After more than two decades in the hospitality and food service industry, I have learned that careers rarely unfold exactly as we imagine they will.
There are successes and setbacks. There are promotions, difficult assignments, long days, great mentors, challenging conversations, and moments when you question whether you are ready for the next opportunity.
Through all of those experiences, one lesson has remained constant for me:
Success is not simply about how far you go. It is about how many people you help move forward along the way.
I have had the opportunity to serve in leadership roles throughout my career, from restaurant operations and general management to multi-unit leadership and national account management. Every position has taught me something different about business, operations, and leadership.
But the most important lessons have always been about people.
Never Stop Being a Student
One of the best pieces of career advice I have ever received was simple:
Never stop being a student.
Titles can sometimes create the illusion that we are supposed to have all the answers. I have learned the opposite.
The further I have progressed in my career, the more I have recognized how much there still is to learn.
I have learned from executives and mentors who challenged me to think differently. I have learned from peers who brought different experiences and perspectives to the table. And I have learned countless lessons from frontline employees who perform the work every day and often understand opportunities within an operation better than anyone else.
Great leaders should never become too important to listen.
Ask questions. Seek feedback. Admit when you do not know something. Surround yourself with people who challenge you. Most importantly, remain humble enough to learn from anyone, regardless of their position.
A title may give you authority, but it does not give you all the answers.
Chase Knowledge Before Titles
For young professionals beginning their careers, especially those entering hospitality, my advice is not to become overly focused on how quickly you can earn the next title.
Chase knowledge, experience, and responsibility.
Learn every part of the business you can.
Volunteer for assignments that make you uncomfortable. Take on the difficult location or project. Learn the financial side of the business. Understand labor, budgeting, safety, recruiting, training, customer service, and operations. Spend time with the people performing the work.
Some of the greatest growth opportunities in my career came from situations I probably would not have chosen because they challenged me.
Those experiences build something that cannot be handed to you with a promotion: perspective.
When you understand the work, you are better prepared to lead the people responsible for doing it.
Your People Are Your Greatest Investment
Hospitality is ultimately a people business.
Technology will continue to change our industry. Data will become increasingly important. Organizations will continue searching for ways to improve efficiency, manage costs, forecast demand, reduce waste, and create more convenient experiences.
We should embrace those advancements.
But we cannot automate genuine hospitality.
People want to feel welcomed. Employees want to feel valued. Clients want to know that someone cares about their business. Guests remember how we make them feel.
That means one of the greatest responsibilities leaders have is creating environments where people can succeed.
I believe in setting clear expectations and holding people accountable, but accountability should be accompanied by coaching, recognition, resources, and opportunity.
Sometimes leadership means recognizing potential in someone before that individual recognizes it in themselves.
Give people opportunities to stretch.
Teach them what you know.
Allow them to make decisions.
Coach them when they make mistakes.
Recognize them when they succeed.
And when they are ready for the next opportunity, help them get there—even when losing a great employee makes your own job more difficult.
One of the greatest compliments a leader can receive is watching someone they helped develop become a successful leader themselves.
Integrity Matters When Nobody Is Watching
The values I try to carry into both my professional and personal life are integrity, accountability, humility, family, and service to others.
Integrity is especially important because leadership is built on trust.
Your employees notice whether your actions match your words.
If you expect accountability, demonstrate accountability.
If you expect respect, show respect.
If you make a mistake, own it.
If you tell someone you are going to do something, do everything you can to follow through.
Your title may cause people to comply with you, but your character determines whether people trust you.
That distinction matters.
Recognition Costs Nothing but Can Mean Everything
Throughout my career, I have become a strong believer in employee recognition.
In fast-paced industries, it is easy to become consumed by what went wrong.
We review financial misses, staffing issues, safety concerns, customer complaints, operational challenges, and everything else requiring immediate attention.
Those things matter.
But leaders also need to deliberately look for what is going right.
When you see someone providing exceptional service, tell them.
When an employee improves, acknowledge it.
When someone steps up during a difficult situation, recognize them.
And when possible, recognize people in front of their peers.
Never assume people know that you appreciate them.
A few sincere words from a leader can have an impact far beyond that moment.
Become Comfortable Being Uncomfortable
Growth rarely happens when everything is easy.
There have been moments throughout my career when I questioned whether I was ready for an opportunity. There have been difficult assignments, unfamiliar responsibilities, and situations where I had to learn quickly.
Those experiences taught me to become comfortable being uncomfortable.
You do not have to know everything before accepting a challenge.
You need the humility to learn, the discipline to prepare, and the courage to keep moving forward.
Failure can also be an effective teacher if we are willing to listen to what it is trying to teach us.
Make the mistake.
Own it.
Learn from it.
Then become better because of it.
Remember the People Who Helped You Get There
No accomplishment in my career belongs to me alone.
I have been fortunate to have mentors and leaders who believed in me, challenged me, gave me opportunities, and sometimes pushed me further than I believed I could go.
My colleagues and teams have taught me lessons that have shaped how I lead.
And my family has supported me through the long hours, sacrifices, career changes, challenges, and opportunities that come with pursuing professional growth.
That perspective keeps me grounded.
None of us truly succeeds alone.
When someone opens a door for you, remember it.
And when you eventually find yourself in a position where you can open a door for someone else, do it.
What Will Your Leadership Legacy Be?
At some point, every position we hold will belong to someone else.
Someone else will eventually sit in our office, manage our operation, lead our team, or carry the title we once worked so hard to earn.
That is why I do not want my professional legacy to simply be a list of positions, financial results, or accomplishments.
Those things matter, but they are temporary.
I want my legacy to be the people.
I want to be remembered as someone who treated people with respect, held them accountable because I believed in their potential, recognized their contributions, and helped them become better than they were yesterday.
I want people I have worked with to be able to say, “He believed in me. He taught me something. He gave me an opportunity.”
To me, that is leadership.
So, wherever you are in your career, remain a student.
Work hard when nobody is watching.
Treat people well.
Seek responsibility before recognition.
Be willing to take the difficult assignment.
Find mentors who will challenge you.
And once you have learned something valuable, do not keep it to yourself.
Teach someone else.
Because ultimately, leadership is not measured by how many people work for you.
It is measured by how many people are better because they worked with you.
