How Leaders Lead with David Novak

Episode #269: Damola Adamolekun, CEO, Red Lobster – Show the Path to Success

Date: December 11, 2025
Host: David Novak
Guest: Damola Adamolekun, CEO of Red Lobster

Episode Overview

In this inspiring episode, David Novak sits down with Damola Adamolekun, the dynamic CEO of Red Lobster. Damola shares his remarkable journey—from a multicultural upbringing to taking over PF Chang's at just 30 years old during the turbulence of COVID, and now leading a turnaround at Red Lobster, a brand facing one of the toughest challenges in restaurant history. The discussion touches on leadership under pressure, the power of truth and excellence, practical turnaround strategies, and building belief within a struggling team. Damola’s candid insights offer a blueprint for leaders navigating adversity, change, and high expectations.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Background & Early Influences

• Multicultural Upbringing: Born in Nigeria, lived in Zimbabwe and the Netherlands, moved to the U.S. at age nine.
  • “I learned that excellence travels. If you’re a good athlete in Zimbabwe or in Springfield, Illinois, you’re going to make some friends.” (04:02)
• Family Expectations & the Ethos of Excellence:
  • His father emphasized striving to be “the best at what you do,” regardless of the field. (05:06)
  • “My dad would say, it doesn't matter what you do. If you're the best at what you do, you can do well in this country.” (05:04)
• Adaptability: Frequent moving taught Damola to connect easily with diverse people and quickly acclimate to new situations.

2. Formative Experiences: Sports, Debate, and Communication

• Football at Brown University: Learned resilience, teamwork, and handling pressure. (01:15-02:38)
• Debate Team Experience: Developed flexible, evidence-based thinking and appreciation for multiple perspectives.
  • “You learn to be a flexible thinker... when you take one side of an issue, it's not that everybody on the other side is necessarily dumb or crazy... they have a different perspective.” (09:38)
• Communication as a Leadership Skill:
  • Damola credits early leadership positions for honing his ability to articulate and defend ideas.
  • Advocates practice—especially extemporaneous speaking and debate—for aspiring leaders. (11:25)
  • “Stepping into leadership roles early, you have to speak no matter what you lead.” (08:39)

3. Career in Finance & Transition to Operations

• Goldman Sachs Internship: Witnessed both the boom and the 2008 crash—shaped his resilience and crisis-management mindset.
  • “I got to see both sides of the coin. Right. And when things are good and when things can go south and what that can look like...” (13:14)
• Private Equity and the Move to PF Chang’s:
  • Identified the hidden “arbitrage” in building a delivery business at PF Chang’s before COVID, leading to rapid adaptation during the pandemic. (15:35)
  • “You could buy a business at a certain price without the delivery business, build it quickly, and change the value of the company completely.” (15:47)
• Becoming CEO at 30:
  • Stepped in during crisis because he’d led major strategic initiatives.
  • Emphasized bringing together the right team and leveraging others’ experience: “If you're willing to engage with these people, their experience can become your own.” (19:29)

4. Leadership Philosophy: Pressure, Age, and Earning Respect

• Handling Pressure:
  • “With pressure… If you’re too worried about the pressure, it takes away clear thinking... You need to make decisions calmly, regardless of the stakes.” (00:37, 20:35)
• Leading Older, More Experienced People:
  • Focused on earning respect through capability and judgment, not age.
  • “People have followed young leaders since the beginning of time... If a person’s young but they feel like is capable… they will follow.” (21:49)
• Mindset on New Challenges:
  • Stepped into PF Chang’s leadership “out of necessity,” not ego. “It needs to be done, and I’m best positioned to do that.” (23:45)

5. Red Lobster Turnaround: Strategy and Culture Shift

• Why Take the Hardest Job?
  • Drawn by the challenge and the iconic nature of the brand. “I wanted a more difficult challenge. I found it—the hardest one possible.” (25:14)
• Assessing the Opportunity:
  • Red Lobster had hit rock bottom (bankruptcy, lease troubles), but retained passionate customers and brand value. (25:47)
• Turnaround Tactics:
  • Start with guest experience: prioritized improvements in service (“Red Carpet Hospitality: Recognize, Engage, Delight”), new menu innovations (Seafood Boils), and focused on attainable, high-impact wins. (27:48-29:08)
  • Don’t try to fix everything at once; prioritize based on importance and ease of execution.
  • Emphasize small wins to build morale and belief.
  • “You show a path… How could we win? … Celebrate the small wins, because it’s hard to wait until you’re at the end of the mountain.” (32:48)

6. Company Culture: From Bureaucratic to Scrappy

• Act Small, Move Fast:
  • Red Lobster needed to shed its big-company bureaucracy and become more nimble, quick, and resourceful. (34:39)
  • Cultural shift: “Now it’s time to act like a smaller company and do things more quickly… that’s a cultural shift as much as any directive.” (34:39)
• Focus on What Made You Great:
  • Keep beloved classics (“Cheddar Bay Biscuits are going nowhere!” (01:10)), innovate thoughtfully, and stay true to the brand’s heritage as you evolve.

