Over more than 40 years in business, I have met many skilled leaders, ambitious companies and committed employees. Across industries, countries and cultures.
And one thing has followed me all the way:
The way we treat people matters more than we sometimes realize.
Not only for job satisfaction. Not only for collaboration. But also for a company’s ability to develop and deliver results.
I call it hostmanship.
And no, it is not only about hotels, restaurants or welcoming guests.
It is about something far more fundamental.
We are all hosts – for each other
To me, hostmanship is a way of being human. In private and in business.
We are hosts for our customers, of course. But we are also hosts for our colleagues, employees, managers, partners and everyone else we meet in and around the company.
That goes for the CEO, the middle manager, the receptionist, the technician and the new hire.
We are all hosts – for each other and for everyone in and around the company.
It may sound simple. And it actually is.
But simple is not necessarily the same as easy.
Because hostmanship only becomes interesting when it is put to the test. When things get busy. When someone makes a mistake. When we disagree. When an employee is struggling. Or when the company has to go through necessary change.
That is exactly where our values have to prove themselves.
Integrity is not something we can just write on the wall
I have visited companies where fine values hang framed on the walls.
Respect. Trust. Collaboration. Responsibility.
Fine words. And, as a starting point, good ambitions.
But what good are they if employees do not experience them in their everyday work?
If a manager does not say hello to the team? If criticism is given in front of colleagues? If decisions are made over the heads of the people who have to carry them out? Or if people only become interesting when there are problems with their performance?
Then the values are not a culture.
They are decoration.
Integrity should not live in the employee handbook alone. It should be felt in the way we treat each other.
Also when we disagree. And perhaps especially then.
To me, integrity is not the same as avoiding conflict. Quite the opposite.
You can set high standards, give a clear message, make an unpopular decision or end a working relationship – and still treat people decently.
One does not rule out the other.
Good leadership takes both humanity and courage.
The five pillars of my hostmanship
I work with five core values that together make up my approach to hostmanship and leadership.
Openness. We meet people with an open mind. Not with preconceived ideas about who they are or what they can contribute.
Respect. We recognize people and their perspectives. Also when they see the world differently from us.
Involvement. We create ownership through participation. People who are heard and involved are better placed to take responsibility.
Clarity. We communicate clearly and honestly. Expectations, decisions and responsibilities should never be something employees have to guess.
Responsibility and integrity. We stand by our decisions and treat people decently – also when it is difficult.
The five values do not stand alone.
They rest on the human foundation I call hostmanship.
And on top of them sits the business purpose:
Leadership. Direction. Results. Through people.
- Openness We meet people with an open mind
- Respect We recognize people and their perspectives
- Involvement We create ownership through participation
- Clarity We communicate clearly and honestly
- Responsibility and integrity We stand by our decisions and treat people decently
Both parts matter to me.
Because hostmanship without leadership and direction can end up as good intentions. And leadership without hostmanship can end up as an organization where people do what is necessary – but rarely more than that.
Culture is not created in the executive suite alone
A company’s culture is not shaped only by what the executive team decides.
It is shaped by what happens every single day.
How we speak to each other. How we welcome new colleagues. How we handle mistakes. How we help each other when something is on fire.
And not least: what we as leaders accept.
Because employees notice far more than we sometimes think.
They see whether management does what it says. Whether the same rules apply to everyone. Whether you can raise a concern without being made the problem.
That is also why hostmanship is not a task that can be handed to HR or left to an annual staff day.
It is a leadership discipline.
And it has to be anchored at every level of the organization.
Here, middle managers play a decisive role. They are close to the employees, the customers and the daily operations. They turn the company’s values into concrete behavior.
But they need the mandate, the backing and the room to take responsibility themselves.
Because responsibility, in my view, is not only something you are given.
Responsibility is also something you take. And when people take responsibility, they also take ownership.
People do not stay in a company for the salary alone
Here in Greenland, we talk a lot about the shortage of labor.
It is a challenge that many companies feel very concretely.
Considerable resources go into recruitment, training and, in some cases, bringing employees to the country from abroad.
But at times I miss an equally strong focus on another question:
What are we actually doing to make the people we already have want to stay?
Because it is not enough to be able to attract employees.
We also have to be able to keep them.
And this is where day-to-day leadership plays an important role.
Is the employee seen? Heard? Are expectations clear? Is there room to grow? Is anyone interested in how things are actually going?
Do you feel part of the company – or just another name on the rota?
I am not claiming that hostmanship alone solves companies’ recruitment challenges.
But I am convinced that we overlook an important part of the solution if we do not also take an interest in the culture and leadership employees meet every day.
Recruiting is expensive. So is losing skilled people who could have stayed.
Hostmanship is not soft leadership
Let me be clear about one thing.
I do not advocate a style of leadership where everyone always has to agree, where difficult conversations are avoided, or where consideration for the individual means the needs of the business are forgotten.
That is not hostmanship.
Hostmanship is about treating people decently while we lead the business.
It means we have to dare to set demands. Prioritize. Make decisions. Follow up. And take responsibility when something is not working.
But the way we do it matters.
An employee can accept a difficult decision without agreeing with it. It just becomes easier if the decision is explained and the person is treated with respect.
That is not an argument for less clear leadership.
It is an argument for better leadership.
And in my world, the human side and the business side are inseparable.
It starts with ourselves
When I talk to leaders about company culture, I often come back to a very simple question:
What is it actually like for other people to meet you?
Not how you think you lead.
Not what it says in the company’s statement of values.
But how it feels to be an employee, colleague or partner in your everyday work.
Are you available? Do you listen? Are you clear? Do you keep your agreements? Do you treat people with respect, also when you are under pressure?
And perhaps most important:
Are you yourself the example you want others to follow?
We cannot expect a culture of integrity if we do not practice it ourselves.
Nor can we expect responsibility and ownership from employees if we do not give them the chance to take it.
Hostmanship starts with the individual. But it only becomes a strength for the company when we make it a shared way of working.
A question for you
Think about the most recent working day in your company.
How many people were met with genuine interest, respect and clarity?
And how many were simply met with a task, an instruction or an expectation?
The difference may seem small.
But over time, it is exactly differences like these that help shape a company culture.
I believe in people. And in what we can create together.
That is why, to me, hostmanship is not an extra quality we can choose to add when there is time and energy to spare.
It is the foundation we build leadership, collaboration and results on.
And it starts with something as simple – and as important – as treating each other decently.
Want to strengthen leadership, collaboration and culture in your company? I am happy to have a no-obligation conversation about where you stand and what it takes to create lasting results through people.