How do you give back to your community?
Giving back to the community is very important and is an integral part of leadership. Through the company, we give back by donating money, goods, and services to many worthwhile organizations. We also support many individuals, schools, and organizations by providing enriching experiences amidst the many beautiful landscapes of Kualoa Ranch.
We also give back by doing our best to be a role model for regenerative tourism, tourism that helps improve the environment and community. We hope our model will inspire others. We have also set up a foundation funded by the company and is run by our seventh generation family members. The purpose of the foundation is to enrich the community. I also give back by contributing my time, serving on several boards of community organizations.
What does giving back mean to you?
To me, giving back is part of my kuleana, my responsibility. It is also a privilege. If I am able to add value to someone else’s life, or the betterment of an organization, it is an honor to do so. It is also a way to find balance. We all have a variety of roles and responsibilities, whether it is as a son, husband, father, friend, business manager, or community member and giving back provides balance. Giving back also helps me because it is pono, the right thing to do, and it feels good.
What do you love most about your job?
It is not as much of a job as it is a calling. I started working at Kualoa Ranch during the summers when I was 14. I became the manager at 25 and 41 years later I am still dreaming of ways to improve and help navigate a course toward a better future for our employees, our guests, and our community.
What are some of the biggest challenges facing your industry?
Finding good people. There are many great people in Hawai‘i, but good people are in demand and as we all know, the cost of living is high here. The population is aging, people are retiring, and there is an outmigration of young people to the mainland. We are lucky we are a relatively big employer in a small community and we are a fun place to work, so our hiring challenges may not be as much as others in our industry.
What has been the biggest sacrifice you’ve made for your career?
I don’t look at my choices as being sacrifices. I may not have the time I would like to do many of the things I want to do, but since I am in control of my life and am responsible for my choices, I don’t look at them as sacrifices.
What has been the biggest reward?
A lifetime of creativity and fulfillment. I get to work with amazing people and we get to work in one of the most beautiful places on earth. We get to continually improve this special place and create amazing experiences for our guests and employees.
What failure taught you the biggest lesson?
I am not sure I would call them failures. I have made many mistakes along the way and each one is an opportunity to learn. I have made business mistakes, mistakes dealing with people, and many other mistakes that I forgot about. One of my favorite books is The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz.
The Agreements (that we should make with ourselves) are the following:
1. Be Impeccable With Your Word
2. Don’t Take Anything Personally
3. Don’t Make Assumptions, and
4. Always Do Your Best.
None of us performs perfectly with all of these always, but if we keep at it, we will make less mistakes.
What makes you stand out as a leader?
I run an amazing company with a great mission that people really appreciate. I am not that sure I am a great leader though. I am the boss and I am a visionary, but you would have to ask my team to see if I am a good leader or not.
Guilty Instagram Follow
I am not too active in social media. Ask my family. If there is a real dinosaur in the family, it is me.
If you could give your younger self advice, what would it be?
Read The Four Agreements earlier. Know that not all knowledge is taught in the same school. Be aware of your infatuation with new ideas. Measure twice, cut once. Trust your instincts. Write more thank you notes.
What have been the most exciting things about this job/business/industry?
Sharing aloha and the true Hawai‘i with others.
What inspires you?
Nature. People. Adventure. Challenge. Children.
Do you believe in luck and fate? Why?
Luck, yes. Fate, I am not so sure.
How have you grown and pivoted in the past five years?
Navigating through Covid and other challenges have shown that resilience and creativity can overcome very serious obstacles.
What makes you feel like a boss?
Over 400 people who show me aloha and respect. I also get to lead the corporate strategic planning.
What scares you about the future?
The idea of not seeing my grandchildren graduate, get married, and have their own kids. I want to know them as adults, and I want them to know me as an adult. I didn’t know either of my grandfathers and always wondered what they were like as individuals, as human beings with thoughts, dreams, and feelings.
Now, as a more experienced leader, how do you define success?
There are many measures for success and each one is important. The cliché is the triple bottom line of environment, community, and business and I agree that improving the outcomes for each of those are important measures of success. I also like to think of our ancestors and the ‘āina itself. They are like a manifestation of God for me and I try to live up to what is expected of me according to unwritten, unmeasurable standards.
What’s the best advice you were ever given and who was it from?
There is no status quo. You are either getting better, or getting worse, and it is up to you to make it happen. These words were from my father, the late Francis Swanzy Morgan, and while he was talking about picking the right bulls for genetic improvement in a herd of cattle, the lesson is applicable to everything in life.
What career mistake taught you the greatest lesson?
I have only worked for one company for over 50 years and still have a job so I am not sure I made too many career mistakes.
What have been the biggest turning points in your career?
Starting to work for Kualoa Ranch when I was 14 years old and having the opportunity to learn from people like Abraham Akau, our Hawaiian ranch foreman. As he described himself, “I went graduate from sixth grade and I only went to school for eat lunch.” Despite his limited formal education, he was an amazing teacher of wisdom, duty, humility, courage, engineering, people skills, frugality, and compassion. Besides my father, he was one of my earliest and greatest mentors.
What are you doing to maintain your mindset during this chaotic time?
Be grateful every day.
Do you have some habits/routines that work for your lifestyle that you can share?
Exercise, get out in nature, and spend time with family.
How has Hawai‘i’s unique culture shaped who you are in business?
As a person, I have been shaped by Hawai‘i. As it is with so many other people who live here, I am of Hawai‘i and Hawai‘i is in me. This perspective has been very valuable to me as the leader of a place like Kualoa Ranch. Our kuleana to take care of the lands of Kualoa came directly from the King (Kamehameha III) and I take this unique responsibility very seriously. We are a Hawaiian place and we need to look at things from a Hawaiian perspective.
I am lucky that I have always embraced learning about our Hawaiian history and culture. I learned that from my parents, Francis and Margo Morgan. I was also very fortunate to have grown up working with people of many different ethnicities. In the ’70s and early ’80s, Kualoa Ranch was a very small company, but we had Hawaiians, Japanese, Chinese, Portuguese, Filipino and haole people all working together very well. As a company with over 400 people now, with our mission to enrich people’s lives by preserving the land and celebrating its history, my background of being shaped by Hawai‘i and its unique culture has been extremely helpful.
What made you better from the Covid-19 pandemic?
Surviving, adapting, and improving.
How do you maintain your own health/well-being?
I get into nature quite a bit, whether it is surfing, mountain biking, or hiking with my wife and family. I don’t do the gym thing mainly because I have enough outdoor exercise opportunities. I also try not to take myself too seriously. I have a job and I try to do my best, but the world doesn’t revolve around me. Grandchildren are a good reminder of that.
What are some challenges and opportunities that lie ahead for your industry?
Staying globally competitive. There are many other destinations that want the same customers we have and will spend a lot of money to get them.
How has the Covid-19 pandemic positively affected your career/business?
As an outdoor destination, we pivoted early and well coming out of the pandemic.
What have been the biggest turning points in your career?
Every time I pick another great leader to join our team is a turning point.
