People Powered Hospitality

        I’d like to introduce you to my new blog, People Powered Hospitality. This blog will offer an in-depth look at the hospitality industry, exploring topics such as leadership, management, guest focus, team member happiness and retention, corporate hospitality, family-owned businesses, and much more. We’ll dive into the daily activities—both the good and the challenging—of the hospitality business.

       My name is Gavin McCullen, and I’ve spent over 40 years in the hospitality industry. During this time, I’ve worn many hats and seen the industry from various perspectives. I’ve worked for both publicly traded and privately owned companies, holding positions ranging from line cook and sous chef to kitchen manager, general manager, operations analyst, and food sales. My career spans across restaurants, hotels, casinos, workforce housing, and hospitals. I’ve worked for major corporations such as Virgin Interactive Entertainment, Community Psychiatric Center, Sysco Food Service, Boyd Gaming, and Target Hospitality, as well as smaller companies like Island View Casino, Quaker Steak and Lube (corporate and franchise), and very small businesses like Devil’s Advocate and Joseph’s Family Restaurant.

      There are notable differences, as well as similarities, in all of these organizations. The larger the company, the more disconnected ownership tends to be, but they often have more standardized operating procedures. In contrast, smaller companies tend to have more connected ownership, but they can also face greater instability.

Let’s start at the beginning.

      When I first entered the hospitality industry as a cook, my executive chef was a remarkable leader who helped foster my passion for cooking and taking care of guests. Back then, we didn’t have cell phones, so we had to learn to make decisions on the fly. We quickly realized that every decision had consequences. If you were in charge, people were looking to you for guidance. Mistakes were inevitable, but we grew from them—sometimes with discipline, sometimes with rewards.

Throughout my career, I’ve worked with some dynamic leaders who exemplified true leadership in every sense. They imparted knowledge, wisdom, and the occasional dash of discipline. Some of the most valuable lessons I’ve learned came in the form of simple phrases like:

• “Always remember there are two types of guests in every business: those who come and pay you, and those who come and get paid. Remember, both are important and need to be taken care of.”
• “People need to respect the person before they will respect the title.”

I’ve heard many more such words of wisdom over the years. While I haven’t read every leadership book out there, I’ve learned and grown from both good and bad leaders. I keep the lessons from the great leaders in the forefront of my mind while filing the bad ones away to ensure I don’t repeat those mistakes.

If you’ve made it this far, thank you for your support. I’m glad you took the time to read this post, and I’d love to hear your feedback and thoughts.