Notes on Resilience 146: Serve First, Lead Strong, with Sebastián Torres-Calderon
What if leadership is a practice you start the moment a gap appears?
That’s the lens Sebastián Torres-Calderon brings to our conversation. He was an intern who helped stabilize a hospitality company during COVID and later became its leader
Sebastian traces his first leadership roles back to the soccer field, where playing midfield taught him to connect people, read the whole game, and lead by example. Those instincts carried into a crisis: answer questions nobody else can, shoulder the unglamorous work, and set a steady rhythm when uncertainty spikes.
We discuss how servant leadership transforms presence and support into performance, what compassion really looks like at work—less pity, more caring plus honesty and accountability, and why cultures modeled after high-pressure restaurant kitchens burn out talent. And we explore practical ways to build trust and psychological safety without lowering the bar: clear goals, fast feedback, and a leader who removes friction so experts can do their best work.
We also get specific about measurement. Sebastian shares how he balances culture and the bottom line using business results and employee Net Promoter Score, and why managers (not HR) own the daily experience of their teams. As the company grew from a handful of people to seventy across Spain, the mindset stayed the same: service over status, humility over control, and learning over certainty. The result is a resilient culture where people feel supported, standards stay high, and success compounds.
Sebastián Torres-Calderon is the general manager at Stay U-nique. He started his career studying at Le Cordon Bleu and working in top kitchens such as the Ritz Carlton in Florida, where he learned discipline and leadership in high-pressure environments. He is also the co-founder of Tekea, a frozen tequeño brand.
You can connect with Sebastián on LinkedIn.
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Producer / Editor: Neel Panji
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