When Marriott International President and CEO Anthony Capuano graduated from Cornell and applied for jobs, he interviewed with eight companies and received seven job offers.
The eighth company that rejected him? Marriott.
"I carried that rejection letter for a long time because it was from Marriott," he laughed while telling his story of entering the hospitality industry during a panel moderated by Vision Hospitality Group's Mitch Patel at the recent Hunter Hotel Investment Conference. "It's a fun story but I've reflected over the decades."
What he treasured most from that story is that it taught him humility.
"[Marriott] probably looked at me and saw this newly minted graduate, thought he knew everything and said, 'He needs to go and get humbled a little bit before we invite him into the fold.'"
"They were right," he said.
Capuano later joined Marriott in 1995 and worked in various roles over the years.
Then, following the devastating death of Marriott CEO Arne Sorenson in 2020, Capuano stepped in and was appointed as chief executive in 2021.
Capuano had a chance to learn from Bill Marriott and Sorenson over the years.
Bill Marriott turned 92 on March 25 and continues to be involved with the company.
"Retirement is not a word that applies to him; he is deeply passionate about the business, about our company, about our associates," Capuano said. "There's so many things I could share ... maybe the best way to describe him [is] despite this extraordinary set of achievements throughout his career both personally and professionally, if you have the chance to ask him what's his biggest point of pride, without hesitation he says it's the opportunities this business has created for our associates around the world."
Once Capuano stepped into the CEO role, he leaned on counsel and guidance from Bill Marriott.
Bill Marriott has spent his entire life in this business, and as the industry navigates both big and small challenges, "he's seen them all a dozen times," Capuano said.
"The ability to tap into that wisdom is a gift," he added.
What stuck with Capuano most when reading tributes written for Sorenson after he died is that so few talked about him as a business leader and more spoke of his humanity.
Sorenson taught Capuano the art of deeply connecting with everyone on a personal level and listening to them.
"We live in a world of sound bites and distractions. Arne had this incredible way of engaging with someone when they were speaking and giving effectively 100% of his attention. I think that's why even folks that had a chance encounter with him for five minutes felt like they really got to know him because he engaged so deeply," he said.
Sorenson was also a transparent and compassionate communicator, which was evident in his video message released by Marriott after the onset of the pandemic.
"My guess is that is a video that will be used in business schools for decades. It was a master class in communication and empathy," Capuano said.
Becoming the New Leader
Capuano has more than 400,000 associates across the globe under him, but he's quick to remind us that it's not just him overseeing them all.
"When you're in a job like this, it's a bit like being a quarterback. You get way too much credit for the success and probably the right amount of blame for failure. But I'm not overseeing all that; our team is. One of the great advantages I have is when I was appointed to this role, I inherited this long-tenured, battle-tested, extraordinary team of leaders around the world. On the day of the announcement, I got nearly 30,000 emails from Marriott associates around the world saying, 'Tell us what you need.'"
"When you take on a challenge like that, to know you've got this army of passionate leaders and professionals, it gives you a lot of confidence," he said.
What's surprised him most in this role as he travels to spend time with front-line associates around the world is just how resilient they all are.
It reminds him how profoundly difficult the industry can be, especially during unthinkable times like COVID-19, and how his associates have chosen to be in service of others.
Advice for New Talent
When Capuano talks to his daughter Isabella about career advice, he starts with a conversation around the work ethic that his father taught him at a young age.
As one goes through their career, there are many factors that are out of their control. There's always going to be folks who are more experienced and more educated. But there's no excuse to be outworked, he said.
"You only get outworked if you allow someone to outwork you," he added.
He also encourages his daughter to lead with passion and carve her own way. He said that's one of the reasons she hasn't sought employment with Marriott.
"I'm proud of her. She said, 'I really care about doing a good job and I worry that if I came to work for your company — as much as I love the company, the culture, the brands — I'd worry that if I was told I was doing a good job, I'd wonder whether I really was or if it was because of you,'" he said. "So she's working for Dorchester Collection at The Beverly Hills Hotel in their training program in F&B."
Lastly, he talks with her about setting ambitious goals.
"If you're achieving every goal you set, you're not being aggressive enough in setting those ambitious goals. That's something that I believe for our company and it's something I believe for her. I think it's good advice for all of us," Capuano said.
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