Amidst the total lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we had the honour of listening to our Adjunct Associate Professor Mr. Miguel Maldonado who is currently based in Chiang Mai, Thailand. Mr. Maldonado, an American, has been in the hospitality industry for more than 16 years holding top positions in various countries such as USA, Macau, Malaysia, Europe and Thailand. He was previously the General Manager in Ritz Carlton Kuala Lumpur, before moving to be the General Manager of Ritz Carlton Residences, Bangkok.
Very interestingly, he was in the law & enforcement industry in Texas USA, for 12 years prior to moving into the hotel industry. Mr. Maldonado, shared with 150 Hospitality Management & Leadership students, about the topic on Leadership and Motivation.
He explained the three leadership styles – Authoritarian, Collaboration and Delegation, and how a leader uses these three different styles depending on the kind of tasks / roles he or she has to do. He also gave a lot of motivational traits a leader could use to encourage and motivate his staff. Likewise, the students also asked many relevant questions about the hospitality industry, managing difficult employees and the future of hotels with Artificial Intelligence (AI). Overall, it was a very successful session which helped to bridge the industry practice and theoretical knowledge.
