What a FaceTime call between Australia and Las Vegas reveals about The Culture Code and leadership in hospitality

I’m in Australia and my partner is in Las Vegas. We’re on FaceTime when something small turns into a massive insight. He tells me he’s heading to an Irish bar, and I say, “Perfect. With St. Patrick’s Day coming up, can you ask the bartender if they have live music?” I watch him visibly deflate. To me, it’s a five-second ask. To him, it’s everything. In that moment, The Culture Code becomes very real. This isn’t a communication issue. It’s an energy issue.

Throughout February and March, I was on a mini speaking tour across Australia, connecting with leaders from organizations like Minor Hotels, Choice Hotels, and Virtuoso. It took me back to my time in hospitality. At Pinnacle Entertainment, with 16,000 employees, we worked hard to align communication across diverse teams. But that was written communication. Leadership happens in real time, in the quick asks, the hallway conversations, and the guest moments you can’t script. That’s exactly what was happening on that FaceTime call.

What I missed was simple. I operate in a fluid energy state. My partner operates in a compartmentalized one. When he’s off, he’s off. So, what felt simple to me required him to shift his energy. When he said he didn’t want anything on his mind, what he meant was he didn’t want to change his energy state.

This is happening in your hotel every day. A simple request can feel easy to one person and heavy to another. Same words, different energy impact. And energy isn’t fixed. It fluctuates. The employee who handled everything yesterday may feel overwhelmed today, not because they’ve changed, but because their energy has.

The best leaders don’t just manage communication, they manage energy. And it starts with cultivating curiosity. Not assuming, asking. How do you best operate? What does your ideal flow look like? Because when you align with how your team works, you reduce friction and unnecessary energy drain.

So, here’s the shift: don’t assume how your team operates. Ask them. Ask what their ideal flow looks like, how they best receive requests, and what pulls them out of rhythm.

Because when your team is operating in flow, productivity skyrockets from the inside out, and both your employees and your guests feel it.

Thank you to our member, Rebecca Ahmed, for being a guest blogger today and sharing her insights.