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Shantha de Silva’s book ‘Believe’ is an encouraging call to find one’s self-belief
“When elephants are very young, a length of rope is used to tie them. At that stage, since the elephants are still small, the rope is strong enough to constrain them. However much they try to break free, the rope is too strong for them to do so. After trying in vain for some time, they get conditioned to the fact that there is no way they can break free. As they grow up, because they have been conditioned from a young age, they still believe they cannot break away. So much so that they don’t even try.”
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‘Believe – Helping Leaders Unlock Their True Potential’[/caption]
The words from Shantha de Silva’s book “Believe – Helping Leaders Unlock Their True Potential” are simple, yet they paint a very vivid and almost familiar picture. His next questions to the reader seem to cause instant introspection. “What is the rope that is holding you back? Do you believe in yourself? In your true potential? Or have you given up and surrendered yourself to the rope that is holding you back?”
Business and leadership books are not necessarily my cup of tea. I was pleasantly surprised, then, when I picked up “Believe” – intending only to just browse through the first few pages. I ended up not being able to put it down and even took it with me to a doctor’s appointment, where it kept me in cheery company for an hour or two. The book is an easy read, not only because of its concise and well-structured format, but also because of how fluidly it reads; it is best described as a book that makes you feel like you’re having a heart-to-heart sitting opposite the author with a cup of coffee in hand. There are no frills, no unnecessary jargon, no repetitions – just plain, sincere anecdotes, values, and principles that, while illuminating, are also somehow comforting. They’re comforting because you realise, through and through, that the ideas laid out by Shantha can be ingested and lived out by any one of us, in any field of work.
In a world where “believe in yourself” has become a catchphrase and cliché that almost anyone throws around, Shantha’s book carefully navigates this simple affirmation in a way that is both refreshingly unique and astoundingly relatable. When you’re done with the book, whether you’re in a leadership position or not, you’re sure to have been inspired to think differently in order to place yourself on the road to success – whatever that looks like for you.
Humble beginnings and disruptions
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Shantha de Silva[/caption]
Shantha, who is currently a hospitality management consultant, leadership mentor, and executive coach, has over 35 years of global experience leading businesses across Southeast and Southwest Asia, the South Pacific, and Australasia. His journey in the hospitality industry began with InterContinental Hotels, which later became part of the InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG), one of the largest hospitality companies in the world.
“I went from earning just $ 5 (in today’s money) – not for an hour, nor a week, but for a month – to being responsible for a regional business unit generating an annual turnover of nearly AUD 1 billion,” he shared in the book. He also went from working in one hotel to running over 100, both in operation and development, across many brands from economy to luxury. From being responsible just for himself to leading a team of over 8,000 “great” individuals spread across many countries, cultures, and continents – a cohort, he said in the book, he grew to love – Shantha’s journey has been colourful, to say the least.
“One of the fondest memories of my childhood is hospitality,” shared Shantha. Their home was a home to many, housing almost always other families and family members. His father, the late Rev. Dr. Lynn A. de Silva, was an author, theologian, philosopher, and priest. Three of Shantha’s uncles and his grandfather were also priests. His mother, he recalled, was a great host, making sure everyone was looked after. “The welcoming and hospitable environment my parents created made an impression on me of the importance of sharing and caring for others.”
After the death of both his parents in his teen years, and the trying times that followed, Shantha had big decisions to make. In the book, he details: “If I followed the path of priesthood, I had an established platform on which to build and would continue in somewhat familiar territory.” After seeking out the advice of loved ones, he decided, however, that the most important thing for him at that juncture was to quickly become as independent as possible. Therein began his adventure into the hospitality industry. He wrote: “Though I didn’t realise it at the time, that was one of the earliest disruptions in life that would become a common recurrence and a factor that would be a big influence on my career.”
Values that shaped an inspiring man
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Shantha de Silva with his family[/caption]
In the book, Shantha goes back to certain imagery to describe his own life and experiences, one of which is found in the Bible – clay being moulded by a potter. “Many times in my life, I wondered why certain things happen,” admitted Shantha, adding: “Why I find myself in situations where I need to start reinventing myself, and every time I am reminded of the potter and the clay.” What motivates this hospitality guru is that he will always come out of these situations better than when he went into them.
Shantha left Sri Lanka in 1996 to take up an overseas appointment with InterContinental Hotels as Director of Marketing for the InterContinental Hotel in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. “My boss at the time saw the potential in me and encouraged me to go overseas to further develop my career.” Another reason for leaving was that he felt “too comfortable” in his role at the time, and wanted a challenge.
Shantha has served on several boards and chaired a social initiative for the Government of Singapore. His own personal life has had its share of challenges. Having lost both his parents while still young, Shantha is no stranger to grief. His life, career, and influence, however, speak volumes about what self-belief has done for him. He is a proud father of two sons, Ashan and Shanil, and is a loving husband to his wife Renu.
Speaking to Brunch, Shantha jokingly added: “She was working in a travel agency, and I was working for InterContinental Hotel. I always say that I must have been a pretty good salesperson to have convinced her to marry me!” He describes Renu as the foundation in their family. “She gave up her work to look after the kids, which became even more critical as we moved from country to country. The stability and support she provided the entire family was tremendous.”
Making a difference is important to Shantha, whose personal vision to do so includes his family, colleagues, and the community. “To leave the world a better place than I found it” is how he puts it.
