When Richard Fain talks about culture, he doesn’t rely on buzzwords or empty platitudes. As the longtime CEO and now Chairman of Royal Caribbean Group, Fain spent decades steering the company through both remarkable expansion and turbulent crises. His new book, Delivering the WOW: Culture as Catalyst for Lasting Success, distills what he learned about leadership while guiding one of the world’s most admired hospitality brands.
“Culture,” Fain says, “is a shared mindset within an organization. It can be hard to define, but unmistakable when you experience it.” He describes it as the company’s personality—the force that turns strategy into reality, or prevents it from doing so.
This belief wasn’t theoretical. It underpinned Royal Caribbean’s evolution from a small cruise operator into a global leader known for innovation and service. The thread running through that journey, Fain insists, was cultivating what he calls the “wow.”
“‘Wow’ is the feeling of unexpected delight—when something surprises us in a meaningful way,” he explains. “At Royal Caribbean, everyone—from a dining room server to a financial analyst—shares the mission of creating those moments for our guests.”
But the commitment to “wow” didn’t stop with customers. Fain believed the same emotional spark must live inside the organization. A strong culture, he says, is what guides people when no one is watching.
“That’s exactly when culture matters most,” he says. “Rules only go so far. It’s culture that shapes instinct. When it’s strong, people act in alignment with the organization’s values—not because they’re told to, but because it’s who they are.”
To Fain, brand and culture are inseparable. Passion fuels pride, pride drives performance, and performance is what customers ultimately experience.
That mindset was tested repeatedly, especially during crises. From economic downturns to the pandemic shutdown that halted cruise travel worldwide, Royal Caribbean weathered storms that could have overwhelmed a weaker company. What held it together, Fain says, was culture.
“In a crisis, the number and complexity of decisions explode. A strong culture provides clarity and prevents panic. Fear clouds judgment—a healthy culture keeps people grounded and focused.”
Maintaining culture, he adds, requires deliberate listening. At Royal Caribbean, the company consistently monitored employee engagement to detect emerging issues or successes.
“Culture speaks—through data, through tone, through behavior,” Fain says. “But you have to listen closely.”
And culture must evolve. “No change succeeds without cultural support,” he warns. “You can’t simply declare a new direction. People must believe in the journey. When trust is strong, transformation becomes possible. Without trust, even the best plans fail.”
What frustrates him is how often leaders treat culture as a slogan instead of a discipline. “When someone calls culture ‘part of our DNA,’ I worry. It usually means they’re hoping for culture rather than building it. Culture isn’t soft—it’s the hardest, most essential work.”
If every leader asked themselves one question, Fain says it should be this: Would I choose to work here?
“Culture starts at the top,” he emphasizes. “And the most powerful thing a leader can be is authentic.”
For Richard Fain, authenticity, pride, and the pursuit of the “wow” are more than leadership ideals—they’re the engines of enduring success. When culture fuels both purpose and performance, it doesn’t just guide behavior.
It ignites excellence.