Interview with Holly Landry, Director of Finance

Holly is our Director of Finance, but she’s so much more than that. She’s a boy mom, she’s a bookworm, and she’s a trailblazer of streamlined processes and accurate results. Her work each day combines the things she loves—the analytical, data-driven work of finance and accounting, with the interpersonal, soft skills—people and places. Hard numbers, soft pillows, and all the warm and fuzzies? Count her in.

We had the chance to sit down with Holly to talk about mentorship and building a team culture. As Simon Sinek aptly suggests, “Take care of those in your charge, and they will in turn, take care of the guests and frankly – everything else.” Holly Landry takes a page out of Simon’s book with her whole human approach to motivating, managing, and celebrating her team.

What Does Mentorship Mean Today?

Mentorship has become increasingly critical to the overall success of our teams. In the wake of the pandemic, we have two things happening simultaneously: the increased isolation of the workforce with remote offices and social distancing, and the re-evaluation of career goals and priorities: Is the job meaningful? Is it a good use of my time?

Mentors connect the dots between the current workflow, potential opportunities down the road, and a bigger purpose. It’s the human condition: we want to feel valued and rewarded for our time and effort. Mentorship provides both the perspective of the journey ahead and the knowledge of how to get there.

In the wake of the Great Resignation, and in a millennial majority workforce, how do you foster team culture?

Another way to view the Great Resignation is as a great re-evaluation of priorities and purpose. This is where the advantage of diversity comes into play, including generational diversity. Exposure to different ways of thinking about work and how we communicate helps us build a more sustainable path forward. We foster team culture by embracing the changing landscape while maintaining core principals that stand the test of time. The ways in which we work and communicate may look very different today, but at our core—the human need to be seen, develop skills, and to be confident in our ability to impact the direction of our team—remain important pillars to foster a team, perhaps more so today than ever.

How do these efforts behind the scenes impact the guest experience?

The impact of team culture on the guest experience cannot be overstated. When individuals feel empowered, recognized, and impactful, their interactions with guests become much more authentic. In other words, you can't separate the guest experience from the employee experience, they’re inextricably linked. Over time, authentic guest services and interactions provide a sustainable advantage, where both guests and employees will continue to return to, or recommend the places where they have felt the most seen, valued, and welcomed.

When a team culture is built around people, instead of a department, there’s a tangible difference. There’s room for creative thinking, there’s room for growth, and there’s even room for failure (how can we expect people to grow if they’re too afraid to fail?). With millennial managers looking to get more out of the place they work, empowering the people behind the process has never been more important.