Two events I attended the other week offered pithy ‘food for thought’ – in very different ways.

First up was the launch of this year’s Hotel Sales & Marketing Association (HSMA) Virtus Awards. Held annually, the Virtus Awards spotlight leaders and teams who deliver measurable ROI in hotel sales and marketing. It recognizes innovation in digital campaigns and market development; plus acts as a benchmark for best practices in hospitality. The awards supports future-ready leadership, investing in young professionals in the industry; and will happen in October.

The theme of the 11th Virtus Awards is Path & Bridges: Leading the Way and Building Continuity; so it’s with this emphasis on mentorship and succession that keynote speaker Therese ‘Gang’ Capati spoke about generational divides, and effective communication across multi-generational teams – a reality of today’s hospitality landscape. Gang is the president of Rock Ed Philippines, is with Project: Steady Asia, and is a trauma therapist.

Gang immediately captured our collective attention with her anecdote about the intern she had, who when asked to perform some simple task, like e-mailing someone, very calmly told Gang that the task was not in her “job description.” And wait, if like Gang and so many in the room, you were ready to blow up and talk to that intern about commitment, willingness to be of use, and to contribute while you were spending hours there as an intern to create the right impression … think again.

Gang made “kuwento” about how she decided to leave for the ladies’ room, and not regale the intern through gritted teeth, with stories of how when she interned she would be ready to do anything, even if it meant doing stuff after office hours. And during that “Me” time, Gang reflected and realized that what really irked her was that at that intern’s age, she didn’t have the guts to take a stand, and be clear about what the role of an intern was, and is.

She had to admit she admired the intern, and was happy that this generation had found its “voice;” and not be conditioned to just please those in authority. Then she went on to talk about how it’s too simple to talk about generational divides, as that’s been happening since time immemorial. And she brought up a slide with the quote of “The children now love luxury. They have bad manners, contempt for authority; they show disrespect for elders and love gossip in place of activity.”

The big reveal was how the quote is attributed to Socrates in 400 B.C. So to gripe about the next generation is nothing new; and for Gang, we have to dig deeper to understand them, if we want them to work with us, be motivated, and be productive. That they’ve set boundaries between work and non-work hours is obvious. That they’re wired differently also has to be accepted; and here Gang spoke of how so many of the Gen Z look at job security and “saving money” differently.

Many of the Gen Z are ready to drop out of traditional jobs, and just sell or engage online to make ends meet. It’s a ready option for them, so one has to take that into consideration when trying to motivate them. It’s a potent reminder of who we are talking to today, as they form part of the work force we now interact with. This shift in attitude and culture has to be understood, so it’s not just “dissing” the ones who are looking for their first jobs, and declaring them hopeless. So yes, sometimes the problem is partly us!

Before she closed, Gang’s slide of a timeline of generations made me feel very old. Those born this year are considered Gen Beta. Being born Gen Alpha expired at the end of 2024. For a Boomer like me, Gen Beta is the sixth generation of my lifetime.

The second event I’d like to write about is my attending the Dunwoody & Madison event, at their new showroom at MC Home Depot BGC. A furniture manufacturer that specializes in modular cabinets that can be customized, I was immediately impressed by the quality, finish, and mechanical aspect of the cabinets. Bringing to mind such global brands as Ethan Allen and SieMatic; I was super-happy to discover that despite its brand name, Dunwoody & Madison is a Filipino brand, with Taytay as their base of operations and manufacture.

Several of the big names in design, from architects to interior designers were present at the event – having participated by creating little “islands” within the showroom. If anything, this was testimony to the faith and trust these professionals have in the brand, and that brought a bigger smile to my face.

I met Thea Yu, managing partner and president, and her husband Carlo Yu, managing director, and vice president, who handles the production end of the business. The brand has been producing living solutions since 2001, and the showroom is truly worth the visit!