercial success demands both culture and strategy working hand-in-hand. While the two are deeply interconnected, one cannot fully compensate for the absence of the other.
To me, one key distinction lies between a united culture and a common culture. A united cultural environment is one where teams compete collectively, operate independently, manage collaboratively, take pride in their work, think boldly, and celebrate success with enthusiasm and zest.
If strategies are misguided, poorly communicated, lack buy-in, or do not allow for corrective input, performance will fail regardless of culture. Conversely, in the absence of a strong and binding culture—where people are disengaged, unaccountable, and quick to shift blame—strategies alone will not succeed.
The balance is crucial. Excellence comes when everyone feels part of an inspired journey where purpose, strategy, execution, and culture are seamlessly linked.
Making Mojo Sustainable
Team mojo is paramount to success. In any business, but especially in hospitality, if you do not love what you are doing, it shows, affects others, and becomes a catalyst for failure.
Senior leaders must be connected at all levels, personally engaged and emotionally present. They must listen, stay visible and useful, and be trusted to do the right thing, however difficult that may be.
The best, highest performing teams often share traits of children: constant curiosity, enthusiasm, passion, high energy, willingness to step outside their comfort zones, and the ability to have fun. Leaders should nurture these qualities by providing tools, security, and the freedom to thrive, without suffocating their teams through micromanagement.
Encourage, reward, and applaud mood and morale. People respond best to praise and recognition. Catch people doing things right, and make a big deal of it.
Mojo During Times of Change
During times of rebrands, acquisitions, or restructuring, mojo can be most at risk. Leaders have a responsibility to create irrational levels of loyalty and commitment. If they cannot “walk the talk,” they must at least “stumble the mumble.”
Leaders must teach, or perish. They should ignite passion and deposit energy into their teams. At the same time, leaders must demonstrate vulnerability and be ready to bear their souls in front of their teams. There is no stronger impact than setting an example: the right example.
Protecting and rebuilding mojo requires being engaged, present, approachable, supportive, humble, adventurous, and open-minded. Leaders must also be learners, not just knowers, and be able to take feedback on board.
If these attributes are consistently delivered, mojo will never be an issue.
Advice for Hospitality Leaders
My advice is simple: remember your roots. Someone once believed in you, gave you the opportunity to be part of this wonderful industry called hospitality, lifted you when you were down, and cared about your growth.
Ask yourself: How are you spending your time as a leader? Do you hold the highest possible ground? Are you being authentic? As the old adage goes: “Predicting rain does not count; building arks does.”
Life’s most persistent and urgent question is: What are you doing for others? From my experience, teams perform at their best when they feel visible, included, connected, and valued.
As leaders, we must remember that success cannot be achieved alone. You must follow your team to success, stand behind them, and cheer them on. When you walk with purpose, you collide with destiny. That is how leaders inspire their teams and achieve commercial excellence—by finding and keeping the mojo.
This article was originally published by hotel-online.com on September 15.
Is your sales team ready to find its mojo? Contact SSP’s industry experts today to build a culture that drives performance and inspires loyalty, no matter the challenge!