Commonwealth Hotels

Tom Stafford

Workplace Culture Authority

Leading with Purpose

Every summer I clip into my bike and ride 200 miles over two days alongside chefs, restaurateurs, and hospitality professionals from across the country. We ride for Chefs Cycle, the fundraising campaign behind Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry. The reason is simple and urgent: far too many children in this country don’t know where their next meal is coming from, and a single dollar can provide up to ten meals. The miles are hard. The cause makes them feel light.

Culture Built through Action

This year our community raised more than $1.25 million! But the number I think about most isn’t on a spreadsheet.

When people ask what has shaped my approach to leadership, I keep coming back to one belief: culture is built in moments, not memos. This one started as a challenge. I told the team at one of our hotels that if they could push their property into the top 25 for TripAdvisor scores, I’d ride the 200 miles, “if you can get there, this is what I’ll do.” They got there, and then something bigger happened. Commonwealth Hotels stepped up to support the mission, vision, and values behind the ride, turning one team’s goal into a company-wide commitment.

At our annual leadership conference, I opened the event with a video about the ride, where the money goes and how each person in the room could help. Then we did something I won’t forget. We broke into teams and built 25 kids’ bikes as our icebreaker.

A few days later, children from our local Boys & Girls Club came to pick out those bikes. I have been in this industry a long time, and I can tell you there were a lot of emotions in that room. Watching our leaders, people who spend their careers obsessing over the guest experience, light up as each kid chooses a bike, tells you exactly who your people really are.

Connecting Culture to Performance

That’s also my honest answer to how you balance guest expectations, operational excellence, and team development. They aren’t competing priorities; they flow from the same source. People who feel part of something bigger show up better for one another and for our guests. You can’t fake that energy at the front desk or in the dining room. It has to be real, and it has to start with leadership doing the work first.

Consistency through Conviction

The most valuable lesson I’ve learned is that consistency comes from conviction. Standards and systems matter, but teams deliver night after night when they believe the work means something. Give people a mission they’re proud of, and they’ll hold the bar high without being asked.

To anyone looking to grow into a leadership role, my advice is this: find the thing you’d ride 200 miles for, then invite your team to ride with you. Lasting value, for guests and employees alike, is built on purpose, not perks.

If you’d like to support the cause, I’d be honored to have you join us at Chefs Cycle for No Kid Hungry. Every dollar, and every mile, feeds a future.