Welcome to The Inspirational Leaders Series, a collection of short interviews with sharp, impactful leaders I know and respect—because the business world needs more refreshing people like them.
Meet Brian Contreras, Associate Vice President of Integration Coordination at Hyatt Hotels. He’s a delightful leader who takes great care to solve problems as a unit—a skill he has had to hone through his journey from individual contributor to leader of cross-hotel teams. I think you’ll find nuggets of insight in this interview about his evolution.
What’s a leadership tool, practice, or approach you couldn’t live without?
Aspire’s “Four BIG LIEs” changed the way I've grown as a leader. It’s a model for conquering four common self-limiting beliefs: I must always be right, I must never lose, everyone must always love me, and I must always be comfortable. It’s given me tools and knowledge to be a more impactful leader with my teams and engage with them more effectively.
What’s a leadership quality that is critical, but challenging, to embody?
Patience in a world where instant results and gratification are front and center. It is challenging to exercise patience when the pressures of the outside world—both personally and professionally—seem to force you forward.
What’s an important milestone in your evolution as a leader?
Throughout my career, I prided myself in being the best in my discipline. It was easy for me to understand specific job roles in my industry and then strive to be the "expert in the room" for those roles. But as my career and leadership grew, I had to shift my focus away from my personal expertise in culinary food and beverage to the bigger picture of leading a team. To drive a big impact, I had to let go of being the expert, and instead leverage the expertise of many others.
What's something you learned the hard way about leadership?
That a great leader does not necessarily have to be one that is fighting on the front lines. When I was a leader of a singular hotel team, I knew I could pull the emergency rip cord if things went sideways. Meaning, I could quickly step to the front and muscle through whatever challenge we faced. But, when I moved into roles that oversaw multiple hotels across multiple regions, my tactic of stepping to the front and muscling through was not a feasible, let alone a sane, consideration. I had to quickly learn how to leverage others—larger teams—to tackle both unexpected challenges and our broader vision.
What would you put on a t-shirt that represents a belief you hold about leadership?
"It starts with YOU." An effective leader leans on education to grow, their team to drive progress, and their heart to impact. But without YOU—and the best version of YOU—none of this is possible.
