"Addressing necessary changes together"

Terms such as leadership and leadership are closely linked. Because the leadership of people, companies and organizations is indisputably a key factor in an increasingly complex world. Especially at this time, when an aggressive and still little-known virus is almost paralyzing the entire world. Now, as hardly ever before, the great challenges of shaping the framework conditions that support and secure the survival and competitiveness of companies are at stake. The question is almost idle: How do you inspire people and actors to take responsibility and help implement important goals on their own initiative? These and such questions can be described as leadership. Leadership requires thinking beyond the usual measure and is also the ability to motivate others to special achievements.

Corporate values as character traits

Leadership is much more than innovation. In order to initiate and implement major changes, an exchange of ideas is indispensable. However, the ideas and processes must also be communicated correctly and their feasibility must be constantly checked and persistently communicated. Successful leadership is also about content. Experience, courage and credibility are the foundations of successful leadership. Together with humility, these are all values that make real and good leadership possible. Corporate values are the character traits of an organization or company. They create identity and generate perceptibility. In this way, a self-committed attitude of all managers and employees can develop. Corporate values convey, give identity to the employees or partners in practice and networks: This leads to a shared sense of responsibility borne by the claims.

destination leadership

Especially in times of changing values or major changes in fast time cycles like today, corporate values are a good orientation. This is how the radiance of a brand can emerge. In tourism, exactly this kind of brand thinking plays an essential role in the future orientation of living and holiday areas. Destination leadership, especially in the Alpine region, means not only approaching system-changing projects with courage, but also bringing a measure of humility. This is due to respect for the sensitivity of the alpine space and its people, who have acquired that mountain competence over centuries in order to survive in an ecologically sensitive space.

We spoke to Stefan Otz, a renowned Swiss tourism expert and destination manager, on the subject of leadership. During his long and successful time as Director of the Interlaken Tourism Organisation, he turned the region in the Bernese Oberland into one of the most successful brands in the country. As CEO of Rigi Bahnen, he then headed what is probably one of the most traditional tourism companies in Switzerland, which he led to record results over the past three years. Just three months ago, Stefan Otz took over as the new owner of the BERNOBERLAND Tourism School in Thun.

Mr. Otz, can you briefly introduce us to your tourism school in Thun?

Stefan Otz: "We are tourism", this slogan of our school stands for a comprehensive further education for tourism professionals of tomorrow. We currently have two classes with around 40 students from the incoming and outgoing sectors. In two years, the participants of our College of Tourism receive a practice-oriented education that enables them to take on demanding tasks and responsibilities at management level in tourism. The training, which is established throughout Switzerland, leads to the protected diploma "dipl. Tourismusfachfrau HF" or "dipl. Tourismusfachmann HF". The focus is on "from knowledge to ability". More than 30 experienced lecturers impart their extensive practical knowledge.

A few weeks after your purchase of the school, just before the end of February, all tourism is practically idle. What does that mean for your school in concrete terms?

Indeed: what a start! You take over a school and three weeks later it is closed down. So leadership was needed right away. We had to make changes within a very short time and now conduct distance learning and online exams. Thanks to the willingness and great flexibility of both students and lecturers, we are coping quite well with the new, unusual situation. Of course, I imagined the start quite differently. On the other hand, it is also a great opportunity for us as a special school: we are training future tourism professionals who will be well equipped to help shape the tourism recovery after the pandemic and will be in demand accordingly. Digitalisation is therefore advancing even faster. As a result, new forms of teaching are becoming established, and we need to develop and use them.

The Corona crisis has hit the tourism and leisure industry at the worst possible time. Can this emergency paralysis of such an important industry bring about a change in values?

That remains to be seen. Tourism researchers and scientists say that tourism can contribute a lot to the healing of the shock and heal itself in the process. Empathy, perception of the problems and further thinking can have the effect that Switzerland even emerges strengthened from the Corona crisis. Changing guest needs offer opportunities to think differently about tourism and to implement the findings in new environmentally compatible, people-oriented offers. I support such differentiated approaches and we also try to convey this at our school.

Despite your positive-constructive assessments, changes are also likely to occur in tourism. Not only innovations are needed, but also leadership. And: Who has the best chances of survival and who will fall by the wayside?

Crises are often catalysts for progress. Some of the greatest achievements of human civilization have come after wars and epidemics. Crises force us to do many things differently and to think in new ways. In many cases they also promote cohesion and even mobilise undreamt-of energies. In addition to being a test of social character, crises are also a great opportunity for our personality. Everyone can fail through resignation in crises, or grow beyond themselves through courage, energy and public spirit. Moreover, only crises make us really aware of what needs to be preserved and what needs to be changed. In tourism, too, a changed market will determine success and failure in the future.

Despite everything: Tourism is a dynamic and fascinating industry. Only in few areas are such comprehensive competences required and in demand as in tourism. Isn't it precisely in these quiet and difficult times that there is also an opportunity to think about fundamental and important aspects of the topic, to come to terms with new ideas and scenarios?

Tourism is a cross-sectional industry with many ramifications in different disciplines. This places high demands on the players, which is why good, well-founded further training offers are of central importance for this industry. In the current "standstill" phase, I would by no means speak of a quiet time. As for what lies ahead after the Corona Lockdown, especially in terms of preparations, the entire tourism industry is currently very challenged. It is opportune to think of tourism in a different way. Many are dealing with this and behind the scenes this is also being pushed forward: Crisis as an opportunity - questioning globalisation. Digitalisation is gaining momentum and "think global, act local" is becoming more important. In this way, a change in values can take place and this also opens up many new opportunities for tourism. However, the necessary changes can only be tackled together. A new understanding of cooperation is needed. Today, we speak of integral ecosystems that are open to all participants and must not be orchestrated by individuals with particular interests.

You are not only the owner of the BERN-OBERLAND School of Tourism, but also the director and headmaster. Will you adapt your school curricula to the new circumstances? Also give even more space to the areas of corporate values, management and leadership?

The advantage of a small, specialised school is that you can react agilely and flexibly to trends and changes. In this respect, the current situation is already being incorporated into the teaching material. Our lecturers also address the topic of Covid-19 in their lessons and accompany the aforementioned in relation to changing values and new opportunities. Even before Covid-19 spread around the world, we addressed and considered topics such as globalization, sustainability, and digitalization. Ethics, morals and values as well as leadership are also an integral part of our learning programs. This also includes specific competence seminars under difficult conditions such as time pressure, group dynamics, night work, etc. at external locations.

You were reluctantly let go after more than a dozen successful years as tourism director in Interlaken. You were very popular and some mourned you for a long time. Now you are returning to the Bernese Oberland after four years. So something like coming home?

After 13 years as tourism director in Interlaken, you build up a broad network. Friendships develop that have also outlasted my three and a half years on the Rigi. I value the region with its people and diverse culture. Thun as a school location is not unjustly called the gateway to the Bernese Oberland. In this respect, one can certainly speak of coming home.

Finally, a brief, succinct outlook.

I see the crisis as a great opportunity. Globalisation is being questioned. Switzerland as a holiday destination will become even more attractive for Europeans in the future. Our Swiss people are also rediscovering the beauty of our Alpine regions, the Central Plateau and the Jura, as well as our cities and towns.