“Fantastic work culture” with John Belden of Davidson Hotels & Resorts

As a part of my series about about how leaders can create a “fantastic work culture”, I had the pleasure of interviewing John started his career as a hotel consultant for Laventhol & Horwath, with successive stints at The Residence Inn Company and Holiday Corporation, where he was as a member of the founding concept team for Homewood Suites.

John joined Davidson Hotels & Resorts in 1989 and led the Business Development team during a period of unprecedented growth for the company, overseeing new management, acquisition and development opportunities for the company, as well as asset management and asset disposition responsibilities. John became President and CEO in 2006 and has helped shape Davidson into one of the strongest and most respected lodging companies in the industry. In early 2016, John helped launch Pivot Hotels & Resorts, Davidson’s lifestyle and luxury operating division.

John currently serves on Marriott’s MINA Board, the Sheraton Owner’s Advisory Council, the Hilton Owner’s Advisory Council, the Hyatt Full-Service Hotel Franchise Advisory Committee and the Board of Directors for Give Kids the World. John was named Michigan State University’s Industry Leader of the Year in 2010 and was inducted into its Alumni Hall of Fame in 2016. In 2018, the Illinois Hotel & Lodging Association presented John with the J. Patrick Leahy Lifetime Achievement Award. John obtained a degree from the Business College at Michigan State University with an emphasis in Hotel, Restaurant and Institutional Management.

Thank you so much for doing this with us! Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?

Growing up I was fortunate enough to be working as a line cook at a Country Club. The Club Manager was a tremendous businessman, running not only the Club, but he also owned a foodservice company on the side. As the Club Manager, he was always professional, polished, impeccably dressed and very engaging with the members. Said simply, a bigger than life personality. Yet at the end of the day, he would take off his expensive coat and jump into the dish room to help clean up from the evening’s dinner service. He didn’t go home until everybody went home. He certainly taught me a lot about the hospitality business, but by watching his behavior, he taught me a lot more about the power of respect for every person on the team.

Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began leading your company?

It’s less about a particular story than it has been about the entire journey itself. As I recalled the lessons I learned from my early mentor at the Country Club; it’s been amazing to deploy those same philosophies, but in a materially larger enterprise. What I didn’t realize, given my age at the time, was that he was living “culture” out loud. He was taking care of the guests in the Club, but also caring for the team members in his employ. That resonated with me then and still energizes me to this day.

Are you working on any exciting projects now? How do you think that will help people?

We have a lot of exciting new projects in the works, including over ten new hotels that will come into the portfolio this year, as well existing properties that are being renovated/repositioned. Growth and prosperity throughout our company fuels all of our stakeholders. Sheer growth provides us with vibrant new challenges, including the integration of new team members, as well as career path opportunities for our current team. This same growth benefits the investors in our platform, as well as the new property owners for whom we intend to create new asset value. Further, we’ve launched the industry’s fastest-growing lifestyle and luxury division, Pivot Hotels & Resorts, and we’ve been significantly growing our resort portfolio. It’s definitely an exciting time at Davidson and our team members are having a ball!

Ok, lets jump to the main part of our interview. According to this study cited in Forbes, more than half of the US workforce is unhappy. Why do you think that number is so high?

I would imagine there are a myriad of reasons, but the most important has to be the lack of connection with the company’s purpose. This too can involve a myriad of reasons, including a lack of culture and caring; poor communication; lackluster work environment, poor positioning, etc…

At Davidson, we have always made culture and values our highest priority. Our reputation is amongst the best in our industry, but only because we’re aligned in our principles. We know who we are, what we’re good at, and in what part of the industry we want to apply those skills. The unmistakable strength of our culture, our sterling reputation, and the clarity our position in the industry become beacons for attracting the best talent.

While culture is the key cornerstone, it’s only a start. We work hard at communicating with our team members so that everyone knows how we’re performing; we celebrate our success (often); we liberally use the word love when speaking with each other; we take our work very seriously, but we don’t take ourselves too seriously; we honor those that came before us, while preparing for those in the next generation. In short, we not only invest in our business, but we invest in each other!

Being in the hospitality business is a true privilege as its “people serving people”. We take that to heart, whether it’s in a hotel environment or the corporate office!

Based on your experience or research, how do you think an unhappy workforce will impact a) company productivity b) company profitability c) and employee health and wellbeing?

Said simply, an unhappy workforce will destroy a company…it’s only a matter of how long it takes. In our industry, people are our greatest asset, as they’re the ones who serve our guests, create indelible memories and determine the value and success of our enterprise. With the right culture, there is nothing that can’t be accomplished.

Can you share 5 things that managers and executives should be doing to improve their company work culture? Can you give a personal story or example for each?

