When Janina Micca Perez, Certified Hospitality Professional (CHP), stepped into leadership roles across hospitality, retail, and education, she quickly learned that being good at the job wasn’t the same as being ready to lead. She had to build a new set of skills—many of them far more human than technical.
Today, as Program Chairperson of the College of Hospitality Management at St. Bernadette College of Alabang, she leads teams, students, and organizations with a mix of firmness, empathy, and transparency. But it took years of experience—and a few tough moments—to understand what kind of leader she needed to be.
Integrity and emotional intelligence shaped the leader she became
Janina believes leadership in hospitality starts long before a crisis hits. It begins with who you are when no one is watching. As she explains it, “Aside from strong communication skills, I’d say integrity, collaboration and emotional intelligence matter most. A leader has to be someone people can look up to… someone who can walk into projects and actually understand what the team is doing because you’ve done it with them.”
Her philosophy is rooted in consistency—showing the same discipline she expects from others, being transparent in decisions, and keeping her composure even when the work becomes chaotic. In an industry built on service, she believes people follow leaders who remain steady when the pressure rises.
She manages conflict by staying factual, calm, and rational
Leading teams taught her something she carries into every workplace: emotions can’t drive decisions. She handles conflict with clarity, even when the situation becomes uncomfortable.
“I’m a very no-nonsense person. I stick to facts and I’m not easily swayed by emotions or biases. People know that my solutions come from a valid and rational point, not from personal preferences.”
She says kindness has a place in leadership—but not at the expense of fairness. For her, being overly accommodating can blur boundaries and weaken accountability. Effective leadership means choosing honesty over comfort.
She inspires teams by showing up for them—every single time
Janina believes teams perform better when they feel supported and seen. That’s why she commits to showing up, even when it’s inconvenient.
“I constantly show up for the team. They know I’m someone they can rely on. If we’re expected to give the extra mile to our clients, I give the same to them. Because they’re nurtured, they know how to nurture the kind of work we do.”
It’s an approach that demands time, patience, and emotional energy—but it pays off. Her teams tend to mirror her standards, her discipline, and her respect for the work.
Her management style evolved into a balance of firmness and service
Early in her career, Janina admits she led with more strictness than softness. But motherhood, experience, and the realities of managing diverse personalities reshaped her approach.
“I practice transformative and servant leadership. I used to be stricter, but over time I learned that people respond better when they feel heard and supported. Still, whatever decisions I make are things I personally follow. I never release policies that they won’t see me doing myself.”
For her, credibility is built through alignment. Leaders lose trust the moment their actions contradict their expectations of the team.
One of the hardest lessons she learned: leaders cannot please everyone
Early in her leadership journey, she believed being a good leader meant being liked. It didn’t take long before experience proved otherwise.
“If you want to be liked by everyone, do not lead. I learned that decisions won’t always be what people want to hear, but sometimes they’re what people need. Through the years I realized I will not be everyone’s cup of tea.”
She learned to embrace this truth early: leadership requires making choices that may disappoint some people, even when the decision is right. Popularity cannot be the goal—progress must be.
Setting boundaries became one of her toughest responsibilities
Janina has a naturally patient personality, and she admits this made setting boundaries harder than expected. But leadership eventually forced her to define limits.
She recalls a moment when she confronted an employee who spoke rudely to a colleague—and then directed the same attitude toward her. “It’s difficult to decide when you’ve given enough chances, especially because friendships form at work. But the workplace requires professionalism above everything else.”
The employee did not speak to her for a month. It was uncomfortable, but necessary. It taught her that boundaries protect not just leaders—but the entire team.
Balancing organization and people means seeing both sides clearly
Janina often finds herself navigating the line between organizational needs and employee well-being. To her, the only way to strike that balance is honesty.
She believes every decision must acknowledge both perspectives, and that leaders must explain the reasoning behind tough calls. Her experience taught her that transparency doesn’t eliminate disagreement, but it builds trust.
The leader she became was shaped by hard choices—and the courage to stand by them
Janina’s leadership style didn’t come from textbooks. It came from her willingness to grow, to confront difficult moments, and to stay anchored in integrity even when it cost her comfort.
Her story reflects the kind of leader modern hospitality needs: firm but fair, empathetic but principled, collaborative but accountable. And while she knows leadership won’t make her universally liked, it has made her effective—something far more valuable.
