Elizabeth Blau - Why Leading By Example and With Heart Means Excellence - Magnifying Excellence #9

It's time for another timeless journey of Excellence, when our guests talk exclusively and candidly about their journeys of Excellence like never before. This is not a glorification of excellence, but an examination of the all-encompassing path of Excellence. Hosted by Brian Hurlburt.

When I asked Magnifying Excellence Season 1, Episode 9 guest Elizabeth Blau--recognized as one of the key people over the last 20  years of Las Vegas evolving into a world class dining destination-- if she had a favorite quote or a piece of advice that she kept at the ready to motivate her, she responded that she didn’t. She said she stays motivated by getting up each day and trying to make the world a little bit better place by the end of it.

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But, by the end of our conversation, we mutually determined that “Lead by Example” should probably be her official mantra. She also said that being curious is very important on the path of Excellence, just as fellow guest Susan Anton had included in her definition.

“Leading by example is critical,” said Blau, who remained busy during the 2020 and 2021 Covid-19 pandemic helping her clients and also operating her own restaurants. “You can't tell people to do one thing, like, ‘Don't spread COVID and stay home’, and then be a politician who travels out of state to visit their family. 

“You have to have that level of integrity about what you're doing. At our restaurants, I make sure that we quarterly sessions where there are no managers and I just meet with our teams so that they know that they have direct access to me. While our business is growing and a big business, it's still a family business run by my husband and myself. So, knowing that there's an open-door policy and that if people have a problem, they can feel comfortable to reach out. I think that's an essential part of being a good leader, whether you're on a sports team or, you know, whether your team is a team of employees.”

(Some of) Blau's Excellence

- Blau was recognized at the prestigious UNLV Vino event with the Dom Perignon Award of Excellence.

- She helped create From the Classroom to the Boardroom: Leadership for Women in Hospitality, an immersive class at UNLV and Florida International University, along with assistant professor and author Lisa Cain.

- Blau is a graduate of the prestigious Cornell School of Hotel Management.

- She is a past James Beard Award honoree.

- Blau has appeared as a judge on the Food Network’s ‘Iron Chef America’ and is also an annual judge for Hotel Magazine’s best restaurants.

- Her story has been featured on the Travel Channel and the Martha Stewart Show.

- She operates Honey Salt and Buddy V's in Las Vegas