7. Learning, Adaptation, & Self-Improvement

• Embrace Change and Always Learn:
  • Watches the restaurant sector closely (e.g., Cracker Barrel’s rebranding missteps), codifies learnings with his team, and adapts quickly based on customer feedback (e.g., spicier options for seafood boils). (36:04-38:38)
• AI as a Tool for Advantage:
  • Encourages his team to use AI for day-to-day efficiency, expects future workflow enhancements from AI solutions.
  • “AI is going to change the world. I encourage people to use it in their day to day work.” (39:07)
• Personal Learning:
  • Stays curious particularly about generational changes and their effect on consumers. (42:12)

8. Leadership Advice & Philosophy

• Live in Truth and Honesty:
  • “I live in the world of truth. I don’t mind saying things that are true.” (31:00)
  • Avoid wishful thinking—be candid about realities and challenges.
• Leadership as Continuous Self-Improvement:
  • “Leadership is self improvement. Understand yourself and what your strengths are and where you can be better... If you want to be a better leader, become a better person.” (48:02)
  • Self-awareness and openness to critique are central. “If you cannot take it personally, then you can be self critical, which... is important because that's how you improve.” (48:22)
• Turnaround Playbook:
  • Assume the downside when planning, prepare for adversity, be transparent about difficulties, but lay out a clear path to success and a vision people can believe in. (45:34)
• Above All, Focus on the Guest:
  • All great brands, when they falter, lose sight of the customer. Recovery starts and ends there.
  • “They take their eye off the guest. That's the number one thing I've seen.” (46:49)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Excellence and Adaptability:
  • “Excellence travels... I learned to try to be good at stuff that I did, and that was always the best way to fit in.” (04:10)
• On Handling Pressure:
  • “Pressure takes away clear thinking. Don't let it.” (00:37, 52:10 - debrief highlight)
• On Motivation for Challenge:
  • “There's no way to live a super impactful life without going through hard things.” (44:35)
• On Celebrating Wins:
  • “Celebrate the small wins... it’s hard to wait till you’re at the end of the mountain.” (33:47)
• On Being a Young CEO:
  • “People have followed young leaders since the beginning of time… If they respect the person, they will follow." (21:49)
• On the Greatest Turnaround:
  • “If we're successful, I think it would be... the greatest comeback in restaurant history.” (30:40)
• On Leadership & Truth:
  • “I live in the world of truth.” (31:00, echoed in debrief 53:32)
• Advice to Leaders:
  • “Leadership is self improvement... If you want to be a better leader, become a better person.” (48:02)

Timestamps of Key Segments

• 00:37 – Damola on managing pressure
• 04:02–05:42 – Lessons from family and the “excellence travels” philosophy
• 08:39–10:19 – Communication, debate, and flexible thinking
• 13:14 – Lessons from Goldman Sachs during the 2008 crisis
• 15:35 – The PF Chang’s turnaround: identifying and capitalizing on delivery
• 19:29 – Coping with being the youngest in the room
• 21:49 – How young leaders earn respect from experienced teams
• 25:14 – Why take on Red Lobster’s massive challenge?
• 27:48–29:08 – Turnaround priorities: guest experience, menu simplicity, fast wins
• 32:48–33:44 – Building belief and celebrating small wins
• 34:39 – Driving a scrappier culture at Red Lobster
• 39:07 – Embracing AI in leadership and business operations
• 45:34 – Damola’s playbook for leading a business in distress
• 46:49 – Brands fail when they lose sight of the guest
• 48:02 – “Leadership is self improvement,” advice for aspiring leaders

Lightning Round (40:37–43:51)

• Three Words: Bold, empathetic, decisive.
• Who would play you in a movie? Will Smith.
• Personal rituals: Workout every morning; enjoys cigars most days.
• Jazz fan and lover of his house: “They say I’m young, but I’m an old man. I just listen to my jazz and relax.” (43:10)
• On upbringing: “Anybody can achieve anything... people should feel like anything's possible.” (43:21)

Tone & Atmosphere

Damola brings a steady, candid, and quietly confident energy, balancing strategic rigor with humor and humility. David Novak’s interview style is affirming but probing, drawing out actionable leadership philosophies and memorable anecdotes. The tone is both inspirational and practical, rich with lessons for leaders at all stages.

Conclusion – Practical Takeaways

• Start with the customer/guest—every turnaround begins and ultimately succeeds or fails there.
• Embrace self-awareness and seek honest feedback to fuel continuous improvement in yourself and your business.
• Celebrate small wins to build momentum and belief during difficult transitions.
• Stay even-keeled under pressure and make decisions grounded in truth—don’t let emotion or stress cloud your thinking.
• Surround yourself with experience; confidence comes from humility, inclusion, and execution—not age or ego.
• Leverage new tools (like AI), but never lose touch with the core values and experiences that made the brand special in the first place.
• Being a leader means being a perpetual learner and motivator—especially in times of distress.

For anyone leading teams through challenge and change, Damola Adamolekun’s story is a masterclass in focus, resilience, and authentic leadership.