As far as appearances go, my summer stay at LaPlaya Beach & Golf Resort in Naples, Florida, was nothing out of the ordinary for a vacation along the Gulf of Mexico. That is to say, it was dazzling.
With a few minutes left until check-in on the first day of my reservation, I turned onto the street leading to the hotel and immediately spotted the 15-story Gulf Tower, the tallest of the hotel’s two beachfront buildings, soaring into the sky. Juxtaposed against milky-gray clouds and skirted by clusters of royal palms vying for their own prestigious place in the sky, I couldn’t help but wonder how such a monumental presence could rest so securely near what felt like the edge of the world, especially when, less than two years earlier, the future of LaPlaya seemed anything but.
On Sept. 28, 2022, Hurricane Ian blitzed through this corner of the state, sending the Gulf’s waters surging several miles inland. Winds nearing 155 miles per hour uprooted mature trees, ripped roofs and walls off of homes and tossed boats blocks away from their docks. The storm offered no mercy. The area was left largely unrecognizable, with properties near the coast, including LaPlaya, bearing the brunt of the destruction.
“The damage was devastating,” says Linda Menshon, the area director of sales and marketing for LaPlaya, who recalls arriving at the property after the storm to see mattresses from the hotel scattered along the road.
LaPlaya’s unique position between two bodies of water—the Gulf of Mexico and the nearby Vanderbilt Bay—made it the target for a combined monster storm surge. The lower floors suffered extensive flooding and water damage, and the Beach House, the smaller of the two beachfront accommodations, was left with mangled electrical, HVAC and elevator systems. In a tourist-dependent area that saw more than 2.6 million visitors and experienced almost a $3.6 billion economic impact in 2023 alone, having a non-operational hotel was out of the question. So, Menshon rallied her team to prepare for what would become an 18-month recovery effort.
It wasn’t an easy task, but Menshon took several steps—before and during the crisis—to ensure her team was prepared to meet the challenges before them.
Here are four lessons leaders can take to guide their teams when disaster strikes.
1. Maintain transparency
At the time of my interview with Menshon in June, minor repairs were still taking place at LaPlaya.
“What happened was—and why it’s so surprising how long this process was—is that every time the workers or contractors would go in to start repair, they did their discovery work and they discovered more damage,” she explains.
This hazy recovery timeline meant Menshon couldn’t give the public or her employees a firm answer on when hotel operations would return to normal. To prevent this air of uncertainty from frightening away members of her team, some of whom had been with LaPlaya for more than two decades, Menshon encouraged them to come to her with any questions or even just to vent.
“If I don’t have a team that can trust in me, what good is it? That’s very important to me—that they have my trust and my loyalty,” Menshon says. “And I’m a straight shooter.”
Taking a no-holds-barred approach toward communication as a leader can make all the difference in employee dedication. Transparent communication from the top down, especially in times of crisis, not only enables employees to make the best decisions for themselves but also instills in them a sense of value toward the company or organization, as they’re entrusted with knowledge often historically reserved for those in executive leadership.
Chou-Yu Tsai, an associate professor of entrepreneurship at New York’s Binghamton University, advises leaders navigating a work crisis to “keep their teams informed about the situation, potential challenges and the steps being taken to address them.” This last part is essential. Acknowledging next steps indicates a solution-oriented approach that not only relieves some of the worries and anxieties your team may be facing, but also lends an optimistic outlook that the issues left in the wake of the crisis might be resolved.
Alexandria Hurley, the director of PR and influential communications for Paradise Advertising, which partners with LaPlaya, notes that Menshon’s prerogative during the hotel’s rebirth was being fully transparent with employees and guests alike and “keeping everyone up to speed.”
“But none of this could have been possible without that clear communication from the corporate level,” Hurley adds. “And even if there were times… where we [could] have a date that we thought we could open and then we would have to go back [and change it], we would let everyone know.… A lot of hotels aren’t as transparent or honest about that because they’re so worried about the shareholder relations or the corporate angle of everything, that they just go radio silent until they reopen.”
