Advancement, Another Rung Up the Ladder

As a sales manager at the Westin Ilikai, my performance was deemed commendable.   During those years, together with the other sales managers, we booked some excellent business and were consistently above budget.   As a team, we were very proud of our achievement.   To my surprise, when the Director of Sales position became available, I received the appointment.   Two of my colleagues were probably better suited and more qualified with seniority than me for the position.  However, I was happy with the promotion and accepted it graciously.  

This was a big change and as we said previously, the only thing in life that is inevitable is change.   It was a new role with new responsibilities.  Previously, my role was to book business.   In this new role, I had to book, manage the business, and also learn to manage the team.  Leadership was new to me at the tender age of 29 and I had to learn new skills very quickly.  The first few months were difficult and uncomfortable. 

At one point, if I were the General Manager, I may have had second thoughts about me.

Successful leaders tell you that no one is ever totally ready to take on more challenges and responsibilities.  They accept and embrace the change, put their nose to the grindstone, and mature along the way.  

There is so much to be said about “on-site” learning.   This was another very important lesson for me to learn.

It was in this role at the Ilikai that the Shangri-La Singapore Hotel took notice of me.   At the time, the Shangri-La Singapore was also managed by Westin Hotels (that was how they knew me) although their management contract with Westin was expiring soon.   Shangri-La was establishing their own management company to manage their 4 existing hotels with many more hotels in the horizon.   Indeed, I was delighted that I was being considered for the Director of Sales and Marketing role in Singapore.   This hotel was truly one of the finest 5-star properties in the world and it would be excellent to be a part of that management team.  

Not much persuasion was needed for me to accept the position.   As a matter of fact, I accepted so quickly that I never thought about the consequences of this big move halfway around the world.   As the dust settled, I finally realized the decision I made affects not only me but my entire family.   At first, it was a bit frightening, but my wife was very supportive and encouraged me to make the move.   Again, change is inevitable, and we need to make the most of every change.  

We would be leaving America to work and live in a foreign country.

At first, I thought, a two-year contract goes quickly.  If we are not happy, we can always return to Hawaii.   As it turns out, the move was the best decision we ever made.  Two years became four and four became eight as we settled in more and more into life in Singapore with Shangri-La Hotel.

The moral here is that opportunities present themselves throughout our careers. 

When it does, we should accept these opportunities with vigor and optimism.  Advancement is taking on more responsibilities and every opportunity is another rung on the ladder.    Career growth is a journey, difficult at times, but achievable.  Have confidence in yourself because no one knows you better than you.  Your confidence can overcome all obstacles.  Be proud of your past successes and use what you have learned for the next success.      Declining an opportunity means it may be gone forever.