By Danny Meyer
Leadership often demands the courage to embrace failure, rethink established practices and recognise opportunities for growth. In What Could Possibly Go Right?, bestselling author and restaurateur Danny Meyer explores how leaders can build successful organisations without losing sight of the human relationships that sustain them.
Meyer draws on more than two decades of entrepreneurial experience to challenge conventional thinking about leadership and organisational growth. His journey includes difficult decisions, unexpected setbacks and valuable lessons about creating a lasting culture of excellence.
Building a culture that grows with the business
In 2006, Meyer owned eleven restaurants and was nurturing a small parkside burger kiosk called Shake Shack. He had also published his bestselling book, Setting the Table, which introduced his philosophy of Enlightened Hospitality. However, closing his beloved Tabla a few years later challenged his belief that failure represented poor leadership. Instead, the experience sparked a personal reckoning.
Meyer realised that his fear of failure restricted his entrepreneurial instincts. Furthermore, his attachment to past achievements prevented his company from evolving. In What Could Possibly Go Right?, he shares how he overcame these limitations and developed a winning culture across a growing organisation. He also examines the challenge of scaling meaningful human relationships alongside business operations.
The book features lively stories from his career and introduces memorable leadership principles, including D.F.S. (Don’t F’ing Settle), Change Your Grip and Think Like a Winemaker. Meyer also explains practical concepts such as the Hospitality Quotient, the Rule of Two and the Four Gears of Leadership.
Rather than presenting leadership as a formula for avoiding mistakes, What Could Possibly Go Right? encourages readers to learn from setbacks. Its central argument is that organisational culture requires continuous attention. Meyer believes culture represents an aspiration, not a destination. Ultimately, What Could Possibly Go Right? offers valuable lessons for entrepreneurs, managers and aspiring leaders. It reminds readers that lasting success depends not only on business growth, but also on the positive difference organisations make in people’s lives.
About the author
Danny Meyer is a New York Times bestselling author, restaurateur and founder of Shake Shack and Union Square Hospitality Group (USHG). His restaurant portfolio includes Union Square Cafe, Gramercy Tavern, The Modern, Maialino, Eleven Madison Park and Tabla.
Meyer has been named a TIME 100 Most Influential Person and received the 2017 Julia Child Award. USHG has also won twenty-eight James Beard Awards. He lives in New York City with his wife, Audrey, and their four children.
- PUBLISHER | Penguin Random House SA |
- ISBN | 9781415211434 |
- Recommended Retail Price | R380.00 |
- Classification | Travel & Heritage |