- Red Lobster CEO Damola Adamolekun took on the top job at the age of 35. He says the best way to manage his own stress and ensure his team has a healthy work environment is to practice emotional control and working methodically.
Since taking over as CEO of Red Lobster, Damola Adamolekun has had numerous items in his inbox to stress about.
Whether it‘s picking apart the factors that led to the chain filing for bankruptcy (and the postmortem of its endless-shrimp disaster), recruiting top talent for his C-suite, or ensuring more restaurants don’t have to close, Adamolekun has plenty of issues to bait his temper.
And yet the millennial CEO, who took on the top job at the age of 35, never wants his team to see that stress.
Instead, he practices emotional control so that the work environment of the whole team stays positive.
Emotional control refers to the practice of recognizing and managing one’s emotions, so that a person can respond in a socially appropriate manner to spontaneous news.
“Practicing emotional control means taking a moment to pause, assess the situation, and respond thoughtfully, rather than reacting impulsively,” Adamolekun explained to Business Insider.
“When you model emotional control, you create a stable environment where your team feels supported and motivated, even in the face of adversity,” he added. “By modeling emotional resilience, you inspire your team to approach adversity with confidence and composure, which helps maintain a positive work environment.”
Adamolekun, who was formerly the CEO of Asian bistro group P.F. Chang, added he not only sets the emotional barometer for his team but also tries to exemplify the efficiency he wants to see from them.
He explained: “With so many distractions in today’s fast-paced world, it can be easy to get sidetracked. By concentrating on one task at a time, you not only increase your own productivity but also set an example for your team.”
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What work-life balance?
Adamolekun—who was named one of Fortune‘s 100 Most Powerful People in Business—entered the world of food and drink retail after starting out his career in finance, working as an investment bank analyst for Goldman Sachs.
The grounding on Wall Street may be one reason the Harvard Business School graduate doesn’t feel the need to completely split his work and his home life—indeed, he doesn’t believe in the need for a balance.
He told Fortune back in 2023: “So for me…I never really have been a person that separated work and life. I worked in banking so I worked all the time, but I liked it.
“I’m not saying people shouldn’t separate work and life but I never really have…it doesn’t stress me out. Now if you’re a person who [gets stressed out by work] then you need to separate the two so you have moments when you’re not stressed.”
But even someone who doesn’t get overwhelmed by work still needs to take a step back from decision-making every now and again.
As such, Adamolekun said in the recent interview: “Leadership can be draining when you’re constantly connected.
“Whether it’s taking a run, stepping away from technology and social media, or simply taking a break, stepping back from your duties gives you the mental clarity and energy you need to lead with purpose.”
