58: Hans Heijligers, Head of Japan, IHG Hotels and Resorts

Hans Heijligers shares his global leadership insight having led
in over a dozen countries before becoming the Head of Japan for
IHG Hotels and Resorts, a British multinational hospitality
company. Mr. Heijligers first arrived in Japan in 2014 after
having worked in Singapore and has been with IHG for seven years.


 


When comparing the different countries he has worked in, Mr.
Heijligers says all countries are quite different, yet the
cultural adaptation and leadership abilities required are quite
similar. Although initially Mr. Heijligers learned that Japan has
a very unique business culture, in finding common grounds he has
been able to add value. As a foreign expat leader, Mr. Heijligers
finds this particularly important when making important
decisions. Hence, when developing an agenda and setting a
strategy that works for the organization and the Japanese
employees, he had done so in a collaborative way. Mr. Heijligers
has also learned when to take a step back and stay patient. He
adds: “If you allow the Japanese teams to have their own
conversations, and if you're comfortable enough, [you can] say I
don't need to be part of that…And start slowly, but surely build
a culture around that.” This kind of patient and collaborative
approach has allowed Mr. Heijligers to build trust over time
within his team. Mr. Heijligers further notes: “Japan is not so
much about what you see…[it] is a lot about what you don't see…So
learn to be...uncomfortable sometimes.” In order to foster good
relations, Mr. Heijligers says it is essential to have continuous
conversations with the head office to communicate what will work
best in the unique Japanese business culture.


 


On engagement and innovation, Mr. Heijligers explains it is
important to understand what each individual “cares” about and
base their mission and values on it. He says for IHG, “one of the
things that you should care for is that you're here to make lives
better for people.” These people include the employees themselves
as well as the customers, owners and other stakeholders. Mr.
Heijligers also emphasizes how rich IHG’s people culture is, and
the organization provides a wealth of learning and development
opportunities. He claims: “we put our arms around our people
through coaching sessions mentoring…we help really for diversity
equity and inclusion to become [an] integral part of everything
that we do.” Furthermore, IHG supports those that want to gain a
global experience to work in hotels abroad. Since IHG hotels are
scattered throughout Japan, Mr. Heijligers ensures the leadership
team works with the general managers to come up with innovative
ideas on what works best at the local hotel level. He also
credits technology to have automated many of the administrative
tasks so the staff can focus more on customer relationships. The
IHG hotels app has also improved the employee and customer
experience. Since the COVID pandemic, Mr. Heijligers aspires to
focus ever more on building rich relationships with the IHG
stakeholders to enable the organization to grow.


 


On his advice to new foreign leaders working in Japan, Mr.
Heijligers advises to read up on the Japanese culture and
understand a little about the historical background. Secondly, he
urges people to listen, ask questions, and allow people to have
their own conversations and show an interest, instead of just
telling people what the agenda is and what they need to do.
Thirdly, Mr. Heijligers recommends leaders to be open and
vulnerable. He says: “Don't be afraid of sharing what you want to
achieve. Be vulnerable as a leader…what we all have learned over
the years in leadership is that when it goes wrong, it's your
fault. When it goes, well, you got nothing to do with it. And
just accept that.”