By Kenneth Oboh

In this interview, Aktoty Shurtabayeva, a seasoned expert in the hotel business, shares her unique experience managing teams in renowned international chains such as Marriott, Hilton, and Sheraton. Aktoty discusses strategies for building high-performing and cohesive sales teams, effective approaches to employee motivation, and the ability to maintain seamless departmental collaboration even in challenging crisis situations. Additionally, Aktoty offers valuable advice to aspiring leaders regarding the key skills and principles underlying the construction of truly effective teams.

Aktoty, your impressive professional journey in the hospitality industry gives you a deep understanding of team-building mechanisms. In your expert opinion, what is the secret to forming high-performing sales teams?

The key factor is recruiting the right talent and managing them effectively. It’s crucial to look for highly motivated individuals who are willing to learn and share the brand’s values. Equally important is the continuous training and development of staff. As part of our work, we regularly conducted training sessions on sales techniques, customer service, and conflict management. I also always aimed to cultivate an atmosphere of trust, mutual support, and focus on shared goals within the teams. We worked extensively on internal communications and team spirit.

Let’s talk more about employee motivation strategies. How did you manage to maintain team engagement, especially in difficult situations?

First and foremost, I always tried to lead by example, showing genuine commitment and 100% engagement. This energized the team and inspired them to achieve great things. We practiced regular one-on-one meetings with employees, where we discussed their successes, areas for development, and career prospects. It’s very important for people to feel believed in and that their growth is supported. We also implemented a system of non-monetary motivation – recognizing the best employees of the month, organizing team competitions and challenges. This greatly strengthened team bonds and boosted morale. And, of course, a fair system of bonuses and incentives for high performance also played its role.

Could you share how you managed to establish seamless collaboration between the sales and marketing departments, considering the high standards of international companies like Marriott, Hilton, and Sheraton? How did you structure the teams’ work to achieve this?

Primarily, we paid close attention to clearly defining areas of responsibility and establishing effective communication channels between departments. We had regular joint meetings where we synchronized our plans and discussed current tasks. Ensuring a shared vision and understanding of our goals and KPIs was also crucial. We communicated these objectives across all team levels so that every employee understood how their daily work impacts the overall results.

Furthermore, we implemented a shared CRM system, which allowed us to quickly exchange customer and deal data. This helped build more personalized communications and increase conversion rates.

Aktoty, your ability to manage a team during crisis situations was particularly evident during the pandemic. How did you manage to maintain operational effectiveness in such challenging conditions?

Maintaining open and transparent communication with the team was key. I regularly informed employees about all changes in the situation, new tasks, and company plans. This helped maintain their engagement and understanding of what was happening.

It was also important to demonstrate flexibility and speed in decision-making. The situation was changing rapidly, and we had to react quickly, redistributing tasks and responsibilities within the team. I tried to encourage initiative and creative thinking so that employees could propose unconventional solutions. Additionally, I paid special attention to supporting and motivating the team during this difficult time. I regularly held one-on-one meetings, inquiring about their well-being and concerns. I tried to create comfortable working conditions, providing necessary resources and training.

Developing inter-team collaboration was also very important. Since individual functions and departments now needed to work closely together, I facilitated stronger internal team interaction. I held joint discussions and ensured transparency and information sharing. Ultimately, the combination of open communication, flexibility, supporting people, and developing team collaboration allowed us to maintain high effectiveness even in the most challenging conditions of the pandemic. The team’s cohesion and engagement were the key to our success during this period.

Thank you for such a detailed answer! Tell us, what skills help you be an effective leader and inspire your team?

First, I would highlight empathy and emotional intelligence. It’s very important to be able to listen to and understand people, to be attentive to their needs and problems. I always tried to create an atmosphere of psychological comfort and support within the team. I also consider systems thinking and strategic planning skills important. A leader must see the big picture, set priorities, and direct the team’s efforts in the right direction, while remaining flexible and adaptable to change. 

Strong communication skills, the ability to convey information simply and accessibly, and the capacity to motivate and persuade also play a decisive role. It’s crucial that the team not only hears but also shares your vision and believes in the common cause. Another key skill is the ability to delegate and trust. It’s impossible to personally control everything, so it’s important to build a system where everyone has their own area of responsibility and the authority to make decisions. This increases engagement and speeds up many processes.

