Red Lobster’s CEO Damola Adamolekun, 36, says that the true foundation of leadership is not a technique or a title, but continuous self-improvement. 

In a recent episode of the podcast How Leaders Lead, Adamolekun said that the key to successful leadership is working relentlessly to be a better person. He urged leaders to understand their strengths and identify where they can improve. Credibility and influence flow from who a leader is, not just what position they hold, he said. 

“Leadership is self-improvement,” Adamolekun said on the podcast. “The stronger you are as a person, the more people are going to want to follow you. So if you want to be a better leader, become a better person.”

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Adamolekun stepped into the CEO position at Red Lobster in August 2024, after the company had gone bankrupt, closed dozens of restaurants and lost millions from a disastrous endless shrimp promotion. His task is to finally turn Red Lobster around.

High-pressure turnaround situations have forged Adamolekun’s leadership approach. He first drew attention when he became the CEO of P.F. Chang’s at just 30 years old. There, he led a major revival after its 2019 buyout by focusing on store remodels, menu changes and tech upgrades. He helped drive annual revenue to around $1 billion, returning the company to profitability. 

Now he’s bringing that expertise to Red Lobster — and he is generally optimistic about the restaurant’s chances.

“I think this is going to be the greatest comeback in the history of the restaurant industry,” Adamolekun told Fortune earlier this year. “Of course it’s risky; I took over a company that’s bankrupt and had a lot of problems.”

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Adamolekun also told the outlet that Red Lobster wants to keep its existing restaurants open. The company, which exited bankruptcy in September 2024, only intends to grow its presence from here and update existing locations by repairing broken HVAC systems, fixing carpets, mending broken chairs and improving menus. The effort is part of a $60 million commitment to invest in the restaurant. 

Adamolekun’s leadership style can be attributed in part to his background. He told How Leaders Lead that he was born in a small town in Nigeria and moved to the U.S. when he was 9 years old, living first in Springfield, Illinois, and then in Columbia, Maryland, before going to college at Brown University. 

“I think an important part of leadership is being able to connect to a wide range of types of people,” Adamolekun explained on the podcast. “I learned that excellence travels.”

Red Lobster has 545 restaurant locations in 44 U.S. states and four Canadian provinces, according to a press release. The company employs about 30,000 team members. 

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