Leadership Development Plan
Name: Sofia Alsindy
Section: 2017 Spring Semester Section 02/ Junior Year
Emphasis: Events Operations & Management
Current Job: Banquest Aisle Attendant/ Marriott Marquis
Graduation: Spring 2018
PRINT: 2-4
Ideal Hospitality Leader
An ideal hospitality leader for me would be a leader who wants to see others grow and succeeded instead of wishing that upon themselves only. Leaders must have certain qualities to become successful such as being honest, courageous, and most importantly, passionate. What makes a leader great is their humble perspective of life and how they perceive themselves and others as well. Great leaders are always willing to improve and learn something new, instead of thinking that they know everything. I aspire to become a successful leader in the future, someone who will treat others with kindness, compassion and professionalism.
Career Goals
What makes the Hospitality and Tourism so unique is you can apply what you’ve learned throughout the year almost anywhere. Every company in the world has “hospitality” applied in their company, whether it’s with serving people or customer satisfaction. Leaders who belong to the Hospitality and Tourism industry must be very knowledgeable with the way the people around them think, and what they might possibly want from you as a leader. As a leader, you need to be willing to go above and beyond for the people you will work for and the customers you will meet every day as well. Some of the faculty and managers I have met throughout this semester have said that there is so many opportunities in this industry. You can apply any interests or passions you have and you will be able to find a job that will suit you. However, it could be challenging if you are not willing to go the extra mile for people. In other words, faculty and managers have told me that I need to be professional, patient, and acquire many skills because Hospitality is all about serving people, being People Savvy is very important. My view of the Hospitality and Tourism has changed positively. Even when I hear that this industry could be challenging, it motivates me to try harder and be more successful. As a leader, you must be willing to do anything to succeed and I am willing to do that.
Dream Career in The Long Term: Based off my values and passions, my dream career in the long term is to have my own company/brand for planning weddings and have talented people in my team (i.e. florists, designers, etc.)
Ideal Career 5 Years After Graduation: My ideal career life five years after graduating is to become a successful Wedding Planner that is full of creative and unique ideas. I want to be able to provide excellence to all my clients.
Short Term Career Goal: My short-term career goal is to move to the “Redcoat” department at the Marriott Marquis. Redcoats deal with the back and front of the house. They get a feel of dealing with managers in the back, the front, and the clients as well. My goal is to move to that department to gain more experience before I settle on my own. This will help me in the future because I will be dealing with my own clients and team.
Other Goals
1. I will be more involved in school associations, clubs, participations- especially Hospitality related.
2. I will connect with faculty members who are experienced in this industry and learn useful tips from their career growth and success.
3. I will work on building my network before I graduate to make connections, build relationships and meet people who may help me in the future.
Reflections
Simulation #1
STRENGTHS- I was able to communicate very well with my team members and share my ideas with them. I was also prepared on what the simulation was about and read the instructions prior to our class meeting.
WEAKNESSES- At the end of our class meeting, I was off track and I should have been as active as I was when we began discussing the simulation in the beginning. Did not keep track of the time.
Simulation #2:
STRENGTHS- Listened to everyone’s ideas and shared my opinion of other team members’ ideas. Wrote down everything my team was discussing so I can look back at it and see which idea was best. Read the instructions before our class meeting.
WEAKNESSES- I should have been more clear with describing the assignment instructions to my team members since they did not read it beforehand.
CHANGES: During the second simulation, I made sure to stay on track the whole time instead of only giving my input in the beginning. I also kept in mind to look at the time and dedicate a specific amount of time for each section of the simulation. My assessor had great feedback given back to me and it motivated me to do just as well in the second simulation.
Perceptions
Industry Observers thought I was well in the “Strategic Decision Making” Competency. For example, I did well with communicating with the team what ideas we should focus on instead of just suggesting which possible ideas there are. My Peers thought I was the best with being Self-Savvy, they loved how different and unexpected my ideas were and how I can prove to them why I chose those specific ideas. One thing that surprised me is their feedback on how I should speak louder and talk slower, I always thought I was a very slow and a loud speaker but hearing that from my peers helped me in future activities. Some of the key lessons from my mentor network is to stay busy and to build my network. One thing that surprised me is how uncomfortable I feel when I try to network with others. The idea of speaking to someone who is an industry professional scares me. I need to change by reminding myself that those industry professionals where in my shoes a few years ago, therefore, fearing those people will not help me grow and develop. What I need to do differently is to step out of my comfort zone and try new things that are very important in this industry, such as networking. One thing that exhilarated me is how all my mentors noticed how optimistic I am and how I need to stay this way. Spirit of Optimism in this industry is one of the most important things for a leader to obtain. My role in the outcomes of this semester is to stay motivated to succeed and thrive to better myself every single day.
