Lesson Plan: Red Lobster

The Chairman
Aug 17
2 min read

Lesson Plan: Leadership in Action – Damola Adamolekun & Red Lobster’s Comeback

Grade Level: 9–12

Subject: Financial Literacy / Economics / Leadership Class Duration: 90 minutes Theme: Debt, Bankruptcy, Leadership, and Turnaround Strategy

🏛 Florida Financial Literacy Sunshine State Standards

Aligned with the following:

SS.912.E.1.14 – Explain the basic functions and characteristics of money.
SS.912.E.1.16 – Construct a budget and assess the impact of taxation and savings on disposable income.
SS.912.E.2.4 – Evaluate the economic impact of entrepreneurs on the local and national economy.
SS.912.FL.4.2 – Analyze reasons why individuals incur debt and consequences of not managing debt responsibly.
SS.912.FL.6.1 – Examine the skills and strategies needed to achieve long-term financial goals.

🎯 Objectives

By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:

Understand how debt and bankruptcy can impact a business.
Analyze the leadership traits of Damola Adamolekun.
Discuss strategies for financial turnaround in a corporate setting.
Apply budgeting and debt management concepts to real-world scenarios.

📚 Lesson Activities

1. Bell Ringer (10 minutes)

Prompt: “What would you do if your business owed $1 billion and was close to bankruptcy?”

Students respond in their notebooks and share answers.

2. Background: Who is Damola Adamolekun? (15 minutes)

Play a brief bio or read aloud: Damola Adamolekun, at just 36, led Red Lobster out of over $1 billion in debt and bankruptcy in 2024. A Harvard graduate and private equity expert, he took control during a crisis, slashed costs, improved operations, and rebranded the company, saving thousands of jobs.

Discussion Points:

His education and background in finance.
Role of leadership and vision.
The importance of turnaround strategies.

3. Case Study Analysis (30 minutes)

Divide students into small groups. Provide each group with the following:

Case Scenario: Imagine Red Lobster is your company. You have:

$1 billion in debt.
Declining sales.
Diminished brand trust.

Tasks:

List 3 steps to save the company.
Budgeting exercise: Cut $300 million in expenses. Where would you start?
Decide how to improve the brand image and attract customers back.
Write a short mission statement as the new CEO.

Class shares results.

4. Financial Literacy Skill Application (20 minutes)

Individual Worksheet:

Define bankruptcy, debt, leadership, budget, equity, and turnaround.
Short answer: What can teenagers learn from Damola Adamolekun about success?
Math section: If a company earns $600 million and owes $1 billion, what is the debt-to-income ratio? What percent of the debt must they reduce to break even?