In his 2022 book Unreasonable Hospitality, New York restauranteur Will Guidara tells the story of how, in 2010, his fine dining restaurant Eleven Madison Park ranked 50th on The World’s 50 Best Restaurants list.
For most restaurants, that would be a triumph.
But for Guidara, it meant his beloved EMP had come in last place.
It was a wake-up call. He realised that if they wanted to be the best, technical perfection alone wasn’t enough. EMP needed to reinvent hospitality in a way that would change restaurants around the world.
Guidara coined the term ‘unreasonable hospitality’ – a relentless commitment to going above and beyond. It wasn’t just about serving fine food; it was about blowing diners’ minds.
A few years later, that shift in philosophy saw EMP become #1 restaurant in the world.
Guidara’s book is full of high-stakes hospitality stories, several of which find their way into the smash-hit TV series The Bear. But this one story starts – and helms – the entire book. And in interviews, it’s the story Guidara always returns to. Why? Because it is his hero story, from which the themes and throughlines of his career trajectory are unspooled.
In storytelling, a theme is the central idea or message. The throughline is the unbroken thread that connects plot, characters, message and meaning. The hero story sits out front, enticing the audience in.
When leaders find their hero story, every anecdote they tell begins to resonate more deeply.
When leaders find their hero story, every anecdote they tell begins to resonate more deeply. It sharpens strategy, strengthens trust, and makes everything they say feel cohesive.
And here’s the key: a hero story isn’t just built to embody a new product or a marketing campaign. It’s an organising idea – something that aligns with every meeting, every conversation, every strategy. When you know it, your communications stop being reactive and start being intentional. Every anecdote has a purpose. Every example fits. Every message builds on the last.
The best part? You don’t need to invent a hero story. You need to discover it. It’s there in your values, your vision, and the pattern that shows up again and again in your decision-making process. It’s the story you tell over and over again. The one that shows the moment in which you went from ordinary to extraordinary – student to master. Once you name it, it becomes a quiet anchor: something that holds your business or brand steady no matter how much the place, time and characters shift.
Your hero story is a quiet anchor: something that holds your business or brand steady no matter how much the place, time and characters shift.
When leaders identify their hero story, they give their message a centre of gravity. The work is in polishing every word until they know the story so well that it inhabits everything they do.
This is why the best leaders, founders and storytellers sound consistent. It’s not because they repeat themselves aimlessly – it’s because they’ve found their throughline and keep pulling it taut. A few minor details might shift, the audience might change, but the core story stays the same. Repetition doesn’t dilute the message – it strengthens it.
Whether you’re writing a book, building a brand or leading a team, your hero story is the engine that powers everything else. Find it and use it – and everything else will fall into place.
Get in touch at editor@goodprosestudios.com
