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At Travelodge, we are committed to developing future focused, capable and credible leaders who will lead our purpose: To 'Help people to go and do their thing, by Being The Brilliant Base’.
To achieve this, we foster a leadership culture that balances innovation, cost efficiency, sustainability and - most importantly - Being The Brilliant Base for our Customers and Colleagues.
As our Chairman, Martin Robinson says, "You can be there when it was happening, or you can be the one who made it happen".
Our leadership development programmes are designed to turn brilliant ideas into brilliant results.
Leadership at Travelodge is built on our Career Growth Model, which focuses on:
✅ Career Drive – Developing self confidence and belief, self-awareness and a growth mindset.
✅ Capability – Enhancing career relevant knowledge, technical skills and emotional intelligence.
✅ Credibility – Building strong internal and external networks, including, guiding and motivating others.
By strengthening these areas, we empower our leaders to think differently, act with accountability and take bold steps toward brilliance.
We believe wellbeing is fundamental to leadership success. Through Better Me Emotional and Better Me Physical, we help leaders prioritise:
💙 Emotional Wellbeing: Stress management, work-life balance and resilience
💪 Physical Wellbeing: Nutrition, rest and physical activity.
And through our development programmes, we help our leaders develop the mindsets, skills and behaviours within the Career Growth Model:
🔹 Self-Efficacy – Confidence in your ability to succeed.
🔹 Growth Mindset – Embracing challenges and continuous learning.
🔹 Self Awareness – Understanding personal strengths and areas for growth.
🔹 Locus of Control – Taking ownership of your career progression.
🔹 Self-Belief – Trusting in your abilities and potential.
📚 Career Knowledge: Understanding your job, business and market.
🛠️ Technical Skills: Job-specific expertise.
🧠 Cognitive Skills: Mental agilty, focus and strategic planning
💡 Emotional Skills: Self compassion and emotional regulation.
🤝 Social Skills: Building meaningful connections and leading with empathy.
🌍 External Networks: Expanding relationships within your field, industry and supplier network.
🤝 Internal Networks: Strengthening relationships with colleagues, line managers, peers and stakeholders.
🚀 Leadership Skills: Including others (encouraging participation and relationship building), motivating others (recognition and empowerment) and guiding others (coaching, alignment and problem solving)
Over the next 3 years we will focus on:
Growth Mindset - Develop a strong growth mindset, thinking differently and striving for brilliance.
Alignment - Act with accountability and hold others accountable.
Self-Efficacy - Take more calculated risks and bold decisions to advance towards brilliance.
Future Minded Leadership - Proactively identify emerging problems, not waiting for them to become problems by moving from a focus on problem resolution to problem pre-emption.
Coaching Culture - Deliver effective feedback bravely, and without fear.
So that our leaders can turn strategy into action, we ask that our leaders lead with five leadership behaviours alongside our core company behaviours.
Hannah Thomson, Chief People Officer, explains what they are and what is expected from our leaders.
Bespoke leadership development sessions
Our Senior L&D Manager, Paula Wessely plays a pivotal role in shaping the future of leadership at Travelodge.
Through bespoke development experiences, Paula empowers authentic and compassionate leaders who create an inclusive workplace where everyone can be their true self and belong .
Key areas of focus include:
✅ Senior Leadership Development - Designing and delivering tailored sessions for functional senior leadership teams, fostering collaboration and strategic growth.
✅ Leadership Team Development - Creating impactful learning experiences for leadership team members and their functional teams, strengthening leadership capability at all levels.
✅ Executive Coaching & Development - Partnering with Operating Board members and their leadership teams to drive high performance leadership and business transformation.
Since 2021, we have given over 60 members of the leadership team an opportunity to take part in our coaching programme with our partner BetterUp, accelerating their professional and personal growth. Coaching helps our leaders:
Build resilience and adaptability
Strengthen decision making skills
Develop a coaching mindset to lead with confidence
Click to view an intro to BetterUp
A guide to our coaching partner
Hear from the coaches
For our level 1 Colleagues, our Fearless programme launched in 2024 with our development partner, Mezanna Partners.
The programme is centred on:
🔹 Focus - Directing time and energy for the best outcomes.
🔹 Engagement - Working constructively and motivating others.
🔹 Challenge - Speaking up, leaning in, and being proactive.
🔹 Renewal - Sustaining personal and team wellbeing.
This programme is by invitation from the Operating Board.
Cohort 1 will run from May 2024 until August 2025.
Get in touch
Through bespoke leadership development, BetterUp coaching and our Fearless programme, we are shaping leaders who challenge the status quo and put our customers and our colleagues at the heart of everything they do.
👉 Are you ready to take the next step in your leadership journey?
Click on the 'Who to contact' tile to get in touch or reach out through LinkedIn