Page 22 - och0417_Magazine

The Back Page

FUTURE

FORWARD

BY STEVE CASAD

n preparation for the end of my career, and a solution to something that is
Ithe ironic focus is solely on the future. inevitable. Four years ago we decided
Future focus ensures success. This applies to develop a vision. This included
relatively to individuals and organizations retooling roles, developing new areas
alike. My last several years have had a and focusing on the growth of our
more pronounced focus on the future as leaders. The path has been laid and
we prepare as an organization for my walking that path has involved emotions, They take the direction of change to a
departure and the successful internal success and failure. This is the nature collaborative reality that pales the initial
succession of our leadership. of change, but it has been our forward vision. Only through individuals does an
The efforts made started with a criti- vision that has maintained our direction organization realize tremendous returns,
cal focus on the folly of assumed suc- and acted as our true north. This was a and only through the alignment of lead-
cession. We saw in multiple areas that collaborative effort resulting in the par- ers towards the organization’s success do
the celebration of a leader’s retirement ticipation of the entire team. Through this these returns realize themselves.
was soon followed by the internal dis- team perspective we have held three cross I now see individual leaders and our
sent and disappointment when external trainings, reorganized our infrastructure, organization standing ready to take on
candidates arrived to take the helm vs. and I hope to have prepared the next monumental challenges. We first start
internal candidates being prepared to take leaders to fill my role. All of this has with my succession and departure. We
the lead. My own beginning 10 years ago tremendous organizational impact, but then see a boom of building, which will
occurred under similar circumstances. it chiefly highlights the importance of add over 7,000 additional residents and
The challenge of any leader is then to individuals being future forward. customers. Those new builds will add
motivate your team toward success, de- Individuals make up the ranks of any further operations to our umbrella of ser-
spite the environment you step into. We organization, and I see success in those vices. The team will need to understand
knew that we needed to not step into a that unabashedly realize that we are all that bigger is not always better. I look
similar situation with my departure, which endeavoring on a mission that is not to- to my team to achieve success through
required a careful look at the path toward morrow, next week or even next year. the collective self-discipline and innova-
internal growth and our future success. Individual success is shared by those tion required to answer the organization’s
Organizationally this forward thinking who realize that you must plan for and needs and high standards. The future will
is necessary. The future is an amorphous prepare oneself for what is out of view continue to take shape, and that path will
subject that, typically, only takes shape and over the horizon. Thinking years in continue to change.
shortly before it happens. The need for an advance, people can set themselves down I prepare to step away and I am hum-
organization to realize a strategic direc- a path of relationship building and skill bled by the success of my team. It has been
tion helps ensure continuity of offerings, development to truly prepare for what a lifetime of work and still so incredible
stability for teams and greater success in may lay ahead. that I see a future of success beyond my
any given measurement. Our team has In reflecting on my entry into a new own term. It is a future that I will not
always looked for the strategy associ- organization, a leader knows the potential witness, but I am so very confident it
ated with new operations, renovations paths towards the organizational success. will be successful because of the team I
and service offerings. It has been very However, they wait to identify those indi- have been blessed to work with for these
different to focus solely on the organi- viduals who are forward thinking leaders. last 10 years. —OCH
zational structure of our program. The These individuals see the vision and help
succession planning allowed for strategy bring their skill set to achieving that vi- Steve Casad will be retiring as the
and introspection. The organization ben- sion. This leads to their growth and the director of Dining at the University of
efited from this need to justify a direction collective success of an organization. California – San Diego in June.

22 | APRIL 2017 ON-CAMPUS HOSPITALITY