The Blog

In a small village at the edge of a great forest, there was a blacksmith named Elara, known far and wide for her skill in shaping the strongest, most beautiful tools and weapons. Her forge was a place of great importance, not only to her, but to the entire village, as it supplied the villagers […]

By Haley Ellington & Josh Rossmeisl The Leap of Lily Lily had just graduated from college and was stepping into her first “real” job. Everything felt exciting and new. She had a shiny title, business cards, a desk she could call her own, and an endless sense of possibilities. It was everything she’d worked for, […]

Once, a wise king grew troubled, seeing his people grow too comfortable, too reliant on life’s conveniences. To challenge their resilience, he placed a massive boulder in the center of the main road leading into the city. Then, hidden nearby, he waited to see how his people would respond. At dawn, travelers arrived, busy with […]

By Amanda Murray   | Vice President of Strategic Branding & Partner, AMP Up1 Hospitality & Your 3rd Spot In 2017, my husband, Dan, and I left the Boston suburbs for the city, looking to shorten his commute and delay the commitment to suburban life. We moved into a small condo complex on Louis Terrace in […]

Empowerment is an oft-used buzzword.  Everyone wants to believe they empower their teams, but the proof is in the behaviors of their team members.   The enemy of empowerment is the mentality of “just doing my job”.  Team members walking a tightrope of compliance, just trying to stay out of trouble.  Those team members are memorable […]

In a bustling city, a seasoned chef named Marco finally opened his dream restaurant: Alba. It was small, intimate, and focused on seasonal, locally sourced Italian cuisine. Friends congratulated him.“This is amazing news!” they said. Marco simply replied,“Maybe so, maybe not. We’ll see.” A few months in, Alba received a glowing review from a prominent […]

One day a man was walking along the beach when he noticed a boy picking up and gently throwing things into the ocean. Approaching the boy he asked, “Young man, what are you doing?” “Throwing starfish back in the ocean. The surf is up and the tide is going out. If I don’t throw them […]

A young boy was playing outdoors and found a fascinating caterpillar. He carefully picked it up and took it home to show his mother. He asked his mother if he could keep it, and she said he could if he took care of it. The boy got a large jar from his mother, and inside […]

by Josh Rossmeisl Who doesn’t love a firefighter?  They are heroes who risk their lives to fight fires and save people.  In the hospitality industry, we have a different definition of “firefighter”. Firefighters put out fires quickly and save the day for all to see.  Their team loves it when they swoop in and extinguish […]

By Josh Rossmeisl “You have 1 year to make 100 mistakes or you’re fired!”  This was an expectation I implemented several years ago and shared at orientation with all new leaders.  I asked them to write them down so we can reflect in a year and see how much they’ve grown.  My only rules were “show […]