A Conversation with Hans Wiedemann Leadership and management

Leadership and management 0
Leadership and management
System04116
2/8/2019

Leadership and management 1
Mr. Hans Wiedemann is a top hotel manager with enormous expertise. He has given a five star
hotel and received the national award for excellence in service. He became head of ‘Grande
dame’ in St. Mortiz. He graduated from renowned hotel management school in Lausanne. He
moved to various stations in Switzerland to Asia. He began his career as a service provider in St.
Moritz. He has two children one is 21 years old son and second is 16 years old daughter. Hans
Wiedemann started an apprenticeship as a waiter in the Schloss restaurant, Binningen at the age
of fifteen. After that, he worked as a chef de service and in administration in other
establishments. At the age of 23, Hans Wiedemann decided to complete the hotel management
course in Lausanne. After training of hotel management, he took a job in Australia and remained
until 1995. Hans Wiedemann honored for this work in hotel industry at ITB Berlin. In 2007, he
was awarded as hotelier of the year and in 2009, he was awarded as hotelier of the world. In
2018, Hans Wiedemann retired and resigned as head of operations (Hotellerie Gastronomie
Zeitung 2018).
The purpose of this analysis is to find out the leaderships trait, characteristics and leadership
styles of Hans Wiedemann. The aim is to know how much these leadership styles, traits,
characteristics and theories are effective and how much it helps Hans Wiedemann to become a
successful leader in the world. It is observed from the case content that Hans Wiedemann, who
started his career from service provider, is now head of “Grande Dame”. He is good leader as
well. In this study, it is found that Hans Wiedemann was against the former superior as he was
not approachable and visible. He was not enthusiastic towards his work when he does not find
original spirit and culture as he said guest should not perceive the modernization as it show that
he focuses on the customers as well as employees of the organization. In this paper, the
democratic style of leadership is followed, the various leadership traits and qualities are found in
Hans Wiedemann such as integrity, honesty, good communicator, inspire others, creativity and
innovation (Pearson 2018). The Behavioral and trait theories are applicable to the study as Hans
Wiedemann motivates and promotes its employees and demonstrate its involvement that is good
traits of a leader (Yukl 2013). So it is clear from the content that good leaders are not born they
make themselves good by working hard from bottom level to top level and leads other people for
achieving their goals and the best example is Hans Wiedemann from the content (Kruse 2013)

Leadership and management 2
The heredity shows Hans Wiedemann began an apprenticeship as a waiter in the Schloss
restaurant, Binningen, Later he began worked in other establishment in the kitchen as a chef de
service and in the administration. At the age of 23, he decided to complete the hotel management
school in Lausanne to put the bottom into the barrel. After completion of training, he took a job
in Australia and remained until 1995. After that, Hans moved to Badrutt palace in 2004 started
his job as a service provider and became hotel manager of Badrutt’s palace in St. Moritz. Mr.
Hans was influenced by factors of internal as well as external environment such as organizational
culture, organizational environment, sociological factors, and employees’ roles. The path for
development of Hans Wiedemann was not established. He develop path by doing unenthusiastic
task in his own manner that is, renovated the Badrutt’s palace with two digit millions annually
with original spirit and culture without modernizing it as keeping in mind the guest should not
perceived the modernization. The former superior of Badrutt’s palace who was called god by
staffs was not approachable and visible and due to this reason, he was unable to develop his path
for achieving goals. Hans wants to know first-hand about the worries of the employees when he
was manager at that hotel which states that Hans possess certain good qualities, which every
leader must have. In last two years, the owner of palace Badrutt and director Hans Wiedemann
had developed a close personal and professional relationships, which help in growth of the hotel
industry as it, is mandatory that relationship between owners and employees must be exits in an
organization for the development of the industry (Adair, 2009).
Indeed it can be said that discussion is relevant to leadership traits, styles, theories and
characteristics as Hans Wiedemann received daily request for two third of the share of palace
and was approached like a lottery millionaire but he did not inherited money. Hans possess
honesty and integrity which is traits of good leader and after that Badrutt and his wife handover
the palace in Wiedemann’s hands that was incredible trust instead and in return they only wanted
certainty that the unique atmosphere will be maintain for long period. Hans possess the
accountability, delegation and empowerment qualities of leadership. Hans Wiedemann only not
motivates and promotes his employees but also demonstrate its involvement in the hotel industry,
which is democratic style of leadership. In democratic style of leadership, top manager supports
subordinates and involve them in the process of decision-making of an organization (Bass and
Bass 2008).

Leadership and management 3
The behavioral theories, path goal theories, and traits theories are found in study. Hans possess
various traits of leaders. Honesty as he maintain palace of Badrutt without having motive of
profit earning because money does not interest him. Good communicator as he is head of the
palace in respect of this he communicated to its employees regarding any decisions taken for
hotel industry. Accountability as he is answerable for all the activities of the hotel and decisions
taken. Inspire others as he motivates and promotes its employees for their working. Creative as
he renovated hotel with original spirit and culture of palace with modernizing it (Cleverism
2019). Path theory is also applicable as there is mutual relationship between employees and the
Hans to achieve common goal of the hotel industry. Path theory is based on identifying a leader’s
style on behavior that best suits the workforces and work location in order to attain a goal is to
increase the member’s motivation, satisfaction and empowerment so they become associates of
the organization. Behavioral theory also seen in the study, as it is emphasis on the study of
behavior of a leader. Hans also motivated, empowerment, and satisfied its employees as it is
given in the case study. Behavioral theory of management leadership is classified as such for the
reason that they focus in the study of definite behaviors of a leader (Leadership-central.com
2019). For behavioral theorists, the behavior of leader is the best interpreter of his leadership
influence and as an outcome is the best factor of his or her leadership achievement (Center for
creative leadership 2019).
It is found from the study that good leaders are not born with leader’s traits and characteristics.
They established their path for development. Likewise, Mr. Hans establish his own path for the
development by doing job from service provider to head of the five star hotels. The theories that
are applied to the study are applicable as Mr. Hans possess those traits, leadership characteristics
and work according to the democratic style of leadership (Adair 2009).
The current leadership style is Democratic style of leadership and the motive of this style is to
motivate and promote the employees of the organization to work effectively and efficiently with
enthusiasm. However, there are different styles of leadership such as autocratic or authoritarian,
democratic or participative, and laissez faire or free rein leadership styles (Lewin 2018). In
autocratic style, the superior tells his or her subordinates what to do and how to do without
getting their advice or opinion or ideas. This style is not seen in the study as superior does not
order his subordinates even he motivates and promotes its employees (Garcia 2014). In