Dawn Smith can take the reins of leadership

All Woman
Monday, March 08, 2021
HOSPITALITY veteran and longstanding member of Sandals Resorts International’s management group, Dawn Smith, has been appointed common supervisor of the 232-place Sandals Royal Caribbean Vacation resort and Personal Island.
The vacation resort, which also features the chain’s initial at any time and very sought soon after Around-the-Drinking water Suites, is residence to approximately 600 team users.
Smith very first joined the Sandals loved ones as a entrance desk agent at the then Sandals Carlyle and has steadily state-of-the-art via the ranks keeping posts ranging from reservationist, executive housekeeper, entrance of household supervisor, rooms division manager and hotel manager. Her superb observe document and innate ability to encourage and inspire her crew also noticed her starting to be a remarkably regarded and dependable management consultant and advisor to both equally the company’s late founder and chairman, Gordon ‘Butch’ Stewart, as very well as his son Adam Stewart who succeeded him as executive chairman.
Commenting on Smith’s most recent assignment, Stewart claimed, “Dawn has been a valued member of our senior leadership group for many decades and I am excited to see her changeover to this role at Sandals Royal Caribbean, one of our group’s premiere resorts. She has an extraordinary observe report of visitor fulfillment and boosting crew morale and this is now obvious in her management of this new staff. In addition to an impeccable work ethic and a enthusiasm for hospitality, her wealth of practical experience, skills and achievements placement her properly to continue as general manager and to participate in a substantial part in the growth of this resort and the Sandals model in common.”
For Smith, who always wanted to pursue a occupation in hospitality, her newest assignment is even more proof of the electricity of tricky do the job, consistency and religion.
“As Jamaicans, we are the most real, passionate, courteous and helpful folks,” she said. “We epitomise true hospitality and have so considerably adore to give. I usually needed to be a element of sharing this like and our culture with the world and I am thankful that I have been blessed with this option.”
As general manager, Smith intends to continue main by instance and placing her team customers and guests at the forefront of all she does. She shared, “Leading by case in point will be vital for me in my new position. I have always been impressed by our late chairman and had a really good romantic relationship with him and so I intend to dwell our company’s mission and eyesight every day in get to inspire our staff users to target on our core values and proceed to be the dream catchers he would want them to be. I am assured that this will just take our resort and by extension our business and island to even better heights.”
Conveying her enthusiasm for group member improvement and a caring character that sees her mothering many team users at her resort and in the course of the luxurious-bundled vacation resort chain, Smith describes her management type as a ‘servant leader’. “I have a mixture of leadership styles on the other hand, the a person that speaks most to my personality is getting a servant leader. Folks require to know that they have a chief who interacts with them, not to achieve fame or electric power, but somebody who listens and actually seeks to encourage the nicely-remaining of individuals they lead”, she said.
“I in a natural way join with individuals effortlessly and I consider that people today make a difference. Everyone has problems, particularly now throughout this COVID-19 pandemic. Listening to concerns and featuring methods can make a variance in someone’s existence and consequently, no matter what I do I do it with sincerity,” she continued.
It really is no shock then that Smith’s favorite element of the position is seeing her friends and group members satisfied. “I like to know that both equally my friends and staff associates are pleased,” she reported. “And I take pleasure in receiving commendations from our company about our vacation resort, crew members and our beautiful island.”
In addition to the working day-to-working day administration of the vacation resort, Smith is also appreciative of her role as advisor and liaison to the firm’s company head business and values the means to repeatedly share tips and discussions with the company’s senior executives. She shared, “I am satisfied to be capable to have frequent dialogue with our firm’s senior executives and to be able to put ahead strategies and tips to much better optimise vacation resort operations. I have constantly utilised my voice to symbolize our team associates and friends and our model and I am joyful to carry on to do this in my new part.”
Smith also loves a obstacle and considers herself very remedy-oriented. She described, “When confronted with issues and worries, I have a enthusiasm for resolving just about every problem and it presents me the best amount of satisfaction to see the end result and the joy it provides to our team and guests.”
She remains grateful to the organization for believing in her and for supplying her with unrestricted possibilities to pursue her passion and hone her management capabilities. In the course of her journey, she has taken edge of the organisation’s numerous avenues for specialist enhancement, 1st pursuing an associate degree programme at Hocking Technological School in the United States, and later pursuing her bachelor’s diploma in skilled business enterprise administration at Nova Southeastern University in Florida. In 2010, she successfully done a master’s degree in hospitality and small business management from the International College for Lifelong Understanding.
A mother of one particular son, Zachary, who lately graduated from the College of Miami with a diploma in civil engineering, Smith reported, “I constantly test to discover time for church and relatives. This would make me joyful and fulfilled.” In addition, Smith who is also a Justice of the Peace, is passionate about local community support and normally makes use of her confined cost-free time to mentor and counsel youthful gals at Montego Bay’s Being pregnant Useful resource Centre, as very well as other individuals who seek out her assistance for counselling and prayer.
To young women of all ages desirous of holding management roles in the hospitality field, her advice is basic, “Ask God to direct your ways every day and know that nothing at all is unachievable! Work tough, find out from your mistakes and do not be afraid to acquire on wonderful challenges. By no means grumble or complain when you are empowered to execute added duties, by no means give up and by no means cease dreaming”, she charged.
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