Nancy Johnson, Carlson Rezidor

What is the biggest challenge you face? 
Convincing women to have faith in their knowledge and placing a higher value on their worth.  When I read articles that claim that women make 75% of what men make for the same job, I am ashamed of the ability of women to value their worth.

What advice do you have for other women in the industry? 
If you love what you do, you will never work a day in your life (Oh yeah, someone else already said that). Seriously, feel passionate about what you do, because no amount of money is worth being miserable in your job.  Also, try to work for people who have high values.  Positive attitudes breed positive results!

How has the working environment changed for women over time in the industry? 
Maternity leave (Oh, do I feel old!). In addition, great strides have been made when it comes to employee rights—sexual harassment prevention, Title IX.  All of a sudden women have advocates.  The fact that I had to fight for two years to get a Women in Lodging Council formed within AH&LA, and that we now have over 1,700 members connected to mentors and women executives, represents a positive direction we are headed in the industry. Men are beginning to realize that having a diverse work force is great for business.

Where would you like to see the industry evolving with women in the industry in 10 years?
I would like to see women taking a stronger role in politics, which would hopefully bring a bit more common sense to The Hill. Women need to realize they can have it all—we’ve talked about it for years—but it seems when they make the decision to re-enter the industry after being at home for a period of time, it proves to be very difficult. I feel the industry should direct more attention to the “off-ramp” and “on-ramp” for women and men. We still have not restructured the office and hotel hours to be very flexible to employees’ needs. I would like to see people look at the lodging industry as one that serves its guests as well as its employees.

Who has paved the way for you to get where you are today either inside or outside the industry? 
Great mentors—male and female—certainly today Marilyn Carlson Nelson (chairman of Carlson) and Trudy Rautio (executive VP and chief financial and administrative officer of Carlson), they taught me that great faith supports you during troubled times and helps you do what is right during the tough times. Nothing is as important as your faith and your family. If you have that true north indicator, life sort of takes care of itself. The greatest influence in my life has to be my mom and dad; I always strove to make them proud. Oddly enough when they passed, it was my husband and my children that I wanted to make proud.  I guess I am still a small town girl with a strong belief that there are more good people in the world than bad and that there are more good days than bad. Life is good.