When revenue went to zero almost overnight, Standard International CEO Amar Lalvani said he had to do some soul searching as a leader, and even more so as a human being.
He had to let go some 1,200 team members whom he said live to serve others and are so good natured.
“Internally, making those decisions, communicating directly and honestly, wishing you could do more than you can do – that’s a hard feeling,” he said.
Lalvani said his level of empathy ratcheted up going through that process, and he also realized how much business relies on government.
“We’ve always been socially, politically active, but to realize there’s truly no safety net for the vast majority of people that work in hospitality was also really hard to swallow.” Lalvani said more has to be done by the hotel industry and its players to fight for its people. “We’re impacted more than we impact government,” he said. “Hospitality is very fragmented industry. The big players have some say, but we are at risk and subject to decisions that are made. We need to be more involved.”
As a result, Lalvani said he is putting more effort into supporting U.S. presidential candidate Joe Biden, fighting for that social safety net through the political process and through candidates that believe in better supporting his workers.
The current crisis also led Standard to enhance the way it takes care of people with new relief funds and has Lalvani taking a critical look at how he himself operates.
“I love seeing the world, but I also realize from a health perspective that takes a big toll,” he said. “It’s been good to get in a more natural routine of not jumping on a plane… The day of the one-meeting business trip may be over. If I’m going to go to Europe again, or Asia, I’m going to go for a week or 10 days or two weeks. That’s going to be my new protocol because it’s healthier… I want to spend time with people, empathize with people, take care of people. I want to become that kind of leader versus getting on a plane, getting off a plane, getting to one city and another. I don’t want to do that anymore. I think those are some of the changes I think that’ll be lasting for me, at least.”
The Black Lives Matter movement has also caused Lalvani to do some critical reviews, resulting in the creation of an internal council led by company President Amber Asher to improve the company’s racial diversity profile.
The way forward, Lalvani believes, is with better mentoring programs and new approaches to recruiting people of color. “Our recruiting is not reaching out to those communities of color, and it’s not shocking that we don’t have representation… That I think is something that needs to be tackled as an industry, as well.”