Summary of Competency Assessment
Development Activity Ideas
Guest Speaker Reflections- HTM 201
Tomás Herrera Mishler
Tomás Herrera Mishler is a Director and Chief Executive Officer at Balboa Park Conservancy. Tomas is a landscape architect and a regional planner. He grew up in Mexico but ended up moving to San Diego. One of his biggest goals is to help companies and organizations exceed their big plans, dream events and provide them with the knowledge he’s learned throughout the years. Mr. Mishler has an excellent experience with planning events, fundraising, diversity, leadership and many other great things. He received his master’s in Costa Rica and got his bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan. Tomas currently works in Balboa Park in which it was established in 1868 where 42 million visitors come to the park and discover how beautiful it is. One of his favorite things about Balboa Park is touring people around and having 17 museums available for everyone to enjoy. He continued to list all the wonderful things about Balboa Park and started talking about the biggest events that are held there such as December Nights; 350,000 people come in for this event within 2 days and this event takes about one full year to plan in advance. Continuously, he is responsible for things such as exceeding annual goals for each year and operating project managements.
Tomas preached about getting involved and how it could help our careers in the future, he mentioned the different kind of challenges he faced and how he overcame those challenges by never giving up and always working hard. He also addressed important topics such as building relationships and not just building them, but also connecting with people one-on-one and discovering their interests and desires for any future occasions. In addition, he believes that good things happen when you share your knowledge and taking the next step. One lesson I learned from Tomas is to never be afraid to go out there and come up with great ideas, because you never know what those ideas can turn into and how much money they can bring to the table. Another lesson I learned from him is to get involved as much as possible while you’re still in school instead of waiting till last minute and realizing that it’s too late. Lastly, don’t be afraid to dream big because if you work hard now and do your best, everything will pay off at the end. All in all, I truly enjoyed learning all kinds of things from Mr. Mishler, it was a pleasure meeting him and having him share his knowledge with the class!
Ben Clevenger
Mr. Clevenger was an inspiring guest who was very passionate about sharing his wisdom and knowledge to our class. After managing restaurants for a while, he decided to have start his own business along with his two best friends. Ben became the owner of the Hills Local Pub and Eastbound Bar and Grill in San Diego. His hard work and dedication made him succeed at the end. Ben faced a lot of obstacles throughout his career path, he took many risks to help the business grow and become more successful. One of the biggest challenges he faced was having a fire broke out at Eastbound Bar and Grill that ruined the entire kitchen. As a restaurant owner, you would have to be strong and find a way to resolve any issues quickly. In this case, Ben closed the restaurant for a few weeks. He came back stronger than ever with the help of his employees, in which they successfully had the kitchen go back to its normal condition. With the help of his staff, friends and family, they had a successful grand opening to remind customers that the restaurant was only closed temporarily. Ben believes that teamwork is very important in this industry, as a Hospitality and Tourism major, you need to be able to work with everyone, even if that means that others might not have the same interests that you have. His confidence and optimism helps the restaurant grow which leads to pleasant guests having an unforgettable experience.
A lesson I learned from Ben was to be friendly with everyone you meet because you never know who you’re going to be working with in the future. As a business owner, it is necessary to have a good relationship with your employees. The qualities that Ben has make him a successful individual, despite the challenges he faced throughout his career, he never gave up and he kept striving to succeed which is what I truly liked about him. As a restaurant owner, Ben’s advice was to think twice about it because it is not an easy business to manage, and mainly, you need to have a plan that will make your restaurant unique. Ask yourself, what would I need to do differently that will make my business differ from the other ones around me? Ben’s knowledge and business tips were very helpful to me, I will definitely keep in mind the information he provided me with for my future values and ventures.
Michael Corr
On November 15th, Michael Corr enlightened the class with his presence and knowledge. Mr. Corr has been a hotel executive for over 30 years, as well as a chief marketing officer and director. In addition, he has a ton of experience in SVP sales and guest service. The reason why I truly enjoyed listening to all the things he had to say is because he seemed to know so much about the industry and all the different kinds of ways that can help me succeed in HTM.
