This week, let’s reflect on a truly powerful piece of guidance from the incredible Maya Angelou:
“When you learn, teach. When you get, give.”
Such simple words, yet they hold a profound truth about growth, responsibility, and especially, leadership.
Think about it:
➡️ “When you learn, teach.” As leaders, we’re constantly learning – new skills, strategies, insights. This quote reminds us that knowledge isn’t meant to be hoarded. Our role includes sharing that wisdom, mentoring our teams, and illuminating the path for others.
➡️ “When you get, give.” Whether it’s recognition, resources, influence, or opportunity, leadership often means receiving more. The call here is clear: use what you “get” to uplift others. Share the credit, create pathways, open doors, and offer support.
This resonates so deeply with my own journey in the hospitality industry. I stand where I am today because leaders and mentors before me took the time to teach me invaluable skills and gave me opportunities to learn, grow, and prove myself. Just as importantly, they consciously chose to give opportunities – trusting me with new responsibilities, providing chances to lead projects, letting me learn from mistakes, and ultimately allowing me to grow and prove myself. Without that intentional sharing of knowledge and opportunity, individual growth can stall, and teams can stagnate. Their generosity truly paved the way for my career.
It’s a cycle I feel a strong duty to continue. As leaders, especially in hospitality where mentorship is key, we MUST consciously:
▪️Teach our teams what we know – share the secret sauce, the recipe for success, the techniques, the service standards.
▪️Give them chances to shine – delegate important tasks, provide constructive feedback, advocate for their growth.
Let this week’s wisdom guide our actions: How can we better embody this cycle? Let’s turn our learning into teaching, and our getting into giving. It’s how we build stronger teams, foster loyalty, and create a lasting positive impact.
Book Recommendation 📖
For anyone in leadership, particularly hospitality, I can’t recommend “Setting the Table” by Danny Meyer enough. It beautifully illustrates how prioritizing and investing in your team (teaching & giving!) creates exceptional guest experiences and business success. I had the privilege of working with Danny (and so many other great leaders) during my tenure at Shake Shack and saw firsthand the profound, positive impact living the principles from this book has on culture and success. It’s packed with real-world hospitality wisdom!