What does it take to be a leader?

At G Adventures, we aim to have leaders in every seat, regardless of their title, roles and responsibilities.

A leader not only shows up to work, but they show up for their team and hold themselves and others accountable. A leader inspires others with their actions and the values they exemplify, as well as through their humility and vulnerability when things don’t always go as hoped.

G Adventures’ Managing Director David Green (far left) with G Adventures team members in Jordan for TTAND’s 10th anniversary conference

I’m fortunate to have learned from some of the best leaders, and I continue to learn every day. Working with Bruce Poon Tip and our executive and leadership teams is both exciting and rewarding, as is being in an environment where taking risks and celebrating success are encouraged.

This said, nothing excites me more than seeing people step up and take on leadership responsibilities as they grow in their careers.

This week we have a team of upcoming global potential leaders at a Leadership Camp in the Canadian Rockies, and I can’t wait to see what skills they bring back from their experience.

I hope those of you reading this article have the same opportunities in your workplace, or have the freedom to create your own opportunities to grow.

I’d also like to give a shout-out to Flemming Friisdahl at TTAND. As you probably read in Travelweek, Flemming took his TTAND conference to Jordan earlier this month, in conjunction with Royal Jordanian, Jordan Tourist Board and of course G Adventures.

G Adventures’ David Green, TTAND founder Flemming Friisdahl, and Royal Jordanian’s Karim Makhlouf at TTAND’s 10th anniversary conference in Jordan

What astounded me was Flemming’s ability to take a risk by shifting his event outside the traditional confines of a resort or cruise and trusting the events management to G Adventures – all signs of a true leader.

Together we delivered an ‘epic’ conference, and at the same time local communities in Jordan benefitted from this huge group.

I was equally proud of our team on the ground for pulling off such an incredible feat.

We are rockstars when it comes to managing small group tours – but 300+ people is not a small group! It was incredible to see our young leaders, especially Soumia, our regional operations manager for the region, step up to the challenge and set a great example to us all.

One of our core values is ‘Lead with Service’ and this was on full display in Jordan as our team of chief experience officers (CEOs) hit the ground running and worked from dusk until dawn to deliver an unforgettable experience.

This is the leadership and attitude our travellers experience on our trips around the world every single day.

It would be remiss of me to not give a huge shout-out to our team of in-house global connection officers (GCO’s) in the Boombox, who also lead with service answering all your calls and emails.

Our call answer rate is the lowest it has ever been with calls answered in one minute or less and an abandonment rate of less than five per cent.

These are world class results and this is all down to the efficiency of this team of rockstars who are committed to doing all they can to help our travel agent community.

They say it takes a village – and I couldn’t be happier that our village is full of outstanding leaders, no matter where in the business you look.

I’ll leave you with my favourite piece of leadership advice from the man himself, Ted Lasso: “Taking on a challenge is a lot like riding a horse. If you’re comfortable while doing it, you’re probably doing it wrong.”

No one’s career should be a comfortable ride, everyone should continue to stretch themselves, so if you feel like you want to be brave and lean in to community tourism, or take your conference out into a destination, know that we are the crazy ones that will help you do it.

Community Tourism, being a force for good, and leading positive change in our industry, is what we thrive on.

Until next time.

Peace,

DG

G Adventures’ Managing Director David Green’s monthly column, ‘G in 3’ is a 3-minute read running exclusively in Travelweek Daily all through 2024