2. Build (or keep) a healthy culture
Establishing and maintaining a healthy company culture should be a priority in any workplace before a crisis hits. That isn’t to say recovery is a lost cause if your team is rebuilding from a previous season of poor leadership, but it’s certainly easier when the framework is already in place.
“Building a strong company culture from the outset is essential to navigating unforeseen crises successfully,” says Malika Begin, the CEO and founder of Begin Development, which works with organizations like Delta, Skims and Pepperdine University to empower teams to collaborate better together. “Leaders can begin [to do this] by defining clear core values and mission. These values cannot be merely spoken but [need to be] embedded in everyday decisions and actions. Clear mission and values means that leaders can create alignment across the organization, ensuring that everyone is on the same page, no matter the challenge.”
This might require you to go back to the drawing board—with your team—and collectively reimagine your organization’s mission, vision and values. If the current mission statement doesn’t reflect the direction in which you hope to see the company grow or the actions it’ll take to get there, throw it out.
Ask your team where they’d like to see the brand go, where they think it can go, and if you’re all in alignment, make it your team’s North Star. Resetting the company’s mission with your team’s input reinforces their sense of responsibility toward seeing it through—in thick or thin.
One of the values Menshon instituted for her team at LaPlaya is the prioritization of work-life balance. She regularly releases her team early before holidays and urges them to spend time with their families or indulge in self-care when needed. Her response in the aftermath of the hurricane was no different.
“I always preach family first,” she says. “I mean, time is too short and [the] work will always be here. [So,] take care of you and your family.”
3. Exhibit compassion
Leaders should adopt an open-door policy that encourages employees to come forward with any worries or concerns. For Menshon, this takes place in her office, a space she fondly dubs “a circle of trust.”
“When I have somebody talk to me, I don’t look at my phone… I’m not online. I totally give them my 100% dedicated attention,” she explains. “I think if you listen and really do a gut check or a deep dive, you know the underlying message [your employee is trying to convey] and you can uncover it and ask the right questions.”
Beyond Menshon’s open-door policy, LaPlaya hosted food drives and fundraisers to bring in necessities, like clothing, for team members impacted by the storm. It’s a gesture that exemplified quiet compassion toward the team’s individual needs and circumstances.
Tsai notes that work crises are difficult enough in that a team member’s normal responsibilities and routines have shifted, but the employee might also feel weighed down by “significant emotional stress” that hinders “their ability to perform effectively.” In cases like this, it’s the leader’s duty to recognize when an employee is struggling to adapt and create the time and space available for them to discuss how they’re feeling without reproach.
“In moments of uncertainty, people need clarity, but they also need to feel heard and understood,” Begin adds. “Acknowledging struggles while showing empathy will create a sense of trust and safety, even when things feel uncertain. This combination of transparency and genuine care can make all the difference in keeping your team committed and engaged through a crisis.”
She suggests engaging employees with questions that invite open-ended responses, such as “How are you feeling about this change?” and “What kind of support would be most helpful for the team at this time?” and being prepared to make necessary changes within reason. This might include adopting flexible work schedules or offering mental health services.
4. Empower employees
While some employees might struggle with uncertainty during crises, many desire to be resourceful when troubles arise. Tap into your team’s strengths by allowing them the space to get creative with solutions that aid the company’s recovery.
For instance, some of LaPlaya’s staff, who weren’t able to perform their regular duties, were paid their normal wages and helped with cleaning and painting the hotel.
“Know where your people excel, and help them channel those talents to solve problems in the most effective way,” Begin advises.
Tsai agrees. “In this way, everyone in an organization becomes a leader and change agent. By entrusting team members to make decisions and take ownership of tasks, leaders foster a sense of autonomy and responsibility, which can be highly motivating during a crisis.” After all, a true team effort relies on the contributions of all.
It’s been two years now since Hurricane Ian battered the coast of southwest Florida, and though Menshon acknowledges that morale was low at times during the recovery efforts, she believes consistently keeping her team in the know and offering her undivided attention strengthened their belief in her leadership and their commitment to the brand.
“The team I have—we’re lean, but we’re mean, and I know I can rely on them,” she says. “They’re loyal to me, I’m loyal to them. And what goes around comes around, right?”
Photo by Oana Liviu/Shutterstock
