Leadership Lessons from a Greek Cypriot Kitchen

People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.

This enduring wisdom from one of my favourite poets, Maya Angelou, encapsulates the essence of hospitality. It’s why I think that the practise of hospitality should go well beyond the realms of hotels, restaurants, our homes even. It should permeate every relationship: the social; the personal; and the professional.

Hospitality is so very integral to my life and value system; it is at the epicentre of everything I do and I think I know why.?

I’d like you to journey back in time with me to my childhood home in the UK where I grew up; it was a very Greek Cypriot home. On a typical Sunday morning, I would wake up to the sound of the Greek radio, loud booming voices and the clanging of pots and pans; the air filled with the distinct smell of various foods coming together to make up the hearty Greek dishes which would go on to become the signature taste of my childhood: moussaka, dolmades, souvlaki.?

As we were waking up, my mother would be giving orders like a commander in chief of a military operation; we had guests coming and allocated jobs to do. As the youngest of three and generally considered the least competent, I was given the most mundane of tasks: slicing aubergines, chopping onions if I happened to be prominent on the naughty list. My sisters were given significantly more meaningful and skilful tasks such as folding napkins into bird-like shapes in masterful origami fashion and stirring the bechamel sauce for the moussaka. We were akin to a well-oiled Spartan army!

My sisters and I might have squabbled, laughed and teased but the truth was, we were happy in our work because we shared a common purpose. Our common purpose was that we wanted our guests to experience the best version of our home and every task was performed in the spirit of making them feel truly welcomed and cherished.?

Our household philosophy was simple, a lesson learned not from textbooks but through osmosis. The comfort of our guests was paramount; their needs superseded ours whether it was drinking my father’s best whisky, luxury of choice at the dinner table or superior bedding. Our home was their home, a sanctuary where they were not just made to feel comfortable but truly cherished.?

I’ve carried that philosophy into my adult life and it hasn’t just stuck with me, it’s expanded and followed me beyond the front doors of our family home into all aspects of life.? It goes beyond mission or vision statements, the “who we are” manifestos that most of us have in our organisations which are often neither executed nor implemented. Successful organisations that leave a positive imprint on society are those that live and breathe their values. Hospitality is a heartfelt approach to human interaction.?

Imagine the impact if people treated the workplace as their home, not in the physical sense of living there or hanging out in their pyjamas but by taking the same pride in their work as they would their household.?

How do we create that as leaders??

As leaders, we cultivate organisations where everyone feels a sense of ownership, a personal stake in the success and well-being of the entire organisation. We encourage them to serve their colleagues, clients and customers with the same dedication as my sisters and I served our Sunday guests. Not because it’s an obligation, but because it’s a joy to make someone else’s day a little better and a little brighter.

As we advance into a new era of work, one marked by AI, robotics and automation, it is more important than ever to remember the profound power of human connection. Hospitality learned from the warmth of the Greek Cypriot kitchen, should not remain confined to our personal lives but must permeate our professional landscapes. Pride in service and the ability to make others feel valued, seen and heard must shape the way that we lead and serve others; let’s not forget that people will always remember how we made them feel.?

ABOUT NIKI AVRAAM

A compelling speaker, Niki leads the charge in workforce evolution. Using her extensive background in employment law and legal entrepreneurship, Niki empowers organisations and individuals to exceed their potential and stay ahead, in the future of work. Niki demonstrates how instilling a culture of ownership and adaptability, leads us to unprecedented success.

https://nikiavraam.com/