Based on your extensive experience in team development, what principles do you believe should form the foundation of a truly effective and cohesive team?

In my opinion, the key principle is trust. And trust at all levels – between the leader and subordinates, between departments, between colleagues. When people trust each other, they share information more willingly, reach consensus faster, and are more engaged in the work process. The second important principle is shared goals. All team members must clearly understand where they are heading, what their target metrics are, and how their personal contribution affects the overall result. This creates a sense of belonging and unity. 

I would also note the principle of mutual accountability. In effective teams, it’s not customary to look for someone to blame; instead, everyone works together to find solutions and support each other. Beyond that, continuous learning and development is a vital principle. It’s impossible to achieve outstanding results without ongoing learning, seeking improvements, and adapting new approaches. This applies to both professional skills and internal team communication.

You’re right, these principles help create truly strong teams capable of overcoming any crises and difficulties. We previously discussed that working in international hotel chains involves adhering to high standards of service and operational procedures. Could you share how you managed to balance these requirements with the task of building a strong team culture?

Undoubtedly, the standards of chain hotels are the foundation, the basis of our work. They allow us to ensure consistently high quality of product and service, which is critically important for guest satisfaction and maintaining the brand’s reputation. However, I always aimed not just to blindly follow the letter of the standards, but to supplement them with our unique values and approaches. 

We worked hard to transform mandatory procedures into opportunities to strengthen team spirit.

For example, regular standards training wasn’t just a formality for us, but an occasion to revisit our common goals and everyone’s role in achieving them. We tried to adapt global standards to our local specifics, adding elements important specifically to our team. We also paid great attention to the intangible aspects – joint team activities, celebrating achievements, supporting employee initiatives. All this helped us not lose the ‘human touch’ and build genuinely strong bonds within the team.

So, the chain’s standards always remained our base, but we strived to be flexible and adaptive, supplementing these standards with our unique culture that responds to current business challenges and employee needs. In my view, it is precisely this balance between ‘standardization’ and ‘personalization’ that is the key to a team’s success in a chain hotel.

Aktoty, in concluding our interview, could you tell us what you believe are the main mistakes leaders make when building an effective team? And how can they be avoided?

One of the most common mistakes is putting people in the wrong roles, a mismatch between an employee’s skills and competencies and their area of responsibility. This can happen due to insufficiently thorough recruitment or a reluctance to reconsider roles as work progresses. As a result, the person ends up misplaced, their potential isn’t realized, and the team’s overall performance suffers.

Another serious mistake is insufficient communication and lack of team involvement in decision-making. This often happens in stressful situations with tight deadlines, when it seems easier and faster for the leader to decide everything themselves. However, in the long run, this approach demotivates people and deprives them of a sense of ownership in the common cause. I would also point out the error of excessive control and micromanagement. Yes, control is necessary, but it must be reasonable and balanced. If a leader is constantly looking over people’s shoulders and doesn’t allow them to show initiative, this also reduces engagement and the willingness to take responsibility. And, of course, another serious mistake is ignoring feedback and signals from the team. This is a path to misunderstanding, increased tension, and ultimately, reduced work effectiveness.

To avoid these mistakes, I would advise, firstly, building a culture of open communication and regular feedback within the team. This allows problems to be caught early and necessary adjustments made. Secondly, don’t be afraid to delegate and trust your employees. Giving people the opportunity to show initiative and take responsibility is key to team engagement and development. Thirdly, don’t forget about regular ‘reviews’ – assess the correctness of people’s placement, the relevance of processes, and your own management practices. Only then can areas for improvement be identified in a timely manner.

Furthermore, I would recommend that leaders pay more attention to rewarding and recognizing employees’ contributions. It’s very important for people to feel valued and that their contribution is noticed. This is a powerful motivation tool. And finally, a key skill for any leader is the ability to change and adapt along with the team. No template approach will work long-term; you need to constantly seek new, unconventional solutions.

Aktoty, thank you for this interesting and insightful conversation. I’m sure your expert insights will be valuable to our readers

Thank you, it was a pleasure to share my experience. I hope my recommendations will help aspiring leaders in building effective and cohesive teams.