Leadership in Communication series
Easygoing man on the move
J.W. (“Bill”) Marriott Jr., chairman and CEO, Marriott International
J.W. (“Bill”) Marriott Jr., the 2008 IABC EXCEL Award winner, is chairman and chief executive officer of Marriott International, the 81-year-old, US$12 billion lodging empire that has been a leader in the hotel business for more than 50 years. In that time, Marriott has grown from a family restaurant business into a respected and successful global company with more than 3,000 properties in 68 countries and territories, and more than 151,000 associates.
Bill joined the Marriott Corporation in 1956. He was elected executive vice president and a member of the board of directors in 1964 and was named president of the company later that year. He was named chief executive officer in 1972, and chairman of the board in 1985.
As the face of Marriott International, Bill Marriott could be satisfied with his company’s long list of accomplishments, and could be poised to settle into a comfortable retirement. Not Bill Marriott. When someone asked him what the strategy for Marriott was, the answer was just one word: “More.” More satisfied customers, more happy employees, more communication, more hotels, more profits, more shareholders who are making more money. More.
Despite the organization’s size, it has a close-knit family feeling, which is a result of Marriott’s quest to retain the company culture and core values first championed by his father, J. Willard Marriott, when he opened a nine-seat root beer stand in Washington, D.C. in 1927.
“If you’re in the service business and your name is above the door, it’s important for people to be able to link a face to the name,” says Bill Marriott. “I want our associates to know that there really is a guy named Marriott who cares about them, even if he can only drop by every so often to personally tell them so.”
And drop by he does. Bill Marriott personally visits nearly 250 properties each year, meeting with associates, guests and managers. As he tours the facilities, he is well known for his “hands-on” management style—peeking under dust ruffles, checking laundry operations or talking to a bellman about the job. But he isn’t only shaking hands, posing for photos or looking for problems. He takes every opportunity to listen to what associates are saying.
“Listening should be an opportunity to learn,” Marriott says. “I believe strongly in the practice of listening to the organization’s heartbeat myself instead of relying exclusively on my direct reports and senior staff for information. I make a habit of calling directly into our various divisions and levels to hear straight talk from associates.”
The cornerstone of Marriott’s culture has always been: “Take care of your employees, and they will take care of your customers and the customers will come back.” That philosophy of caring has served the company well, as demonstrated by hundreds of “best” awards from organizations such as Fortune, Working Mother, Black Enterprise, Hispanic Business and ComputerWorld.
IABC International Conference 2008 WebCast: EXCEL Winner J.W. Marriott Jr. (registration required)
“Leadership in Communication” series – Table of Contents
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