Damola Adamolekun accepted the CEO role at Red Lobster while the chain faced bankruptcy and operational failures. He viewed the position as a unique chance to engineer a historic turnaround and a career-defining achievement. He applies an investing-style risk-versus-return framework to career decisions, arguing that risk alone should not be avoided if adequate return exists. He values nonfinancial returns such as revitalizing a brand and making history. Personal self-knowledge and clear risk-reward tolerance guide decisions to pursue high-risk roles. Ambition, trust in owners, and confidence in the team support transformational efforts.
"I think this can be the greatest comeback in the history of the restaurant industry," he told me in a wide-ranging interview for Fortune's newly-launched CEO Playbook vodcast. "To lead that would be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."
"Investing is the business of risk assessment, and I think you should manage your career the same way," he says. "Risk on its own isn't something to avoid. You just need adequate return."
"Some people don't want to take any risk because they're not comfortable in that environment," he notes. "You need to know yourself as well, and the risk-reward tolerance is going to be different for every person."
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