Photos: Courtesy of Shangri-La Hotel, Jakarta

Juergen Doerr sees a people-centered approach as crucial in leading a team in the hotel industry.

An unexpected encounter with the hospitality industry brought Juergen Doerr to find his passion '€“ traveling from Europe to Asia and around the continent before finally settling down in Jakarta '€” for now.

As work and travel brought new experience and surprises, Doerr, general manager of Shangri-La, Jakarta, points out that learning to adapt to new situations and work environments is something a good leader should have.

'€œYou have to make the best out of wherever you live. So each city has pros and cons. Even in Indonesia, there'€™s Yogyakarta, which is very different from Jakarta. I once lived in the Philippines and that'€™s very different too. Our industry is open-minded and it'€™s hard to pick one place over the other because then you'€™ll focus on the negative and at one stage you can'€™t travel anymore because you become sour,'€ the German national explained.

Doerr was a professional cyclist who happened to encounter a German hotel group, one of the sponsors. '€œWhile they were sponsoring the sport, I got exposed to the hotel world quite a lot. Then I started a training program at the hotel. So, I combined sport and work,'€ he recalled.

He stopped cycling at 22 for health reasons, but continued with his hotel management training. He moved to London, took classes at a university there and worked after classes were done. It seems like he had no free time back then.

'€œWith both hospitality and sport, you should have a lot of passion,'€ he reasoned. '€œIf you do sport, you have to train for hours everyday. You have to adjust your lifestyle to it. Working in a hotel is a lifestyle, you work long hours, you come in the morning and you leave in the evening and sometimes later. You have to adjust as well.'€

He started his career with Shangri-La in 1999 when he joined the property in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia. Since then, he'€™s been around Asia with the brand, and eventually arrived in Jakarta back in 2013, where he has been at the helm of Shangri-La, Jakarta ever since.

Shangri-La is an established brand that has been around for 21 years. However, compared with neighboring Singapore, Jakarta is still oriented around business. In Doerr'€™s view, Singapore has developed from just business to hosting events, culture and sports.

Being a people person

When it comes to leadership, Doerr admits there is no one in particular he looks up to. He tends to pick the best out of the people he has met along the way, taking the positive sides of each personality. '€œYou pick up things from your parents, you look up to the family around you and learn the pros and cons. In the business world, you catch things from the people you'€™re working with.'€

'€œIn the course of your career, you'€™ll meet people and learn from them. There are great business leaders with great things they do. But there are also other leaders with great achievements. You see certain part of people that you favor, but it'€™s not a whole picture of who they are.'€

He applies the rule to himself as well. '€œA lot of time the way you perceive yourself is very different from how people see you. For me, I'€™m a down-to-earth person who tries to be seen on the floor as much as possible by staff and guests.'€

He mentioned three things that are significant for those climbing up the ladder in the hospitality industry: passion, commitment and self-discipline.

'€œSometimes you have to put your foot down, but you have to adjust your management style through different generations, with places and people you'€™re working with. It'€™s not like in the past where as the leader they have to follow you. Now you have to adjust to how you'€™re dealing with people. Otherwise, they won'€™t support you or your actions,'€ he concluded.
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Birth

Feb. 22, 1968

Career Highlights

General manager, Shangri-La Hotel, Jakarta (Aug.2013-present); general manager, Shangri-La Mactan Resort and Spa, Cebu, the Philippines (Aug 2012-July 2013); general manager, Traders Hotel Singapore (Aug. 2008-July 2012); formerly residential manager, Shangri-La Taipei and Shangri-La'€™s Mactan Resort (2005-2008), as well as director of food and beverages at Shangri-La Hotel Bangkok and Singapore, and Shangri-La'€™s Tanjung Aru Resort and Spa, Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia (1999-2005)

Education

* Bachelor'€™s degree in hotel management at Villingen Hotel Management School, Germany (1992)
* Post-graduate degree in business administration at University of Westminster, UK (1995)

At Ease

Family guy

I encourage my sons to experience as much as they can. The younger one has helped out and participated at hotel events. Both like to sample different foods, travel to different places, yet they'€™re still young. They have very different characters. The older one is starting to be aware of where his friends are, while the younger one is more, as long as his mother and I are around, he doesn'€™t really care.

Sporty weekend

Sport has never left my life. Despite working in a hotel, which often requires working on weekends, I still manage to set time for exercise. I usually do triathlons at weekends, about three to four hours. I also take my boys horse riding on Sunday, and then chill out for the rest of the day.

Country explorers

I'€™ve been exploring Indonesia quite a bit now, as the archipelago offers many beautiful islands, and Derawan is one great example. We recently visited South Lombok. Previously, we went to Belitung for its beautiful beaches. We would like to visit more places in Indonesia.

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