The Power of Leading with Trust with Geoffrey Toffetti

What if the key to business growth wasn't just strategy, but building trust at every level?

In this episode, Geoffrey Toffetti, CEO of Frontline Performance Group (FPG), shares his journey from starting as a hotel valet to leading the world's top company in frontline sales performance for hospitality. With 30 years of proven results and partnerships with global hotel giants like Hilton, Hyatt, Marriott, Radisson, and IHG, FPG empowers frontline teams to maximize revenue, improve guest experiences, and drive employee engagement, all through its innovative IN-Gauge SaaS platform.

Geoffrey reflects on pivotal mentors, lessons from scaling companies, and why trust is the cornerstone of leadership and culture.

 

[00:02:15] Meet Geoffrey Toffetti

• Kevin introduces Geoffrey to the Million Dollar Relationships Podcast

• Shout-out to Claire and Quoted for the connection

• Geoffrey explains FPG's mission to empower hospitality frontline teams

[00:05:00] From Valet to Executive Leadership

• Starting out parking cars at TradeWinds Resort in Florida

• Moving into management roles before joining a dot-com startup in 2000

• Surviving the dot-com bubble and rising to VP of Strategic Solutions

[00:07:00] Joining FPG

• Meeting founder Ziad Khoury after six months of conversations

• Leaving a billion-dollar company for a sub-$10M firm with high potential

• Why empowering people to generate revenue was more inspiring than cost-cutting

[00:09:10] Expanding into Hospitality

• FPG's origins in the automotive industry

• How Geoffrey's hotel background guided expansion into hospitality

• Scaling to serve more than 2,500 hotels worldwide

[00:13:27] Million-Dollar Relationships

• The pivotal role of Ziad Khoury in Geoffrey's journey

• Trusting Geoffrey with leadership and appointing him CEO during COVID

• How Ziad's generosity and mentorship transformed FPG's future

[00:15:02] Influential Mentors

• Coach Matt Hedrick: lessons on leadership and culture from football

• Harold Mills, CEO of ZeroChaos: strategic mentorship in sales and contracts

• How diverse mentors shaped Geoffrey's leadership philosophy

[00:18:46] Paying It Forward

• Stories of hiring and empowering talent during challenging times

• Transformations that reshaped both individuals and the business

• Why building people is key to sustainable success

[00:22:00] Leading with Trust

• Why leaders must give trust first instead of demanding it be earned

• How trust shaped FPG's resilience through COVID pay cuts with no turnover

• The dangers of leading without openness or respect

[00:24:30] Building a Strong Culture

• FPG as a "tribe" rooted in ethics, values, and trust

• Why cultural violations, not mistakes, are deal-breakers

• How trust-driven culture fosters res