This study identified the hospitality-management competencies considered essential for success in today's F&B, front-desk, and sales departments, and the degree to which those skills and talents are actually used by entry-and mid-level managers. Specifically, it recorded three types of essential competencies (ECs): those that are necessary for any of the six job positions studied, those that are necessary for more than one job position but not all of them, and those that are used only by a specific type of manager doing a specific job (e.g., a mid-level F&B manager). The skills identified as essential for all the managers studied included: recognizing customer problems; portraying enthusiasm; maintaining professional and ethical standards; cultivating a climate of trust; and adapting creatively to change. By contrast, the skills that were among those identified with a single job description included: managing individual employee performance; setting goals to carry out the organization's mission and objectives; knowing about selling techniques; and mastering forecasting reports. When asked whether the ECs are actually being used effectively, managers' superiors generally reported that the managers were performing adequately in each competency and domain area.