Hey Beloved,
Update: it’s been a full couple of weeks.
Between leadership retreats, new cohorts kicking off, and a handful of client workshops, I’ve been in the thick of conversations about what it really means to lead with hospitality.
This week, I had the chance to spend time with the leadership team at PakTech, a B Corp here in Oregon that manufactures recycled handles for packaging — the kind you’ll find carrying six-packs or multi-packs at the grocery store.
We gathered as part of their ongoing leadership development series to explore one idea:
What does it mean to be a hospitable leader?
Not just someone who runs a productive team. But someone who makes space. Who leads with intentional presence.
Who sees their workplace as a table, and does the work to make sure everyone on the team feels welcome at it.
“The greatest leaders don’t just cast vision, they set the table.”— The Hospitable Leader
That’s what we talked about.
How to lead in a way that seasons the whole culture, the way salt brings out the best in whatever it touches.
Because at the end of the day:
Hospitable leaders create hospitable teams.
Hospitable teams create hospitable cultures.
And hospitable cultures change everything.
Let’s dive in.
It Starts With the Leader
Culture doesn’t happen by accident. It’s shaped over time by the people at the top.
If you want your team to care about the people they serve, it starts with how you care for them.
That care shows up in the ordinary. The things no one applauds. Pausing to listen. Offering encouragement. Letting your presence say, “You belong here.”
It may look simple, but it isn’t easy.
Hospitable leadership requires strength. The kind that carries weight without needing credit. The kind that notices who’s being left out and steps in anyway.
And like salt, it spreads quietly but powerfully. You don’t always see it. But you can taste the difference.
What It Actually Looks Like
Hospitable leadership isn’t just about tone. It’s about texture.
It looks like starting the meeting with a name, not just a number.
Slowing down long enough to make sure people feel prepared, not just briefed.
Celebrating a quiet win. Making space for a quiet voice.
Choosing care over control.
These aren’t flashy gestures. They’re repeatable ones.
And they become the rhythm of a team that trusts each other.
You’ve heard me say that hospitality is like salt. That hospitality enhances and it preserves.
Well, so is leadership.
They Enhance the Flavor
They Welcome People In
They set the table and serve as the host. They are creating the kind of environment where people want to be led.
They Elevate Everyday Moments
They turn routine moments into meaningful ones. They bring intentionality to the entire employee journey, from hiring to onboarding and birthdays, first days, transitions, and Tuesday afternoons.
They Let Others Shine
They don’t try to be the hero. They don’t need the spotlight. They believe a leader’s greatest task is to surface and celebrate the unique gifts in others.
They Lead with Joy
Not forced cheer, but grounded happiness that creates space for others to flourish. They lighten the room with energy, humor, and presence.
They Preserve What Matters
They Prepare with Intention
Showing up ready, not rushed, because people are worth preparing for.
They Steward the Culture
They protect the culture with intention—keeping the tone, language, and trust that shape the team's daily experience.
They Speak with Care
They give feedback with clarity, not shame. They know the way something is said is as important as what is said. As Will Guidara states, “Praise is affirmation. Criticism is an investment. Criticize the behavior, not the person. Praise in public; criticize in private. Praise with emotion. Criticize without emotion.”
They Push Toward Excellence
They hold high standards and raise the bar. The way you do one thing is the way you do everything, and that precision in the smallest of details translates to precision in the bigger ones.
When you lead like this, people don’t just notice.
They stay.
A Shift to Try This Week
You don’t need a full strategy to be a hospitable leader.
You need five minutes, a pen, a card deck, or a doorframe.
Here are four specific ways to add salt this week — some enhance, some preserve:
Rethink how people enter your building
Don’t just open the door — create a threshold that says “you’re welcome here.” Music, light, scent, signage, the way someone’s name is spoken. Whatever it is, make it intentional.
Go Deeper on your next 1:1
Grab a deck of Will Guidara x Theory11 new Dialogues playing cards — part card game, part conversation starter. Play a quick card game with your team member with one question that invites real presence. It’s amazing what happens when curiosity leads.
Write one handwritten letter to end the week
Not a note. A letter. Choose someone on your team and name the impact they made and how you are grateful for their presence on the team. Seal it. Send it. It will outlast any Slack emoji.
Add a standing calendar moment to honor someone
Fridays at 11. Mondays at 9. Pick one recurring moment to highlight one person who brought flavor to the week. Not results — richness.
Small, thoughtful, human.
That’s how leaders set the table.
Why This Matters
Hospitality isn’t just a service strategy.
It’s a leadership posture and practice.
It reminds us that people don’t thrive in pressure alone, they thrive in presence.
When leaders bring that kind of care to their teams, it multiplies.
And it touches everything from your culture to your customer experience.
Redemptive work starts with hospitable leadership.
And it’s always worth the pursuit.
With gratitude 🧂🧂🧂
Nathan
P.S. If this stirred something in you—a story, a shift, or a reminder—I’d love to hear it. Just hit reply. And if someone else comes to mind, a teammate, a client, a fellow leader, feel free to pass this along.
