#262 - Hospitality Meets Robert Richardson - The Story We Tell Ourselves
Six years ago, Robert Richardson joined me on Hospitality Meets for the very first time.
Back then, he was a hotel General Manager with a passion for people, wondering what the next chapter might look like.
Neither of us could have predicted what came next.
Fast forward six years, and Robert returns to the show as CEO of the Institute of Hospitality, leading a global professional body with more than 17,000 members, overseeing record membership growth, driving the Institute's Charter ambition, and helping shape the future of our industry.
It's amazing what can happen in six years.
In this episode we chat about:
- The leap from hotel General Manager to CEO
- Leading an organisation through unprecedented change
- Why the Institute is experiencing its strongest membership growth in years
- Championing professional development across hospitality
- The Youth Council and why the next generation matters more than ever
- The journey towards Chartered status
- Learning to overcome imposter syndrome and the fear of public speaking
- The stories we tell ourselves... and how they can hold us back
- Why leadership is about stewardship, not ownership
- The power (and pitfalls) of social media
- Building organisations where people genuinely feel they belong
Along the way we explore leadership, confidence, legacy, positivity, personal growth and why hospitality remains one of the greatest industries in the world for developing people.
Of course, this wouldn't be Hospitality Meets without a few memorable stories...
🤣 Accidentally being announced as the new CEO while being tagged as a completely different organisation on social media.
🤣 Rehearsing every speech exactly seven times before stepping onto a stage.
🤣 Seriously considering quitting on the morning of his first major keynote... before discovering the world didn't end after all.
And perhaps the most powerful moments of the conversation come when Robert steps away from the role of CEO and shares the experiences that have shaped him personally.
From the fear of receiving an urgent cancer referral that thankfully proved to be a false alarm, to speaking openly about the reality of living through an eight-year stalking ordeal, it's an honest reminder that leadership doesn't make us immune from life's challenges.
If anything, it simply means learning how to keep showing up in spite of them.
There are also some wonderful takeaways throughout the episode:
💭 "No one develops from a place of comfort."
💭 "You will always get an answer. You might not like the answer, but you'll always get an answer."
💭 "It's so easy to be positive and so lazy to be negative."
💭 "Be the voice for positivity."
More than anything, this is a conversation about growth.
Growth as a leader.
Growth as an organisation.
Growth as a person.
Six years ago, Robert joined me as a hotel General Manager.
Today, he returns leading one of hospitality's most respected organisations.
It's a wonderful reminder that careers aren't built overnight—they're built one opportunity, one uncomfortable moment, and one conversation at a time.
A thoughtful, honest and uplifting conversation with someone who continues to lead with humility, purpose and positivity.
Enjoy
Show Partner
A big shout out to today’s show partner, RotaCloud — the people management platform built specifically for shift-based teams.
RotaCloud lets managers create and share rotas, record attendance, and manage annual leave in minutes — all from one simple, web-based app.
It also makes life easier for teams, allowing staff to check rotas, request holiday, and pick up extra shifts directly from their phones.
To find out more, head to RotaCloud
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