14 Feb, 2025
Are global Travel & Tourism leaders inspiring HOPE? Gallup report offers food for thought
Bangkok — A report on the future of global leadership by the Gallup Organisation says that inspiring hope is by far the most important characteristic followers seek in their leaders, especially young people. Next come trust, compassion and stability. As I combed through that report, the first question that came to mind was: Have Travel & Tourism leaders delivered on any of those needs?
With a few exceptions, I am not so sure.
Prepared for the World Governments Summit held in Dubai between Feb 11-14, the report is an eye-opener for all categories of leaders — national, corporate, institutional, societal and beyond. Although this era is widely touted as a period of intense change, the report says these four characteristics of what followers seek in their leaders remain unchanged.
The emphasis on HOPE stands out right through. In arguably its most important quote, the report defines “HOPE” thus: “More than anything, HOPE is the belief that the future will be better than the present and that people feel empowered to make it so. If a leader does not create a sense of HOPE and help people see the way forward, chances are, no one else will either.”
In another eye-popping redefinition of conventional wisdom, the report asks, “What makes a good leader? Is it bravery, compassion, innovation, inspiration? The demands of leadership are complex, but the foundation of being a good leader is rooted in meeting the needs of those who follow them.”
In other words, leadership is not about boosting profit margins, or developing better products, or driving shareholder value, or boosting membership.
All that comes later. First and foremost, it is all about inspiring hope and delivering on it.
As I read through the report, I evaluated its conclusions against the following checklist questions:
Are any of the global leaders inspiring and delivering on hope?
Is the Secretary-General of the World Tourism Organisation? The chairman of the Pacific Asia Travel Association? The CEO of the World Travel & Tourism Council?
Readers can do their own evaluations in corporate boardrooms, lecture halls and management meetings.
The report should encourage Travel & Tourism leaders to rethink their real reason for existence and introspect on how they can deliver hope, build trust, become compassionate and strengthen stability — not just within their own turfs but well beyond.
It should also challenge them to pursue ways to convert what appears to be a HOPELESS global scenario into a HOPEFUL one.
The images below with specific references to HOPE speak for themselves. I encourage readers to download the easy-to-read report. Personally, I think it will end the need to listen to any more lectures on leadership by overpaid management gurus.
The report can be downloaded in full by clicking here.
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