Joy Rothschild, Chief Human Resources Officer at Omni Hotels & Resorts, joined us on The Modern People Leader.
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(05:21) Joy’s origin story: from hospitality ops to finding a home in HR
(07:48) Early career breaks, sponsorship, and a philosophy of giving people a chance
(09:59) Layoff, comeback call, and stepping into the top HR role
(10:33) Boundaries after a career shock and sustaining a healthier pace
(14:51) Omni in 2025: brand position, ownership model, and high-touch service strategy
(18:39) “You have a culture”: balancing the guest–owner–associate “trilogy”
(21:00) Crisis choices: 9/11 vs. COVID, service tradeoffs, and rebuilding momentum
(23:13) Betting big during downturns: PGA Frisco and major openings through COVID
(24:31) Tenure, recognition, and lessons from being let go after 18 years
(26:26) Returning with boundaries and perspective
(27:54) The “Gung Ho” boardroom moment and trusting your convictions
(30:20) Dusting off the classics: reviving core Omni programs and cross-functional buy-in
(32:28) Power of One 1.0: empowerment and 19 service points
(34:32) Power of All detour and the case to simplify
(35:34) Power of One 2.0: three plain-English principles that everyone remembers
(36:29) Stories that stick: macaw video, the Herman Miller chair, and solving what you see
(39:55) Wedding saved: saying yes and training teams to own outcomes
(41:28) Why this sticks when other initiatives do not
(43:42) “Training that sticks” playbook: ops partnership, writers, pilots, and scorecards
(46:10) Logistics at scale: 8,500 front-line learners, 90 trainers, monthly reporting
(47:58) Mantras with teeth: Elevate Service, Elevate Revenue, and tying bonuses to usage
(49:48) Ownership, accountability, and why ops should teach service
(51:17) Rapid Fire: advice for new HR, “culture warrior,” and borrowing Chewy’s playbook
(54:06) Who’s next: Will Guidara and the craft of unreasonable hospitality
(56:00) A quick story about Milk Bar cookies and influence
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Past guests on MPL include Brené Brown, Annie Dean (VP of Team Anywhere, Atlassian), Josh Bersin, Katie Burke (Chief People Officer, Harvey), Liz Fosslien, Helen Russell (Chief People Officer, HubSpot), Dave Scott (Chief People Officer, ADT), Melanie Rossenwasser (Chief People Officer, Dropbox), Crystal Boysen (Chief People Officer, Sprout Social), and many more.
