As season two of Evolution Hospitality's podcast is launched, organizational restructuring, rapid growth, and personnel change have created the perfect storm.  Evo's Chief Wellness Officer & host, Dr. Romie Mushtaq interviews Chief Operating Officer, Will Loughran to discuss how to lead and manage stress during times of change.

In this episode, we cover:

1. Evo is a company built on a culture of practicing servant leadership, and the priority is making sure everyone reaches their full potential. 
2. What steps leaders can take to combat the stress, anxiety, and fear that are natural during times of organizational change?
3. Will's advice is to come back to our guiding principles including "giving each other the benefit of the doubt" and "listen."   In addition, we discuss managing emotions along with managing expectations. 
4. Bringing that "Evo swagger" can help the company to continue to grow and create multiple verticles of inspired leadership.

Evolution Hospitality is a third-party hospitality management company with corporate headquarters in San Clemente, CA.  For more information visit www.evolutionhospitality.com

Show Notes:

• [04:12] There is so much going on in the company right now.
• [04:36] After our merger, we became the largest hotel company in the country.
• [04:49] John Murphy is moving into an advisory role. Matt Raine our Business Development Leader is going to work with our biggest partner.
• [05:20] Our leader of talent acquisition is also going to join John Murphy in his new venture.
• [05:33] All of this has created a large amount of change.
• [06:28] People involved in integration and working with the other teams are coming back very inspired. They are excited about new resources and strategic initiatives.
• [07:39] There is also a level of anxiety from other people who feel a level of uncertainty.
• [08:32] Dr. Romie could energetically feel the pause and the grief when the email was sent out.
• [09:09] We don't want to be just the biggest company, we want to be a truly excellent company. Will wants people to be confident and have that "Evo Swagger."
• [10:28] We want to have an incredible culture, but we are also very focused on results.
• [12:30] We need change management and training. We introduce a new process or integration every year.
• [13:31] The three programs that have helped us is our mindfulness program called The Power of Pause, emotional intelligence training, and are crucial conversations.
• [16:18] Guiding principles include giving the benefit of the doubt and listening. Being present is also critically important.
• [19:43] At Evo, we care for each other as a company. You are safe, and you are cared for.
• [22:04] Bring your team together and make it better than it was before.
• [23:58] Think about how to make the broader company better. It's not us versus the parent company.
• [27:15] We need to maximize performance in all verticals. 
• [28:46] Will takes a pause by riding his bike, meditation, and music. He loves Rock 'n' Roll.
• [30:50] Take the time to slow down and spend one-on-one time with people. 
• [32:00] Giving and accepting feedback openly is a main guiding principle for Will. 
• [33:01] He wants to lead everyone into making an incredible company in an inspired way.

Links and Resources:

Evolution Hospitality

William Loughran

Saturday Night Live Flight Announcement

Why Workplace Wellness & Mindfulness is Important for Leaders & Culture: Interview with Evo's President John Murphy