Team Leadership Award
Recognising the hotel and resort leader who builds the teams everyone else wants to work for.
Team Leadership Award
The Team Leadership Award celebrates the General Manager whose greatest achievement is their people. It honours leaders who turn talent development, culture and day-to-day engagement into a measurable competitive advantage — coaching future managers, lifting retention, and creating workplaces where teams choose to stay and perform. Unlike awards focused on revenue or guest scores, this recognition looks behind the results to the human leadership that produces them: how a GM hires, grows, empowers and inspires the people who deliver hospitality every shift.
Merit-based · Independent jury · No public voting. Winners are chosen on achievement alone, then celebrated at the gala on 14 November 2026 in Dubai.
Who Should Be Nominated
- Hotel and resort General Managers known for developing and promoting their own people
- Leaders who have measurably improved staff retention, engagement or internal mobility
- Cluster or area GMs who set the talent and culture agenda across multiple properties
- Executive leaders who built standout learning, mentorship or succession programmes
- GMs recognised internally as exceptional coaches and team builders
- Senior managers whose teams consistently outperform on engagement and service
What the Jury Looks For
Each nomination is scored on merit against the criteria most relevant to this award.
Talent Development & Coaching
Track record of growing, promoting and mentoring team members into bigger roles.
Culture & Values
A defined, lived culture that shapes how the team behaves every day.
Engagement & Retention
Evidence of strong engagement scores and reduced, sustained staff turnover.
Empowerment & Trust
Decision-making pushed to the front line, with accountability and support.
Succession & Internal Mobility
A credible pipeline of ready-now leaders and internal promotions filled.
Inclusion & Wellbeing
Fair, inclusive practices that protect team wellbeing under real pressure.
The Value of Winning
- Positions you as a benchmark people leader, not just an operator
- Strengthens your employer brand and helps attract and retain top talent
- Validates the culture your team works hard to build
- Gives your people public recognition for the results they deliver
Questions About the Team Leadership Award
Related Hotels & Resorts Categories
Browse other World GM Awards categories, or see the full award categories and the dedicated sector page.