PEOPLE
You can never buy your reputation. Don’ t do it for a quick kill,” he explains.“ It’ s a sentiment I’ ve carried with me from day one.”
Opening others’ doors Arora thinks carefully about the generation coming through, shaped partly by the start he had. He pushed his three children hard on education in a way he never could have been pushed himself.“ I always told them: forget money, forget businesses, forget entrepreneurship,” he says.“ Firstly, get as much education as you can. As long as you come home and tell me you’ ve done your best, whether you end up with A, B or C is irrelevant.” At the same time, he is clear that the traditional route isn’ t the only one:“ Not everyone is suited for that. That’ s why I love the apprenticeship model. If a youngster doesn’ t want to go to university, we mustn’ t force them. We must open the doors and let individuals choose what’ s right for them.” It is, he says, the same principle he applies to his own teams – give people the framework and the respect, and let them find their own way to deliver. The approach that began on a football pitch in his twenties has never really changed. Even today, the work ethic and principles Arora has honed over his career remain. He is still at Heathrow, still investing, still learning the names of the people who work in his hotels and leading the kind of culture that delivers strong success.“ I came to this nation with nothing, riding a bicycle,” he says.“ And me and Arora Group are here to stay.” businesschief. com
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