1. First and foremost, be present! A book title written by Ed Fuller says “You Can’t Lead With Your Feet On The Desk”. Live leadership out loud, interact with your team, share how much they mean to the mission of the business, thank them for what they do, tell them you love them.
2. Be quiet and listen…its extraordinary what your team has to say! All too often as leaders we feel like we need to have all the answers and lead from a position of strength. Real strength is being vulnerable and allowing your team to lead, collaborate and grow.
3. Don’t be afraid of the word love! We liberally use the word love in our company. It’s not only a sign of endearment, but also a sign of trust, confidence and respect. It’s the glue that holds our team together.
4. Have fun together! Work is serious and the stakes are high, but sometimes you just need to laugh, celebrate and be silly. We celebrate birthdays, anniversaries, new team members, new hotels, big events, retirements, births, promotions…anything we can to bring joy into the workplace.
5. Give back to your community…as a team! While we certainly praise individual charitable endeavors, we try to make giving back a team sport. We have volunteer competitions as teams and we log our volunteer hours by department and by the company in total. It’s not about who wins, but rather it’s about raising the bar higher each year.

It’s very nice to suggest ideas, but it seems like we have to “change the culture regarding work culture”. What can we do as a society to make a broader change in the US workforce’s work culture?

First, we’re a highly productive society…it’s what makes our country so unique and so strong. Let’s not change that, lest we diminish the efforts and sacrifices of the generations that came before us. Let’s keep working hard, but let’s make work more enjoyable and make accomplishments more satisfying. We all want to feel connected to a company with purpose. It doesn’t even have to be a societally beneficial purpose, but it does need to make a connection intellectually and emotionally.

Make sure everyone knows, understands and appreciates the vision. Ensure that everyone knows the manner in which their role supports the vision. For instance, one of our core values is “stay humble, stay hungry”. When you combine intense ambition and productivity with a belief that you’re never as good as you could be; well it’s a powerful elixir! Our culture drives ever-evolving strategies that have allowed us to grow from a very small regional organization to one of our industry’s largest and most profitable operating companies. That’s made us all feel valuable and proud, plus we use our success to feed our personal goals and lives.

How would you describe your leadership or management style? Can you give us a few examples?

Highly culture-centric and collaborative. Prior to making a decision, I love gathering input and feedback in order to determine if there is a position I haven’t considered or a perspective I haven’t embraced. Integrity, passion and compassion also influence the way I behave as a leader and as a person.

Values-based decision-making is imperative to me. There are numerous projects we’ve been offered, with considerable profit potential, but because it would have been off-strategy, or in the wrong market, or with a partner that didn’t share our values…we always passed. It’s often said, it’s the deals you don’t do that define you.

None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?

I have been more fortunate than I deserve in regard to the many business mentors I have had in life. Fred Heigel, the Club Manager where I worked as a teenager, Tom Maher, a high school teacher; Mike Depatie, an early career mentor and inspiration; Ron Callentine, a mid-career mentor and friend; and my two tremendous partners at Davidson, Steve Margol and Thom Geshay. But the most powerful of all was my incredible dad. Even though he is no longer with us, he remains my hero today given the way he conducted himself with his family, in the community and at work. He was the same man in all three worlds; driven, competitive, thoughtful, generous and loving. He was very values-based and generous nearly to a fault. He is not “the voice in my head”, but rather the “essence of my heart”.

How have you used your success to bring goodness to the world?

My wife, Libby, and I have been fortunate enough to give back in many ways, whether it be university scholarship endowments or scholarships for young professionals in the hospitality industry. We have been passionate supporters of Give Kids The World (GKTW), one of the greatest charitable missions in the world. In fact, our company has also been an ardent supporter of GKTW, raising millions of dollars for Wish Kids from every state in the U.S. and nearly 80 countries around the globe. In turn, GKTW has become an integral part of our culture over the last 30 years, even more so during my time as CEO.

Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?

My dad was not a philosopher, but he did have a very simple line he repeated throughout our lives, “always be flexible, as you never know what’s ahead”…or simply “be flexible”. I think it was really a proxy for “be ready”; to accept any challenge, curveball or unexpected turn of events. I never envisioned doing what I am today, but his simple turn of words prepared me to take risks, move 12 times, open new doors, meet new people, and go where I was needed. I never knew how much that guided me, as I was so busy moving forward, I rarely took a look in the rearview mirror. I didn’t take a straight line in life, yet I ended up exactly where I’m happiest.

You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)

A 24-hour inspirational news channel. There is simply too much vitriol in the world, too much extremism, and too many people telling you how you should think just like them. I love stories of good deeds, heroism, faith, anonymous charity and volunteerism. What can I say, I’m a sucker for happy endings!

Thank you for these fantastic insights. We wish you continued success!