Interview with Taylor Scott
Effective leadership transcends traditional metrics and strategies. And that’s where hospitality leadership comes in. It’s about creating genuine human connections, cultivating empathy, and leading with heart. Taylor Scott, a seasoned hospitality professional, encapsulates this philosophy in his insightful books, Lead with Hospitality and Give Hospitality. Drawing from his extensive experience with renowned brands like Disney and The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, Taylor offers a compelling narrative on how leaders can inspire and engage their teams by embracing the core principles of hospitality.
Beyond his professional achievements, Taylor is a passionate advocate for human-centric leadership. His mission is to guide leaders in creating environments where individuals feel valued, understood, and motivated to excel.
Taylor, your books emphasize the importance of emotional connection in leadership. What inspired you to focus on this aspect?
I had reached a point in my life and career when I had experienced many great leaders as well as toxic leaders of my own, but I was also learning from others – friends, family members, colleagues, team members, and even former team members – just how sad, frustrated, and even depressed they were because of their “bad leader.” So, I got curious and really wanted to explore a simple question, “Why do we love our favorite leaders?”.
I learned that we love our favorite leaders for the same reasons we love our favorite hospitality brands such as Disney, Marriott, United Airlines and even our favorite hospitality destinations such as Maui, Disney Parks and Resorts, or tropical islands in the Caribbean.
It’s because of how they make us FEEL!
That’s when the idea and concept of leading with hospitality came to mind. It was and still is a framework that I’ve set out to share with both emerging leaders and seasoned leaders so that more of us approach leadership in a human, hospitable way.
As it turns out, the great John Maxwell quote, “You can’t move people into action until we first move them with emotion” is so very true.
You’ve worked with iconic brands like Disney and The Cosmopolitan. How did these experiences shape your leadership philosophy?
Growing up in Eastern Kentucky, Walt Disney World was our favorite vacation destination, as a family. My parents loved it, my sister and I loved it, my grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and closest friends of our family just loved all-things-Disney. We’d have an annual Walt Disney World vacation, and sometimes even more than one. My parents would put it all on their credit cards, and sometimes we’d even go on another trip before fully paying off the previous one! So, naturally, when it was time for me to research colleges and universities, I knew I wanted to be a part of creating the magic which had inspired our family all of my life.
I went to undergrad in Lakeland, FL at Florida Southern College, on purpose, because it’s located 40 miles west of Walt Disney World. Each summer, I worked a different “role in the show” from quick service food and beverage at Disney’s Yacht and Beach Club Resort at Hurricane Hannah’s out by the pool, to attractions at Disney’s Animal Kingdom at The Tree of Life Repertory Theater where we presented It’s Tough to be a Bug, to merchandise at Donald’s Double Feature, the gift shop at Disney’s All Star Movies Resort, and even a management internship which included three months as a Housekeeping Manager and three months as a Front Desk Manager at Disney’s Contemporary Resort.
Having started my career at age 18 learning how Disney dreams, creates, designs, and ultimately delivers world-class hospitality and entertainment, I’ve always been so grateful for those experiences. It’s also a bit of a curse, as I’m always comparing every other brand and experience to Disney. When I found The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, it was the closest thing to Disney on the Las Vegas Strip that I could find; and it was because of how we set out to make guests, customers, clients, and each other FEEL. We were on a mission to “change the game” and create a place that was not just different, but different in ways that mattered to people.
My experiences working on both coasts at Walt Disney World and Disneyland and in the four years I was lucky enough to have been on the Opening Team of The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas gave me so many “guiding lights” which I still live by today. Things like creating feelings worth returning to, leaving others with a story to tell, or my favorite Walt Disney quote, “You can design and create, and build the most wonderful place in the world, but it takes people to make the dream a reality,” still inspire me to inspire others today.
In “Lead with Hospitality,” you discuss the concept of making people feel significant. Can you elaborate on how leaders can achieve this in a corporate setting?
