For years, the events and hospitality industry has glorified burnout—long hours, nonstop chaos, toxic management—and called it passion. But what if there's a better way?

Anthony Lambatos, CEO of Footers Catering and founder of Make It Better Every Day, joins us today to prove that you can build a thriving business and a culture people actually want to be part of. He’s created a workplace where fun and productivity go hand in hand, and where culture isn’t a poster on the wall—it’s lived and breathed, every day.

Whether you lead a team now or dream of growing one someday, this episode will get you thinking about what’s possible when you lead with heart.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:
✅ Why fun and productivity aren’t mutually exclusive
✅ How to identify the biggest culture killer in your business (hint: it might be your “top performer”)
✅ A simple matrix to assess culture fit vs. job performance
✅ What it really takes to live your values, not just list them
✅ How to spark team buy-in and momentum when shifting culture
✅ Anthony’s favorite interview tactic to determine who’s truly aligned
✅ What “balance” really means in hospitality—and how to model it
✅ The one piece of advice he wishes he could give his younger self

Connect with Anthony Lambatos:

• Website and Weekly Leadership Newsletter: https://themibe.com
• Heart Leadership Workshop: August 18–19, 2025: https://themibe.com/mibeworkshop
• MIBE Summit: January 2026 (dates TBA): https://themibe.com/summit

00:00:00 – Burnout, chaos, and shifting toxic norms in hospitality
00:03:38 – Why bad leadership models persist—and how to break the cycle
00:05:24 – The culture boulder: how to build momentum (and know who’s pulling it back)
00:08:07 – The culture vs. performance matrix—and how to handle toxic high performers
00:13:25 – Values on the wall vs. values in practice
00:17:04 – Fab Tigers, Jimmy Bucks, and reinforcing behavior through story
00:19:15 – Why they all eat lunch together—and what happens during it
00:23:45 – How Anthony’s team handles feedback and vulnerability
00:25:41 – The 7-step hiring process (and the “deck of values” trick)
00:30:00 – 4 characteristics of top performers: perseverance, initiative, teamwork, positivity
00:33:48 – Where Anthony learned to lead—and how he learned what not to do
00:36:00 – Pom poms, productivity, and making work fun again
00:38:36 – The three foundations of culture: strengths, purpose, and people

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Hosted by Megan Gillikin, Weddings for Real is presented by The Planner's Vault, and is produced by Walk West.

Feeling the pull to pause and realign? Join me October 27–30 in Ocean Isle Beach, NC for my Restore & Realign Retreat, only a few spots left! Reserve yours here: https://www.theplannersvault.com/restore-realign-retreat-application