Leadership for all seasons

Martin Leclerc is a nimble-witted Canadian who loves China and has taken to life in the Middle Kingdom like the proverbial duck to water. Most of all, he understands the country and has expertly applied this knowledge in his leadership role at the St Regis Tianjin.

Life in China has not always been easy for Leclerc, however.

Last year was a difficult one for both St Regis and the city of Tianjin where it is located. The city, which is just a short bullet train ride away from Beijing, made headlines worldwide following a chemical industrial accident that decimated part of the port area.

Beijing's traditional weekend playground immediately lost its popularity and Tianjin had many of its planned seminars and forums cancelled, as organizers feared fall-out from the accident. As a major destination for events such as meetings, conferences and exhibitions, this was a major blow for the city.

Tianjin's top hotels all felt the effects, including Leclerc's St Regis, even with its strategic position right on the Haihe River and its extensive Starwood management support network.

Yet, in spite of all this, 2015 was a record year for the St Regis hotel under Leclerc's leadership as general manager.

All key performance indices were met. Profits were three times that of the previous year and the hotel's owners were kept happy, while Leclerc's bosses at the Starwood Group were sufficiently satisfied to give him carte blanche to continue his successful run.

How did he do it?

The secret is in the leadership abilities of a man who uses his charisma not just on his hotel guests but also on his own staff. He is also one of those industry leaders who manages to maintain reasonably cordial relationships with his competitors.

In this, his strategy closely resembles that of China's famous military sage, Sun Tzu. In his classic treatise The Art of War, Sun Tzu advises leaders to "know your enemy", but Leclerc goes a step further and turns competitors into friends.

Managing a hotel with the size and reputation of a St Regis means having a handle on every aspect, including both external and internal factors.

Martin Leclerc does exactly that. As the competition for guests and staff is so intense in this industry, his personal style of leadership is the glue that binds all things together.

Inside his hotel, he motivates and galvanizes department heads to maintain and improve standards, and to constantly train and retain staff. And like all hoteliers, he also has to maintain equilibrium in an industry where managers and chefs come and go like revolving doors.

Then there are the strategies to attract new guests and keep the regulars. His occupancy numbers and food and beverage revenue are testimony to the success of those strategies.

paulined@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 08/06/2016 page10)