Breaking the Mold: Why It’s Time to Adopt the Unhustle Mindset and Lead Differently in the Hospitality Industry

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I probably don’t need to tell you that things are hard for the hospitality industry at the moment. 

The Wall Street Journal just published “The Boom in Travel Spending Has Slowed.” Another article talks about how San Francisco is sinking into bad hotel debt. 

Our go-to solution so far has been to work harder and take on more responsibilities. But is it helping us or hurting us?

Research shows that grinding it out is not the right strategy to get ahead. Working longer hours, taking on extra tasks, and picking up the slack might be hurting, not helping, your career, The Wall Street Journal reports.

Employees who find themselves the designated office “workhorse” often fail to climb the corporate ladder. You may have missed the memo of what it means to get ahead. Long hours isn’t it. The stress, burnout, and sacrifices we make in exchange for spending longer hours in the office is not a sustainable approach. Let’s be honest. We have been doing it for a while and it’s starting to catch up with us. Anxiety, mental health challenges, stress, burnout, employee disengagement, and loneliness are skyrocketing. 

Times have changed, and with that change, we need a radically different approach to how we live, work, and play.

The Leadership Shift No One’s Talking About

As leaders in the hospitality industry, you’ve likely heard countless leadership strategies, each promising the key to success – from building trust to being a transformational leader.  But what if the very foundation of these strategies is flawed? What if the hustle-centric mindset that’s driven your career and success is holding you back? What if it’s time to explore a radical shift in leadership that challenges the traditional norms of “always-on” that have long dominated the hospitality industry? One where less is more as counterintuitive as it sounds. 

The Problem with Traditional Leadership in Hospitality

The pressure to keep up can be overwhelming in an industry that never sleeps. Hospitality leaders often find themselves sacrificing their lives, relationships, and personal well-being for the sake of the job.  Driven by the belief that more hustle equals more success, we forget to take a pause, Zoom out, and think big.  This mindset is not only unsustainable; it’s counterproductive. The result? Burnout, exhaustion, decreased creativity, lower performance, and general discontent. 

I hear it all the time.

When I presented at the FORWARD Conference in Chicago, many came to me afterward to tell me their stories of working all the time, shed a tear, and thank me for inspiring them to do things differently. The workshop ranked first among all of the workshops this year. We are yearning for a recipe that will allow us to take back our time, health, and sanity, without sacrificing our business goals. Research from Microsoft shows that we now spend two full days of the work week on emails and meetings. Digital overload is giving us cognitive overload and hurting innovation and productivity. 

Introducing the Unhustle Leadership Mindset

The Unhustle philosophy offers a radically different approach to the Hustle Culture madness. It is rooted in ancient wisdom, modern science, years of research, and the simple yet powerful idea that true success comes from balance, not burnout. We can liberate our lives and still achieve our bold business goals. By prioritizing one’s whole life over relentless productivity, one can lead with more intention, focus, clarity, and impact. This isn’t about doing less, being less committed, or sacrificing one’s ambition. It’s about redefining what leadership looks like in an effective and sustainable way. 

Why This Matters for Leaders in Hospitality

As leaders, you’re already navigating a complex landscape. The expectations are high, and the stakes are even higher. But by embracing the Unhustle mindset, you can break free from the traditional leadership mold and pave the way for a new era of hospitality leadership—one that is not only innovative but also deeply aligned with your values and well-being. 

Four Actionable Steps To Start Leading Differently Today

1. Embrace Rebel Leadership.

Begin by doing things different from the norm. Maybe it’s not about working harder but slowing down to speed up. Shift your focus from quantity to quality. It can be as simple as starting your day with a few minutes of meditation instead of reaching for your emails, taking intentional breaks throughout the day, or focusing your full attention on one thing at a time, not ten. Consider how your leadership decisions impact the bottom line, your team’s well-being, and the overall guest experience. Leadership is about Being not about Doing. 

2. Limit Meetings Time.

Back-to-back meetings can decrease your ability to focus and engage. Microsoft discovered that to deal with meeting fatigue, we need to limit meetings to 30 minutes with good breaks in between. Otherwise, our brains can’t keep up. Taking time out between video calls prevents stress from building up. Calendly restricted core meeting hours to between noon and 5 p.m., reserving the rest of the day for focused work time and, after two years, discovered that people embrace it. Reclaim your time and you won’t have to work as long. 

3. Redefine Success to Include Well-Being.

Lead by example by prioritizing your well-being. Well-being leads to performance. It could mean setting boundaries around work hours, incorporating wellness practices into your routine, providing training, or even rethinking how you approach your role. Research from Shigehiro Oishi and Erin C. Westgate shows that beyond happiness and meaning, a psychologically rich life can lead to living a good life. A psychologically rich life is filled with various interesting and perspective-changing experiences. Isn’t this the entire purpose of the hospitality industry, after all? We can start by modeling this behavior for our teams and our customers. It’s a win-win. 

4. Foster a Human-Centric Culture.

Encourage your team to adopt a similar mindset. Create an environment where balance is valued, and your team feels supported in bringing their whole selves to work. Employees who operate in human-centric work models, where they are seen as people, not just resources, are 3.8 times more likely to be high-performing, 3.2 times more likely to enjoy high intent to stay, and 3.1 times more likely to see low levels of fatigue, according to a survey by Gartner, Inc. Flexible work experiences, intentional collaboration and empathy-based management support human-centric centric-culture. Let’s bring humanity back into the workplace. 

The Future of Leadership in Hospitality is Here

The hospitality industry is ripe for a leadership revolution, and you have the power to be at the forefront of this change. By adopting the Unhustle approach, you can lead in a way that is more sustainable and more aligned with the true spirit of hospitality. The very essence of the hospitality industry – memorable experiences, human connection, and elevated holistic well-being start with us. It’s time to break the mold and redefine what it means to be a leader in this industry.

About Milena Regos: 

Milena Regos is a reformed marketing strategist, who worked with some of the most iconic brands in the world. Madonna. The Ritz. Palisades Tahoe. A first-generation immigrant, she chased the American Dream. But after an MBA, a decade as a CMO, an award-winning marketing agency, and a couple+ decades of hustling, she left the marketing career to liberate her life and start Unhustle. She’s on a mission to inspire millions to reclaim their time, well-being, and impact while doing legendary work, without burning out and sacrificing their health, relationships, or creativity. Arianna Huffington, CEO of Thrive Global, calls her message “Amazing,” Julie Zhuo, Former VP of Design at Facebook, calls it “Awesome” and Christopher Lochhead, Apple’s #1 podcast host, calls it “Legendary”. But for many, it’s simply “timely, much needed and counterintuitive.” 

She has presented the Unhustle message to international stages like the World Economic Forum and won the People’s choice award at Wisdom2.0. She works with innovative teams and leaders to build without burnout through speaking, workshops, retreats, training, and the Unhustle community. You can reach out to her here.