I learned this from the great author, speaker, and leader, Mark Sanborn, who wrote my favorite book, The Fred Factor. He taught me how to write and ultimately deliver powerful, inspirational keynote messages earlier in my career when he used to hire me to deliver Fred Factor keynotes on his behalf. I’ve never forgotten something he told me which was, “When people feel significant, they make significant contributions.” I’ve always loved that sentiment, and I’ve found it to be so true.
All of us – every single one of us – have a human need to feel significant. We can achieve this in corporate settings by leaning into and activating a strong sense of PURPOSE. Three things leaders who lead with hospitality can do with purpose are as follows – 1) Discover Your Own Personal Purpose, 2) Help Others Discover their Own Personal Purpose, and this is the one that makes the magic, 3) Connect Every Person’s Individual Role to the Overarching Purpose of Your Organization.
When leaders and organizations do this, pretty soon we don’t have United Airlines customer service agents in the airline industry dragging themselves to and from work every day to “get yelled at by customers”, but instead we have those same customer service professionals bounding out of bed each morning to go be a part of “Connecting People, Uniting the World” which is United’s “shared purpose”. When leaders and organizations like Disney Vacation Club, Disney’s version of Timeshare, or Vacation Ownership, we don’t have sales professionals who go to work every day to simply “sell timeshare”, but instead we have people passionate about going to work every day to change people’s lives by teaching them a different way to vacation with Disney.
Looking back, Disney does this so well, with all of their Cast and Crew. They make sure everyone knows just how significant they are in creating magic and preserving “the magical Guest experience”, from hourly Cast Members on Main Street USA at Magic Kingdom to the corporate offices in Burbank. When you work for Disney, you don’t just believe in magic, we all genuinely BELIEVE we’re a part of creating and delivering the magic.
All organizations can achieve the same by socializing and aligning each individual’s role to the overarching purpose or “mission” of their company. People will feel significant, and they’ll make more significant contributions as a result.
The hospitality industry is known for its emphasis on customer experience. How can leaders in other industries adopt similar principles to enhance employee engagement?
We know from science that all humans are wired to feel before we think, and we also know that it’s really emotions and emotional connections which drive our decision-making, not the logic. So, leaders in other industries can leverage this by creating a culture of “relationships vs. transactions.” Regardless of industry, if and when brands are successful in connecting on a human level with not only their teams but especially their customers, relationships blossom. It’s those relationships which will inspire and compel both employees and customers to become more loyal, happier, and ultimately more valuable over time.
We believe conversations make good company. Focus on meaningful interactions with the intent to form a relationship with employees and customers, as opposed to merely transacting.
Relationships simply make us better at life while also making life better – at work, at home, and in our communities.
You mention that before people are compelled to do anything, they must first feel something. How can leaders tap into this insight to motivate their teams?
Two things – empathy and acceptance.
I believe those two leadership skills are woven intricately throughout all four components of emotional intelligence – self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, and relationship management. I believe empathy is the ultimate “FastPass”, if you will, to motivating or inspiring anyone to do anything more or differently than they would have without us, as leaders.
When others realize that we’ve taken steps or taken time out of our own agenda to genuinely seek to understand how they may be feeling about any given situation in which they find themselves, everything changes. One simple statement I’ve found puts empathy into action, and it goes like this: “If what happened to you had happened to me, I’d be just as frustrated (or sad, angry, annoyed, etc.) as you are.” I learned that statement when I worked on the Las Vegas Strip, and I’ve tried it and practiced it hundreds of times in various contexts and situations.
What I’ve seen and felt from leveraging that sentiment and statement is that the other person begins to see you as a human being, not their leader or “boss”. Moreover, both people on either side of the conversation begin to feel a common bond rooted in humanness.
Humanness goes a long way. No matter how different we all are on the outside, deep down the one thing we all have in common is that we’re all human beings. When others begin to see their own leaders as fellow humans as opposed to “the annoying boss”, people begin to open up, lean in, and they’re more compelled to not only receive their leaders’ coaching and feedback, but they are also more likely to put the feedback into action.
