I’m In Podcast Episode 62 | The Forgotten Middle

Episode 62 of our monthly podcast, sponsored by Leonardo Hotels UK & Ireland, is now available to our members on our website.

The Forgotten Middle: Are We Overlooking the People Holding Everything Together?

Every organisation has them.

The dependable people. The experienced professionals. The ones who quietly solve problems, carry knowledge and keep everything moving.

They aren’t necessarily the rising stars demanding attention.

They aren’t underperforming enough to require intervention.

They’re simply… reliable.

And sometimes, that reliability makes them invisible.

In this episode, Phil Street FIH is joined by Michael Kill FIH, CEO, Night Time Industries Association, Shaine Ryland-Gasher MIH, British Army Hospitality & Logistics Professional, and Rishabh Vaish MIH Business Development, Blue Orchid Hospitality & IoH Youth Council Member, to explore the forgotten middle, the people whose consistency, experience and quiet contribution often form the backbone of successful organisations.

From hospitality and nightlife to the Armed Forces, the conversation asks how leaders can recognise contribution before someone leaves, understand what genuinely motivates people and create development opportunities that don’t assume everybody wants the next promotion.

In This Episode, We Discuss:

• The difference between feeling useful and feeling genuinely valued
• Why dependable people can become almost invisible to leadership
• Whether organisations accidentally reward noise and visibility over consistency
• Why “nothing went wrong” may actually be one of the best measures of success
• The hidden value of people who prevent problems before they escalate
• Why organisations often only recognise someone’s importance when they resign
• The importance of understanding what individually motivates people
• Why development doesn’t always have to mean promotion
• The role of lateral challenges, ownership and specialist expertise
• How military experience and leadership skills translate into civilian hospitality careers
• Why informal conversations can reveal ambitions that formal performance reviews never will
• How listening, recognition and investment can reignite somebody who feels stuck

Why Our Guests Said, “I’m In!”

Michael Kill:
For Michael, the IoH represents the people at the heart of hospitality. Having benefited enormously from the industry throughout his own career, membership provides an opportunity to give something back while supporting professional development across the extraordinary breadth of the sector.

Shane Ryland-Gasher:
Shane values the IoH both personally and professionally, as a source of CPD, networking and shared best practice, but also as a bridge between military hospitality careers and opportunities within the wider civilian hospitality industry.

Rishabh Vaish:
Rish joined during the COVID period and found a community where ideas, connections and a genuine desire to help one another thrive. Through both membership and the IoH Youth Council, he values the opportunity to learn from others and contribute to the industry’s future.

Outstanding Quotes From This Episode

• “There’s a difference between being useful and being valued” – Shaine Ryland-Gasher
• “Ironically, the qualities that make them valuable tend to make them less visible” – Shaine Ryland-Gasher
• “Sometimes success is the non-event” – Michael Kill
• “Crisis management should not be the only moment where you celebrate successful leadership” – Michael Kill
• “You don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone” – Phil Street
• “The forgotten middle don’t often need grand programmes. They need leaders who are simply interested in them” – Shaine Ryland-Gasher
• “Before that quiet burnout sets in, listen to these people” – Rishabh Vaish
  

Perhaps the biggest risk with dependable people is that eventually we stop noticing just how dependable they are.

Until they leave.

The forgotten middle may not demand the spotlight.

But they may well be the people keeping the lights on, the standards high and the whole organisation moving forward.

So perhaps the question for every leader is simple:

Who in your organisation have you stopped seeing because they’ve become so reliably good?

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 62 now