Dukes Hotels MD Debrah Dhugga on leadership in a global world

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As Managing Director of Dukes Hotels, five-star properties in London and Dubai, Debrah Dhugga has been voted among the top 100 business women in the hospitality industry. We talked to her about inspiring leadership, the power of asking questions and what it takes to succeed in hotel management.

What is the core of hospitality – and why did it inspire you?

Hospitality is all about looking after people and ensuring great attention and great leadership. I have always enjoyed hospitality, even when I was growing up. I loved staying hotels – and working in them was something that I always wanted to do.

Hospitality is so diverse; from catering to HR, there’s an awful lot that goes on in hotels behind the scenes. So you’ve really got to be niche in commercial aspects of the business as well as being able to smile and greet your guests, and look and feel great every minute of the day when you’re front of house.

I always had a vision that I was going to be a manager, although I started out at the grassroots and I have worked in every department, and all aspects of the business from reception to MD.

 

How has that impacted on your understanding of what it means to be a good leader?

It’s important to know how to communicate with your team and have an open door policy. I embrace ambition within my team and I always encourage my employees not to be afraid and to make sure they have a vision.

If anyone says to me, “I don’t like my job,” and they’re not doing anything about it, there’s something wrong there. You’ve got to have the ambition to be able to move forward.

I think it's important to be approachable even though you’re the boss, and as a leader, I love nothing more than my team coming up with a great idea. I can’t be all and everything – and the key is working together.

 

What makes a successful leader in the hospitality industry?

Being confident – which is important not just in hospitality but in business in general. You have to remember what you want and talk to people about it – networking is so important – and ask advice on the way.

Knowing how important it is to ask advice on your journey is one of the biggest learning curves. And that alone can actually give you confidence because you are learning every day through the advice that you are given.

I also think having the courage to take a risk is important. If you’re asked to do something and you don’t know how, investigate it and see if there’s an opportunity there.

And don’t be afraid if things go wrong. Sometimes we do fail – that’s life, but it is also a journey. And however long it takes, and whether you’re taking big leaps, or small leaps it doesn’t matter – as long as you’re growing all the time.

 

Are cultural differences important in providing exemplary hospitality service between countries – or is there now a global standard?

This is a very hot topic, and I just think there are global standards now. The world is becoming smaller. Everything is touchable now.

Being a hotel, and especially a five-star hotel, though you have to be able to flex. So that could be around two Brits, one who likes oranges in their room and another who likes bananas – it doesn’t matter where they are from necessarily.

But the one cultural challenge you can have is the hours. For example, some cultures prefer to eat very late at night, others prefer early afternoon. You have to adapt to those timelines, and similarly with sleeping patterns.

Different cultures will go to bed at 3 am and not get up until 11 am, so you have to offer a later breakfast, than, say, a European breakfast which is between 7am-9.30am. Success is about adapting your business for your business mix. 

 

Are there any areas in the hospitality industry that need more female representation?

We definitely need more female chefs and senior management in hotels. It’s getting better, but there is still a lack.

In management, I think there has been a massive gap for many women in getting from being a middle manager to a senior manager because of the traditionally long hours and because of the costs of childcare. I do think that the industry has grown up though and I can already see changes happening.

Historically, the kitchen was always a male-dominated area. But I do think it’s also changing partly because years ago it was hard to be able to do the traditional split shifts if you had a family, whereas now it’s a one shift right the way through, and a lot easier as a result.

So you’ve got people like Clare Smyth, who’s an amazing three Michelin Star chef, and Angela Hartnett leading by example and who have amazing careers in the kitchen. I think in 10 years’ time, there will be a lot more female leaders throughout the industry.

 

How important is mentoring for women in business, and what makes a good mentor?

Mentoring is crucial. A mentor is someone who you can talk to about anything. I meet my mentees once a quarter for one hour, and that’s all – but I listen to what they have to say and we set targets and achievements, as my mentor did for me.

Mentoring is a management relationship outside of work, which is voluntary on both sides – your mentor is never going to be your best friend or to tell you what to do personally.

It is about being a great listener but you have to understand the confidentiality – your mentees will share things with you that, as I say to them, I just ‘park there and leave’. Sometimes they just need to air a situation.

I think you’re always a mentor at any stage of your career – you could be a mentor to someone who is at university when you’re in your first job, for example. It is a business partnership outside of work, and your mentor might not be the same through your life – it’s always the person who’s going to lead you onto your next journey.

 

What advice would you give to somebody entering the hospitality industry?

Work hard, set yourself a goal in the area that you feel you want to go into but you may have the opportunity to flex, so don’t set anything in stone.

You could start on reception and decide that’s not what you want to do and you would like to try housekeeping management, or you might want to go into the kitchen for food and beverage. There are a lot of businesses within businesses, within a hotel and so many opportunities.

Don’t be afraid to ask questions on the way; it’s what will make you a success. And stand out from the crowd. If you are prepared to do things that other people won’t, then it will stand you in good stead. I remember when I was coming into my career in hospitality, I used to shadow people. I would say, “Can I work with you for a day so I can see what you do?”

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