Acceptance is also powerful.
Three things I believe we can all do with acceptance – 1) accept yourself for who you are, 2) accept other people for who they are (not for what they’ve accomplished), and this is the toughest one, 3) accept organizational realities. Acceptance keeps us humble and kind, like the great Tim McGraw hit song. When we get better at all three phases of acceptance, we’re more likely to connect with and relate to those we lead.
Without that connection and relationship, it’s simply more difficult to lead anyone to do anything extraordinary or special.
In your experience, what are some common misconceptions leaders have about emotional intelligence and its role in effective leadership?
It can be easy for older leaders or those who have been in their roles for longer than others to believe their own narrative that “they’re better” because of their age or tenure. The reality is, when it comes to emotional intelligence, we can all improve in all four aspects, regardless of life stage or tenure – self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, and relationship management. It’s less about how old we are and how long we’ve been out here working, and all about becoming intentional about practicing techniques to build and sharpen emotional intelligence skills and competencies.
I love what Daniel Goleman, who some refer to as “The Godfather of Emotional Intelligence” says about this topic. “IQ will get you the job, but EQ will make you a star.” The reason this is true is that most of us in leadership roles are in positions where we must work with, for, or influence and inspire PEOPLE.
Unless we’re able to connect with, serve, engage with, or inspire people to want to do more, become more, and ultimately deliver their best work, would anyone ever need us as a leader in their organization?
The most common misconception is that emotional intelligence is “just the soft skills” or the “fluffy stuff”. In reality, “the soft skills” are often the hardest skills of all to learn, improve, and sustain over time.
Before we can effectively lead others, we must learn how to lead ourselves, which is emotional intelligence in a nutshell.
How do you recommend leaders balance the need for empathy with the demands of performance and results?
I believe this balance comes from thinking about what I call The Six Virtues of Leading with Hospitality in somewhat of a chronological order. Here they are – 1) Connect, 2) Strive for Self-Mastery, 3) Serve, 4) Engage, 5) Coach, and 6) Inspire, in that order.
For example, how often have we all ever had a leader try to coach and inspire before they successfully connected with us personally or served us in some way before asking us to serve anyone or anything? Or how often have you and I made this mistake when we step into a new leadership role or situation?
How does that usually work out? Not well.
Conversely, when we have a commitment to connection first, and then as we’re connecting, we’re striving for self-mastery, learning more and more about how we can show up better, with more empathy for others and ultimately become the best versions of ourselves, we’re in a more positive frame of mind to serve others selflessly. As we’re serving them, we see and feel them opening up and we’re able to engage in more meaningful conversations which give way to respect and credibility, both ways. Respect + Credibility = TRUST.
Once trust is built, we’re able to coach with grace, grit, and intention. Because we’ve been intentional about connecting, striving for self-mastery, serving, and engaging first, they’re more likely to open up and receive our “coaching” more so than they would have otherwise. Finally, once that happens, people – both the leader and the team member – become even more inspired to inspire others to jump onboard as everyone is now on the same page, climbing the proverbial mountain together, united rather than divided.
That’s the balance. When we connect first, and then lead, we realize we can create relationships AND deliver results at the same time. In fact, when we get the relationships right, results tend to follow shortly thereafter anyway.
What practical steps can organizations take to embed the principles of hospitality into their culture?
Give Compassion, Give Encouragement, Give Kindness, Give Hospitality, and Give Leadership.
How to bring each of those to life, in practicality is unpacked in our newest book, Give Hospitality: A Hopeful Story of What Happens When We Live, Work, and Love from a Place of Generosity.
You’ve highlighted the importance of serving selflessly. How can leaders cultivate a mindset of service within their teams?
I’ve seen this firsthand – when leaders lead with hospitality, frontline teams deliver memorable hospitality, because the principles are transferable.
People – employees and customers – make decisions based on their emotions rather than the logic. So, in the same way, when our teams see us, feel us, and hear us out there on the floor, in the operation, or “in the boat with them”, they feel seen, heard, valued, and respected.
