Over a year ago, I read Unreasonable Hospitality by Will Guidara — a New York Times Bestseller that, for me, was nothing short of life-changing. Shortly after finishing it, I drafted a blog post outlining my top five takeaways… and then, like many drafts, it sat unpublished. Fast forward to March 2025: after a weighty career transition to International Justice Mission (IJM), a season of deep self-reflection, and countless personal and professional breakthroughs, I found myself on the other side of something I would never have imagined — the opportunity to interview Will Guidara himself. He graciously joined one of our recent IJM Strategic Partnerships team meetings for an unforgettable 30-minute conversation. A huge moment for our team.
What followed wasn’t just a guest Q&A — it was a masterclass on leadership, creativity, and building cultures where people are seen, inspired, and empowered. Below are a few reflections from that conversation, centered around three themes that continue to resonate: personalization, inspiration, and redefining the destination.
Personalization: Making Mundane Moments That Matter
Will challenged us to interrogate every touchpoint in a donor’s experience and journey with us. Using examples from his restaurant, he illustrated how even seemingly mundane interactions—like washing your hands—or transactional moments, such as paying the check, matter way more than we think.
He believes that remarkable experiences are born from caring deeply about the parts no one else pays attention to — the invisible details, the small gestures, the human moments hidden in plain sight.
His advice was simple but powerful: Identify just two touchpoints you can elevate in the next 60 days. Don’t try to overhaul everything at once. Start with something small and make it unforgettable.
Will also challenged the traditional thinking of “one size fits all.” Instead, he encouraged us to embrace something more honest and human: “one size fits one.” That’s the heart of true hospitality.
To scale that kind of magic, Will talked about the concept of a “Dreamweaver.” In his book, he describes this person not always as the idea generator but as the one responsible for bringing the ideas to life. It’s their job to make sure the remarkable actually happens — consistently and at scale.
They don’t necessarily come up with the big ideas, but they’re the point person for systematizing creativity — the one who ensures follow-through. That means:
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Making ideas easy to deploy (systematic creativity!)
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Delegating creative ownership where needed
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Centralizing accountability so nothing falls through the cracks
It’s not just about having unforgettable moments — it’s about building the structure to deliver them over and over again.
Inspiration: Fuel for the Creative Life
Will reminded us that inspiration is everywhere — in conversations, passing comments, and the quiet details of the people we serve. But too often, we’re moving too fast to see it truly. His challenge was clear: creative leadership requires space. We have to protect time for creativity the same way we’d protect time for a meeting.
Even something as simple as blocking an hour to think about someone in your life — and what might delight them — can make a world of difference. Will shared how he keeps a running note in his phone with gift ideas for his wife, updating it whenever she mentions something she loves. Then, instead of scrambling last-minute, he schedules time to reflect on the list, get inspired, and make a plan to follow through.
That intentionality — to notice, to prepare, to surprise with care — really challenged me. It’s not about grand gestures. It’s about choosing to pay attention, then carving out the time to act on what you’ve seen.
He also spoke about the power of micro-affirmations — those tiny, thoughtful gestures or words of encouragement that can completely change someone’s day… or life. It doesn’t take much to show someone they matter.
And as leaders, we’re called to share the mic. Make space for others to shine. Invite creativity from your team, not just for your team.
Will put it plainly and beautifully: “We need to be inspired.” It’s not a luxury — it’s essential, especially if we hope to do anything extraordinary.
Destination: Dream Big, Grow Slowly
One of the most memorable moments in the conversation was when Will talked about a question his dad asked him: “What would you attempt if failure wasn’t possible?” That question lingered…
We talked about the importance of dreaming big, but also the wisdom of blooming where you’re planted. There’s a necessary tension between ambition and patience. Today, many of us are wired for instant results. We want the outcome before we’ve put in the time. But Will offered a different rhythm: Reach for the stars, and be patient in the pursuit.
The truth? The journey itself is the destination. It’s in the long road, the detours, the reinventions, and the ordinary days that we actually become who we’re meant to be. The work doesn’t just change others — it changes us.
Interviewing Will Guidara wasn’t just a professional milestone — it was an absolute honor and personal reset for me. A reminder that whether we’re serving guests in a restaurant, partnering with donors in a shared mission, or raising kids at home, we’re all in the business of creating meaningful experiences.
The good news is that we don’t have to be perfect. We just have to be intentional in noticing, caring, and creating. And when we do that, hospitality becomes something far more than a job description — it becomes a way of life.
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