The Stockdale Paradox and lessons learned
Shantha is an optimist and this is very evident in his book. He is also a firm believer in the Stockdale Paradox. The Stockdale Paradox, made famous in Jim Collins’ bestselling book “From Good to Great” is a concept that says productive change begins when you confront the brutal facts. Admiral James Stockdale observed: “You must never confuse faith that you will prevail in the end – which you can never afford to lose – with the discipline to confront the most brutal facts of your current reality, whatever they might be.” Balancing, being an optimist, with the “brutal facts” that were facing him at every juncture of his journey is something that has brought Shantha a long way.
Faith and spirituality are also important pillars in Shantha’s life and this is visible in the book too, particularly with his references to the potter and the clay and the disciple Peter walking on water towards Jesus. “My favourite leader is Jesus Christ. He has given us many great principles in life that help us be better people,” shared Shantha. “I try to model my life around his teachings. I particularly like ‘servant leadership’, as practised by him, and try to emulate it as much as I can.”
Self-belief and advice to other leaders
Whilst Shantha carefully covers, in his book, the pertinent areas that could help even the most uncertain of people, I couldn’t help but ask him what he’d say to a person who struggles with being optimistic and also with self-belief. True to Shantha’s optimistic nature, he responded saying that self-belief can be achieved by anyone if they set their minds to it.
“Firstly, it is important that you set your mind that you want to develop this trait. Setting and achieving small goals, achieving quick wins can help to slowly build your confidence,” explained Shantha, adding: “And as you keep achieving these small goals, it will give you more encouragement to develop greater self-belief. But it all boils down to you – you need to want to achieve this.”
In the book and during this interview, Shantha talked of how while he was fortunate to work with good leaders throughout his career, he was also blessed with great teams. Keeping a motivated team is not an easy task, and I asked Shantha what nuggets of advice he could bestow. Creating an enjoyable work environment, according to him, will bring out the best in a team, and is a prime responsibility of a leader. “Culture, collaboration, and communication can be three important elements in creating an enjoyable work environment. As Tony Hsieh, the CEO of Zappos, which has become so famous for its workplace culture, says: ‘Your personal core values define who you are, and a company’s core values ultimately define the company’s character and brand’.”
Secondly, Shantha explained that when people collaborate and work together, this helps create a positive team environment, and makes team members feel encouraged and supported. Finally, he talked of the importance of fostering open communication and giving everyone the opportunity to be heard. “Over and above the 3Cs, leaders also have a responsibility to provide learning and development opportunities for their teams, so they can improve themselves.”
To the question of what some of the most common mistakes leaders make in this day and age, Shantha shared firstly that it is that they talk more than they listen. Leaders who get carried away with their own opinions, failing to listen to their team members, can be very demotivating. “Secondly, leaders can be too prescriptive, rather than allowing the team members to bring out their best. It’s better for leaders to share the expectations but let the team members deliver on the expectations their way. This way, the team members have more ownership of the task.”
It is not unheard of that micromanaging does more harm than good within a work environment. “It does not allow team members to bring out their best,” Shantha observed, adding that sometimes micromanaging can be a sign of insecurity in a leader, trying to control everything. “Also, when managers spend time micromanaging their team, that means they are not spending time on what they should be doing as part of their own job, which can have a very negative impact on an organisation.” If you want to build a great team and develop future leaders, advised Shantha, you need to give the space and the opportunity for them to bring out their best.
Still on the topic of common mistakes, Shantha shared that lastly, one of the biggest mistakes a leader makes is to “take all the credit for the team’s work, rather than giving the recognition to the team members”. He continued: “As Jim Collins says in his book ‘From Good to Great’, when things go well, leaders should look out the window and give credit to the team. And when things don’t go so well, they should look in the mirror and take responsibility.”
Predictions for the hospitality industry: Trust
No interview would be complete without asking this giant in hospitality management about the Covid-19 pandemic and its effect on the industry. In the book, Shantha elaborates on the concept of VUCA – volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity – and how leaders ought to navigate this by being adaptable, not only during a pandemic but all the time. “Situations like what we are facing today have made it even more evident that the world we live in is a VUCA world,” reiterated Shantha, adding that what came to mind particular to the hospitality industry were touch, trust, and technology. “The pandemic has created the need to go from a high touch industry to a low touch industry, while still maintaining the guest experience. This makes it important to focus on innovation, finding ways to deliver the experiences in new ways.”
Secondly, he explained that there is a need to build trust in the guests and colleagues alike, “that we are providing a safe environment for them. The industry needs to be able to adopt practices that can help build trust, and also communicate them effectively with the stakeholders. And finally, dependency on technology was never more critical than now. It is a good opportunity for the industry to adopt technology to drive efficiencies and experiences”.
Elaborating on the idea, Shantha went on to talk of how trust will form a critical part of the future of the industry as well. Also, with the complexities created by the pandemic, the industry, according to him, will need to reimagine customer experiences. “People are also more likely to look for reduced and conscious consumption and minimal waste. Sustainable products, eco-friendly policies, and environmental concerns are likely to feature high on the list of priorities for the industry.”
Shatha is humbled by the feedback the book has received. “One of our friends told me that her daughter who does not read books, read it back to back! Another leader said that they have asked their team to look at how they can implement the principles in the book.” He is pleased to have been able to share his experiences, and hopes that the book will inspire others.
Believe – Helping Leaders Unlock Their True Potential is available internationally on Amazon. You can also find it locally at www.books.lk. For more information, visit shanthadesilva.com.