Those feelings ignite a spark within their hearts and minds to serve their guests, customers, and clients in the same ways they’ve been served by their leaders. I’ve learned that compassionate, generosity, and gracious hospitality are all contagious. Research teaches us that when people see others giving, volunteering, caring for others, and giving compassion, they become inspired and more compelled to give, volunteer, care, and give more compassion to others themselves.
They’re watching what we do, what we don’t do, and they’re listening to what we say, what we don’t say, and even how we say it.
When leaders walk their talk, teams are more likely to follow their lead.
What advice would you give to emerging leaders who aspire to lead with hospitality?
Simple. Be human, emotionally connect to the people you lead as well as the mission or cause you’ve been called to be a part of and serve people selflessly.
Great leaders are not great because of their “leadership-ness”. Great leaders are great because of their “humanness.”
What are some common challenges leaders face when trying to implement a hospitality-driven approach, and how can they overcome them?
The most common challenges are people with fixed mindsets as opposed to a growth mindset.
The fixed mindset people believe that no matter what, regardless of how hard anyone could or would ever try, the current situation will never change. These are the “Well, it is what it is” people.
However, after spending these past five years and countless hours with leaders at all levels of many organizations across the world, I can tell you with confidence that with LOVE and HOSPITALITY we all win.
I’ve been yelled at while delivering keynotes and workshops, I’ve been dismissed and discounted by so called senior executive leaders, and I’ve found myself in far too many contentious conversations with negative people than I’d like to admit. As difficult as all those moments have been, I’m encouraged, hopeful, and grateful for those many challenging moments because I’ve also witnessed many of those same challenging people and personalities shift their mindsets from fixed back to growth, or from negative back to positive. For every negative and challenging person, there have been ten times as many who I watch light up when we engage in these topics of conversation about what I believe are the things that matter most – compassion, encouragement, kindness, hospitality, and leadership.
So, there’s hope. With love and hospitality, we all win. It may not be immediate, but in time, love and hospitality have, can, and will help anyone overcome any challenge at any time.
How does “Give Hospitality” build upon the concepts introduced in your first book?
Give Hospitality is a leadership fable about a young, up and comer leader named Summer Grace.
I chose to write this one as a story to connect and resonate with people who may not be accustomed to reading leadership books. We definitely build on the concepts in Lead with Hospitality by telling a story of how the sentiments, virtues, skills, and mindsets have and can be put into practice.
The entire story is based on real life people, leaders, coaches, pastors, teachers, and organizations I’ve worked with or for, and real-life conversations our Lead with Hospitality, LLC Team and I facilitate in the work we do with our partners, clients, and each other.
They’re simple things like:
- Give Compassion: Golden Rule is I Validate and Engage others.
- Give Encouragement: Your Gifts make an I Be Vocal and Educate others.
- Give Kindness: Genuineness Influences with Vulnerability, enhancing Environments
- Give Hospitality: Generosity is an Inspiration to Volunteer and elevate Experiences
- Give Leadership: Gratefulness sparks Intentionality, activating Values with Empathy
These are things we all know we should and could be living by or doing. However, in recent years, for many different reasons the simplest things have seemingly fallen by the wayside. Up and comers, in many instances, have not been shown nor taught “the how” – how to bring these virtues and values to life. Also, many seasoned leaders perhaps were taught or shown these types of things earlier in their lives or careers, but for many years now, we’ve all been operating in “survival mode,” me included.
With all the division and dissention in our world today, I wanted to GIVE all of us, me included, some hope of what could be.
My hope is that we all see a bit of ourselves in Summer Grace and her new friends and coworkers at Kauwela Resorts, a fictional yet hopeful type of organization each of us has it in us to create if and when we live, work, and love from a place of generosity.
To dig further into Taylor Scott’s insights, his books Lead with Hospitality and Give Hospitality are available for purchase.
Image Credit: Alev Takil
