Coaching for Leaders

807: Lead With Unreasonable Hospitality, with Will Guidara

2026-11-02

Will Guidara: Unreasonable Hospitality: The Field Guide

Will Guidara is the former co-owner of Eleven Madison Park, which under his leadership received four stars from the New York Times, three Michelin stars, and in 2017 was named #1 on the list of the World’s 50 Best Restaurants. He is the author of the New York Times bestseller Unreasonable Hospitality: The Remarkable Power of Giving People More Than They Expect and now his newest book, Unreasonable Hospitality: The Field Guide (Amazon, Bookshop).

Every leader is called to serve people. How we serve people matters. And the way people feel when we are serving matters a lot. In this conversation, Will Guidara shows us how to lead with unreasonable hospitality.

Key PointsSometimes magic is just being willing to invest more energy into an idea than anyone else would deem reasonable.Service is what you do for people. Hospitality is how you make them feel.First impressions matter. Leaders have a key role in setting the standard for this.Find a meaningful way to make magical the part of an experience that is normally neglected.Identify persistent pain points and address them generously instead of reductively.People remember both the peak and final moments of an experience. Stick the landing.Resources MentionedUnreasonable Hospitality: The Field Guide by Will Guidara (Amazon, Bookshop)*Unreasonable Hospitality: The Remarkable Power of Giving People More Than They Expect by Will Guidara (Amazon, Bookshop)*Related EpisodesThe Power of Leadership Through Hospitality, with Will Guidara (episode 688)How to Bring Out the Best in People, with Donna Hicks (episode 724)The Way to Notice People Better, with Zach Mercurio (episode 733)Discover More

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814

Latest episode

2026-11-02

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Leaders aren’t born; they’re made. Many leaders reach points in their careers where what worked yesterday doesn’t work today. This Monday show helps leaders thrive at these key inflection points. Independently produced weekly since 2011, Dr. Dave Stachowiak shares insights from a decade of leading a global leadership academy, plus more than 15 years of leadership at Dale Carnegie. Bestselling authors, proven leaders, expert thinkers, and deep conversation have attracted 50 million downloads and over 300,000 followers. Join the FREE membership to search the entire leadership and management library by topic at CoachingforLeaders.com