SUMMARY

It’s not often that you get to listen to someone who has literally been rated the best in the world in their craft, but that is exactly what this episode is about. Under Will Guidara’s Leadership, Eleven Madison Park (EMP) received 3 Michelin Stars, and was rated the #1 restaurant in the world. In this conversation with GLN President and CEO David Ashcraft, recorded live at the Global Leadership Summit, Will shares about the power of hospitality for all businesses and organizations. He also shares some of the leadership principles that created a winning culture at EMP. If you have ever wanted to learn from someone operating at the peak of their profession, this episode is just right for you.

IN THIS EPISODE:

• What was the culture like when Will started at Eleven Madison Park (“EMP”)?

• Where did Will learn the patience that was needed to build the cultural foundation at EMP?

• How did he navigate the tension between sustaining high levels of excellence and creating a culture of collaboration, where people feel empowered?

• What opposition did Will experience when he started (chefs, other restaurants)?

• How did Will learn the corporate/financial side of the restaurant business?

LISTEN

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STANDOUTS AND TAKEAWAYS

• Hospitality is an exchange of love.

• When you are trying to usher a culture through a transition, the last thing you should do is try to “sell” your team on a vision. Instead, invite them into it, and give them a chance to RSVP yes or no.

• As a leader, articulate your vision passionately, clearly, and often. If someone chooses not go along with you, it doesn’t mean that they (or you) are a bad person; it just means there’s not alignment.

• Until a group comes together as a trusting team, it’s impossible to do anything. Building a solid cultural foundation is really the only way to ensure success.

• If you can truly empathize with the people in your organization, you will be a better leader.

• If you’re in a situation where you need to convince the people around you that what you care about matters, that’s an unhealthy and potentially demeaning situation.

• At Eleven Madison Place, the food, service, wine and dining room were simply ingredients in the recipe of human connection. If everyone could check their egos and focus on that reality, something cool could happen.

• Anyone who does life or business well needs to be intentionally focused on creating the conditions for connection.

• You need to earn informality, and it is critical that you do, because relationships are not sustained based on formality.

• Sometimes, pursuing conflicting goals can drive success.

• There is power in creating a place where people can feel structure and freedom at the same time.

• If you ask why a rule exists, and the answer is, “Because that’s how we do things,” then it’s not a rule that deserves to continue to exist.

• You can learn to thrive if you can understand the creative and the commercial side of whatever it is you are involved in.

LINKS MENTIONED

• Book: Unreasonable Hospitality: The Remarkable Power of Giving People More Than They Expect (Amazon.com)

• Website: The Welcome Conference

• Website: Eleven Madison Park

• Website: Spago (Beverly Hills)

• Website: Refuge

• Website: Milk Bar

• Website: Leader365 and Team365

• Website: Global Leadership Summit 2025

• Website: Global Leadership Network