Tales from the Overseas Holiday Rep: When Leadership Goes on Vacation… Literally!
Welcome to this first of it series - Horrible Bosses, where JVM Consultancy spills the tea on the leadership horror stories we've all encountered—and how we’d flip the script. Today’s story is about a young holiday rep who found herself in not one, but two high-stakes situations, only to discover her manager had a better chance of winning hide-and-seek than stepping up to lead. Grab a seat, because this one’s a rollercoaster.
Episode 1: The Fire Starter Fiasco 🔥
Picture this: You’re a young rep abroad, loving the adventure, but also, you know, working hard. Suddenly, one night, things get way out of hand. Guests start breaking things and setting items on fire. (Yep, like actual flames!) So, you do what anyone would do: ring up your manager for some guidance. But instead of the support you’d expect, you’re basically told to “just handle it.” Um… what?
Eventually, after much back and forth, another manager steps in to help. But that first manager’s response? It left our client feeling pretty burned (pun intended).
Episode 2: The “Not My Problem” Panic 🚨
Only days later, our holiday rep found herself in another pickle. She gets a frantic call from hotel staff about a drunk dad causing a scene, and his poor kid is terrified. So, like any reasonable person, she reaches out to her manager. But guess what? This manager is now “off-duty” and not about to let a little thing like an emergency ruin a day off. She hangs up, turns off her phone, and checks out—leaving our young rep to handle a violent situation solo.
With no other options, she ropes in a male colleague for backup, but the situation spirals out of control. They even end up in a local police station, trying to make sense of it all in another language. Imagine the frustration! Not only was she left alone, but no one checked in on her after the fact. Now, that’s what we call a total leadership fail.
JVM Consultancy’s Take: How We’d Flip the Script 🛠️
Now, if JVM Consultancy had been running the show, here’s how we would have transformed this leadership disaster into a display of real support, training, and empathy. Because, newsflash: when you’re leading people, you can’t just go “off-duty.”
Crisis Training is Key - Leaders can’t just hope their team “figures it out.” At JVM, we believe in proactive crisis training. Think about it like a fire drill—prepare so you’re ready, not surprised. Every team member deserves to feel equipped and empowered to handle tough situations, especially when they’re far from home.At JVM Consultancy, we’re here to help you turn situations like this into stories of success, where employees feel safe, supported, and ready for anything. Because when leadership gets it right, everyone wins.