I’m In Podcast Episode 55 | The Systemic Win

Episode 55 of I’m In, our official monthly podcast, sponsored by Leonardo Hotels UK & Ireland is available for our members to listen to today!

In this episode, Phil Street FIH and his guests discuss The Systemic Win: Can Hospitality Design Success, or Does It Happen Naturally?

What if success in hospitality wasn’t about individual brilliance… but about the system that surrounds it?

In this thought provoking episode, Phil is joined by Mike Wood FIH, Dawn Lawrence MIH, and Sidiqa Hazara AIH to explore the idea of a “systemic win”, creating environments where everyone benefits: the business, the team, the guest, and the wider ecosystem.

From elite sport analogies to oak tree metaphors (yes, really), this conversation wrestles with a fundamental tension in hospitality:
Can you systemise success in an industry built on human moments?

In this episode, we discuss:

• What a “systemic win” actually means in a hospitality context
• Why systems can provide stability, but not always solutions
• The danger of relying on a single “hero” within a business
• Why hospitality is too dynamic to ever be fully systemised
• The balance between structure and spontaneity
• How great systems can support, but never replace, people
• The role of communication, trust, and culture in creating consistency
• Why empowerment beats control when things go wrong
• The importance of agility in a constantly shifting environment
• Creating conditions where team, guest, and business all win simultaneously

Why our guests said, “I’m In!”

Mike Wood FIH:
“It’s all about giving back. If everyone shares, everyone learns”

Dawn Lawrence MIH:
Dawn values the IoH for its ability to connect people, share insights, and support future talent. From legislation to lived experience, it’s a hub for learning and collaboration

Sidiqa Hazara AIH:
Coming from outside hospitality, Sidiqa sees the IoH as both a learning platform and a community, a place to understand the industry while contributing back to it

Outstanding quotes from the episode

• “You can have the best systems in the world… but without communication, it’s dead” – Phil Street
• “There’s no point keeping information to yourself… if everyone gives back, everyone learns” – Mike Wood
• “You can take a really talented human being and put them into a broken system… and they’re still going to struggle” – Phil Street
• “The system should hold its own, something you can always fall back on” – Mike Wood
• “It’s all about people, not necessarily about systems” – Dawn Lawrence
• “Hospitality is a moment business, every interaction is different” – Sidiqa Hazara
• “Design an environment where the business, the team, and the guest all benefit” – Sidiqa Hazara

Members can follow the link below to listen to this episode now! Listening to this podcast counts toward your CPD activity.

If you have any feedback about the show or would like to be a future guest, please contact Phil Street at phil.street@instituteofhospitality.org

Members can listen to Episode 55 now!