Mr. Corr is a professor at San Diego State University and is very passionate about his career. He believes teaching students is the least he can do and it is a way of “giving back” from all the things he’s gained throughout his previous experiences. He suggested some tips that will benefit students in this field such as always making sure not only your guests should be satisfied, but your employees must be satisfied as well because at the end of the day, they are your #1 asset. One thing I learned from Mr. Corr is that this is not a 9-5 industry, therefore, patience is required. Another thing I learned is taking that extra step with your future clients and serving them is very important, we have to be willing to satisfy the customers’ needs and not be afraid of anything that comes our way. A smart tip Mr. Corr recommended is to match your personality with a brand. Meaning, work in multiple different companies that will get you to settle with one company that you find the most interesting and passionate about. As a student, all our fears come from finding the right job, Mr. Corr made me feel more confident because he discussed the types of jobs there is in this industry (lodging, event planner, destination management, Restaurant Company executive, etc.) and how this field has a lot of opportunities if you are willing to be fearless and strong. He also mentioned to always set a balance between your professional career, family, friends, physical and spiritual life. I agree with Mr. Corr on how he mentioned “don’t let your job go off chart”, it is definitely important to keep your life balanced in every aspect. This is just a summary of how wonderful Mr. Corr is, I was truly amazed at his life and career experiences and how incredible, kind, and wise he was!
John Crisafulli
John Crisafulli is an SDSU alumni that graduated in 1992 and is now a successful head of San Diego-based Behind the Scenes Catering and Events, he shared his secrets of accomplishments and success which have led to him working internationally on extraordinary events. Mr. Crisafulli was so proud to share with the class that Behind the Scenes produces between 300 and 400 events per year providing excellent services that include décor, catering, logistics management and bar concessions. Additionally, he believes that education is essential and it is the reason why he is successful in this industry today. He discussed the skills that will help any person in this field succeed such as being creative, flexible, having a sense of humor and also, having an experience with math, sales, and technology. One thing I learned from Mr. Crisafulli is, events aren’t always going to be perfect so panicking will not help, always staying calm and patient will give you better results. Another thing I learned is to get involved and start networking from now so when you graduate and get a job, people will remember who you are. I definitely agree and believe it’s super important to introduce yourself to any person you meet with event planning or any sort of knowledge with HTM.
Although Mr. Crisafulli concerned me with the topic of why people might quit their jobs in this industry, he gave a wise piece of advice to any student who is sticking with this major. Working long hours during the weekends will pay off when you see the great results if you put the time and effort onto your work. Mr. Crisafulli stated, “None of you will be managers the second you graduate and start to look for a job”, realistically, I like the fact that he is being realistic and honest and I agree that once an HTM student graduates, they have to do a little more work to show their skills and expertise. He said that students need a minimum experience of 8 years to prove their competence to their employers and clients. Another thing I learned from Mr. Crisafulli it to make connections with your clients, building a relationship with clients is extremely important and it will make a difference in your career. Lastly, I learned that reputation is one of the most important things in this industry, so being polite, kind and respectful to satisfy the client’s needs is always a must!
Kevin Lyman
Kevin Lyman is the founder and producer of the very successful Vans Warped Tour, one of the biggest festivals in the world today that attracts about 750,000 people annually. Kevin enlightened us with his knowledge by sharing his previous experiences in the Hospitality and Tourism industry. Mr. Lyman was a journalism major, but he ended up following his heart and his true passion which is music. Although Mr. Lyman was a journalism major, he knew he wanted to pursue his passion for music. He would always throw parties on campus and plan fun events and concerts which were the first steps of getting involved to him.
I learned many things from Mr. Lyman, one of the things I learned is to always give yourself extra time to prepare. The reason why this is super important especially in this industry is because if something goes wrong, which is very possible, you can give yourself the time to fix it. Kevin was not ashamed to admit the times he had to fix his mistakes, in fact, I admire his honesty by trying to fix those mistakes and learning from them. At the end of the day, failure is a part of every person’s success, all you can do is learn from your mistakes and move on. Another thing I learned from him is to be nice and kind to everybody, and not just your clients. Mr. Lyman shared a story with us on how he was very nice to everyone, including his employees and preached about how every person deserves to be treated nicely. Something that Mr. Lyman made me consider is putting my cell phone away when I’m out with my friends or family. He stated: “Disconnecting is good, especially since our industry requires us to use our phones all the time”. I completely agree with Mr. Lyman and his perspective on this, I am one of those people who can’t live without their phones and is a social media addict. It is important to spend time with your friends or family on a personal level and not get distracted with your phone while you are with them. Technology has played a huge role on the Hospitality and Tourism industry that we don’t even need computers or laptops anymore,
all we need is our cell phones. If there is one thing I have learned that will benefit my future career is to always get involved, that is the greatest lesson I’ve learned from all the guest speakers including Kevin Lyman. Mr. Lyman’s purpose of telling us to get involved so that we can get a feel of everything and narrow it down to what we truly love and what we enjoy working with. All in all, I loved Kevin’s spirit and his passion for music and the HTM industry!
