What Leaders Can Learn from Hotel Coat Hangers – Insights from Lucy Adams

Leadership expert and Keynote Speaker Lucy Adams challenges traditional approaches to leadership with powerful analogies and real-world insights. Known for her candid views on workplace culture, Lucy encourages leaders to replace outdated, “parent-child” management styles with approaches built on trust, humility, and collaboration.

Lucy shares an example of a leader who, on a snowy day, emailed staff to tell them when it was appropriate to go home.

While this may seem thoughtful, Lucy argues that this behaviour can undermine employees’ judgement.

• Can’t adults decide for themselves when to leave?
• Does this create a parent-child dynamic where employees wait to be told what to do?

Over-protective leadership can unintentionally infantilise employees, leading them to rely on direction instead of using their own initiative.

Lucy also compares workplace policies to the anti-theft coat hangers in hotels.

99.9% of guests have no intention of stealing a hanger, but because someone once did, hotels now use restrictive hangers that inconvenience everyone else.

Many organisations operate in the same way – policies are created to prevent rare issues but end up stifling the majority. This approach can create a culture of compliance and passivity, rather than encouraging creativity, ownership, and trust.

Lucy believes the most effective leaders, particularly during times of change, are those who are simply great human beings.

The leaders she admires most are those who can say:

• “I’m sorry – I got that wrong.”
• “I don’t know – what do you think?”

This humility and collaboration build trust – something that is often lacking in modern workplaces.

While at the BBC, Lucy was involved in a study that asked: “Who are the leaders you do your best work for?” They identified 50 names, and all had one thing in common – they showed simple human connection.

These leaders:

• Knew people’s names.
• Kept their doors open.
• Remembered personal details (like a team member’s dog being ill).
• Said “thank you” for a job well done.
• Admitted when they were wrong.

This “human stuff” is what makes people feel valued, trusted, and motivated.

Lucy Adams delivers powerful HR talks, leadership keynotes, and workplace culture sessions that inspire organisations to rethink how they manage and motivate teams. Her practical insights, combined with her experience as former HR Director at the BBC, make her a trusted voice on modern leadership.

Want to challenge outdated leadership in your organisation?
Book Lucy Adams for HR talks, leadership events, or workplace culture keynotes that drive real change.