Becoming the CEO Who Leads Less and Achieves More

Let’s be honest… hospitality CEOs don’t “step back” easily.

This industry rewards stamina. It praises visibility. It celebrates leaders who are in the weeds, solving, rescuing, smoothing things over. It’s part of what made you successful. But it’s also the very thing that stops your organisation from scaling – and stops you from ever feeling truly in control of it.

CEOs tell me the same thing over and over:

“Michelle, I want to step back… but I’m terrified everything will fall apart if I do.”

So, let’s talk about it. Because stepping back in hospitality doesn’t mean caring less. It just means leading differently.

Many CEOs don’t step back because being “hands-on” is part of their identity. If you’ve spent 10, 15, 20 years being the one who fixes things – the one people turn to – the one who knows every moving piece… then letting go doesn’t feel strategic. It feels like losing relevance.

If the organisation still depends on you at every level, then yes, you’re still leading. But you’re not leading at the level your venue actually needs.

The shift from operator to CEO is not operational. It's psychological. And CEOs who can’t make that shift create organisations that hit a permanent ceiling.

Clarity Isn’t a Memo — It’s a Muscle

In my chat with Chris Miller, she said something that stuck with a lot of listeners:

“Frontline staff often spot risks and opportunities long before senior leadership does.”

And she’s right.

The problem is that frontline staff can’t act on what they know when the clarity only exists in your head. Most hospitality CEOs think they’ve created clarity because they’ve talked about service standards, brand values, what “exceptional” service looks like, and what the guest experience should feel like.

But saying something and creating clarity are two different things.

Clarity means:

• People understand the why behind decisions

• They can act without waiting for you

• They know the boundaries as well as you do

• They make consistent calls even when you're not there

If your team can’t confidently explain your vision without paraphrasing you… it’s not clear. If your managers hesitate to make decisions because they “don’t want to get it wrong”… it’s not clear. If each department runs their own version of your organisation… it’s not clear.

Clarity is what lets you step back without everything falling apart.

Capability Grows When Leaders Get Out of the Way

One of my favourite parts of my conversation with Sophie Paviour was how much responsibility she was given early in her journey.

She wasn’t sheltered. She wasn’t micromanaged. She wasn’t over-coached.

She was trusted.

She rotated through operations, sales, product, production – the whole ecosystem. She presented to senior leadership long before most people get that exposure. She was expected to think, not just follow instructions.

Whether you want to admit it or not, you cannot build leaders while protecting them from leadership.

Most CEOs delegate tasks. Very few delegate thinking.

They say “Do this.”, “Update this.”, “Complete this.” But they won’t hand over the decision-making, the why, the risk or the accountability. And then they wonder why they’re stuck being the “brain” of the organisation.

Sophie grew because someone believed she was capable and gave her enough stretch to prove it. Your middle managers are no different. Your supervisors are no different. Your next generation is no different. If you want to lead less, you must grow people who can lead more.

Systems Don’t Kill Culture — They Protect It

When Mark Condi stepped into Duxton Pubs, he inherited the same challenge many of you face – rapid growth, multiple venues, multiple ways of doing things, and inconsistent service.

Mark didn’t impose rigidness. He introduced rhythm; Seven Rooms, Review Tracker, unified accommodation systems, consistent reporting – not as control mechanisms, but as foundations.

What those systems did was powerful:

• They made standards visible

• They gave venues freedom within structure

• They allowed teams to personalise service more, not less

• They enabled surprise and delight

• They removed guesswork

• They created shared knowledge

• They protected the brand while allowing each pub its personality

Systems didn’t replace leadership. They freed leadership. They let managers actually manage. They let teams focus on hospitality, not hunting for information. They let Mark step into true CEO-level leadership.

This is what stepping back actually looks like.

The Real Test for Hospitality CEOs Who Want to Step Back

If you’re wondering whether you’re genuinely ready to step back – not just wanting it, but ready for it – ask yourself:

1. Could my venue/s run to standard for 60 days without me? (Be honest. Most can’t.)

2. Do my managers make decisions quickly and confidently without checking in? (If not, clarity is missing.)

3. Are my systems enabling autonomy or forcing dependence? (If everything comes back to you, you know the answer.)

4. Do I want to step back… or do I want relief without change? (Relief without change is a fantasy CEOs cling to for years.)

These questions aren’t comfortable, but they are liberating. Because the hospitality CEOs who build scalable, calm, resilient organisations aren’t the ones who do the most. They’re the ones who make it possible for everyone else to thrive.

Stepping back doesn’t mean being less present. It means being present in the areas that actually matter, like vision, strategy, culture, people, growth. Not rosters, not ordering, not being the unofficial quality control officer for every venue or department.

The CEO who leads less and achieves more is the CEO who shares their thinking, shapes leaders, builds capability, invests early, creates clarity, protects standards through systems, and stops being the fixer.

Because ultimately, if your organisation can’t operate without you, it’s not scalable. And if it’s not scalable, you’re not leading – you’re surviving. And you deserve more than survival.

Watch the full podcast episode here --> https://youtu.be/qwbM2xmzpjI

If this conversation hit home – if you’re tired of carrying too much, fixing too much, or being the unofficial “glue” in your organisation – then 2026 is the year to change that.

The Middle Management Movement 2026 Cohort is where your managers learn to:

• Lead with confidence

• Make decisions independently

• Communicate with clarity

• Support your standards

• Drive culture across every department and venue

• Free you from day-to-day dependency

It’s not just training. It’s capability-building at scale – the kind your organisation needs for you to step back without fear.

If you want a team of thinkers, not order-takers… leaders, not followers… and an organisation that finally runs without relying on you…

👉 BOOK A CALL

Because 2026 can be the year you stop doing it all and start leading at the level you and your organisation deserves.