The Butler does all of the hiring and firing, assigns all work tasks to various employees, deals with all disciplinary issues, keeps inventory of all food and alcohol, schedules staff vacations, interacts with the family on a daily basis and does his best to uphold the Downton Abbey standards of service. Sound familiar?

In the same way that I am writing this list for those of you just starting your career, I also seek advice from those that are already working as General Managers to learn from their guidance and their mistakes. I have a group of GMs that I communicate with regularly and refer to them as my own personal “Board of Career Advisors.” How neat is that?