Anna Blue, Chief Executive Officer, Blue Moss Group, Interviewed by Rachel Humphrey

Anna shares how her career in trade associations and non-profits has shaped her leadership style and how relationship building became her superpower along the way. She discusses skill development, public speaking, and identifying whether advocating for yourself is safe and if so, how to go about doing it.  Anna also talks about her view of each individual as a whole person, rethinking the idea of work-life balance or self-care as separate from career. Lastly, Anna discusses what needs to happen to see more diversity in hospitality industry leadership and how today's leaders can change their mindsets.

Transcript

Copy

Rachel Humphrey 0:03

I am Rachel Humphrey with d e I advisors. We are a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering personal success in the hospitality industry. And for those of you who have listened to the show before, you know that. I like to select interview advisors of people who have really inspired me along the way and impacted my career. Today is a little bit different and I am incredibly excited to introduce you to someone who I have just met, who I am already inspired by, but who I look forward to getting to know right along with all of you today. So please help me welcome Anna Blue, the president of the h l a found.

Anna Blue 0:43

Wonderful. I'm inspired by you as well, Rachel. Thank you for that introduction. I am excited to introduce

Rachel Humphrey 0:49

you to a whole industry of people that are dying to get to know you and hear your vision and your passion for something that's so important to so many of us. I wanna jump right in. One of the things that's so incredibly exciting about the hospitality industry, Is that each of us can have a unique path to leadership. Yours in mine might be quite different, but at the end of the day, we've both ended up in places of leadership. So tell us a little bit about you, about your journey to where you are today and some of the things that impacted you along the way.

Anna Blue 1:22

So it's so funny when people ask me about my journey to leadership because I don't think I ever recognized truly that I was on one. It wasn't this big ambition that I recognized when I first came into the workforce or anything. Although I will say that when I was. Seven years old. I asked my mom for a desk plaque that read Anna k Beardsley, c e o, at seven. And I don't even think I knew what that was back then. So I think it's always been there and I think some parts of leadership you are born with, I do believe that for me, my career journey was really. Based on need and necessity as opposed to these big dreams or goals or ambitions. I actually became a mom, a single parent at 20 years old during college, during my junior year of college. And so everything shifted. I shifted my major, I shifted the idea of what I could do. It was about how do I put food on the table, not about what job title do I want or who do I wanna become? It wasn't about me. And I think when you enter the work, With a different mindset than what most people have. Most people can sit and plot and plan their path forward, and that just wasn't really the opportunity that I had. I had a young person and a mouth to feed, and A lot of it in the beginning was circumstantial and I really got lucky. I tru, I truly, I call it luck and fortune, that my very first job was in a government affairs office here in DC with a health insurance and life insurance company and I happened to have two incredible mentors who I worked for. Both of them. I was an administrative assistant, and I also think everybody should do that job at some point. You learn so much about human nature. That's just by doing that job. And so working for these people who then became mentors throughout my career. And I went into politics cuz I was here and it's what you do. And I spent, almost a decade doing that. And I did the whole DC circuit trade association, lobbying, nonprofit, like digital advocacy. I ran it all. A pivotal piece for me in recognizing where I wanted to go and actually making a choice that was for myself and not just as a mom and for my son. I went to work on the 2008 presidential campaign. I was out in the community the first time I had just come off of Capitol Hill. and it was the first time since I started in politics. I was talking to real people about real issues that I had advocated for help the passage of all of these things, and I could see how those had actually landed for real human beings. And I recognized in that moment I could never go back to that sort of ivory tower of DC politics I needed. To know who I was impacting. I needed to create change. I needed to make a difference. And that shifted everything for me into the social impact sector, which then I've just been really fortunate to follow this incredible career path to leadership. But it's really been about change for me. I haven't been following a title to become president or to become C E O. I've been following the change and what is the greatest impact that I can have and.

Rachel Humphrey 4:19

That's incredible. And what a incredible life lesson, what you said about really being motivated by someone else and not by yourself. I laugh at your c e o title on your seven year old desk because those who've heard me tell it before know that at seven I wanted to be either a Dallas cowboy cheerleader or a long haul trucker. So you and I were not on the same path at seven, even though we might have ended up at similar

Anna Blue 4:41

paths today. I love. Seven year olds are amazing.

Rachel Humphrey 4:45

You've spent a large portion of your career, as you mentioned in the trade association space and in the non-profit space. And I'm curious from your point of view, the types of leadership lessons that many of us who have. Had experience in both a corporate sector or a government sector, and then also in the trade association, nonprofit learn different skills, different talents that really help us in developing our leadership model. What do you think, for you have been some of those lessons that have helped in your leadership?

Anna Blue 5:16

Yeah. In, in nonprofits and in trade associations, because they're membership based and for nonprofits, your money comes from people and companies. It, everything is about relationships. But I think the difference is because relationships are equally as value, I would say in much of the corporate. Sector as well. But the difference is those relationships really have to be built on authenticity. People have to believe in you. They have to be inspired by you because you're, what you're selling is something greater, right? You're not selling a direct product. You're selling this idea, especially on the social impact side. You're really like selling the idea of change. You're changing lives in some way or you're changing the world in some way. And so People have to like you in some cases, they have to love you. Like they have to really buy into you. And especially if you're in a leadership position then people have to build relationships with you in a way that they can hand over their money, right? And their time and their talent and their treasure. And so I think I, I always say that building meaningful relationships is my superpower. Just the way that I've had to create those dynamics and understand instantly. what inspires people? What gets people excited What motivates them? And I think trade associations, it's very similar because it's members and you can be me, a member of so many different types of associations and organizations all focused on different things. Why this one? Why this element of change? Why this organization? When I was in the gender equity space, we were one of dozens of organizations helping. Young women, right? Helping with leadership skills for young women. You can throw a stone and hit an organization like that these days. So why us? And a lot of times that came down to why me? And I think that was really the biggest gift that I've learned in running those types of organizations.

Rachel Humphrey 7:00

I wanna talk about relationship building in a second, but what an incredible idea to think about selling change as opposed to selling a product. Yeah, and when we think about selling change in the hospitality industry right now, especially through the H L A foundation and other avenues, There is an effort to sell the change the, for a more diverse industry at the leadership level at all levels to represent both our global population but also our customers. What do you think needs to happen, and obviously it's not gonna happen overnight, but generally speaking, what do you think needs to happen in the hospitality industry to, to see this type of incremental change that will get us where we wanna?

Anna Blue 7:42

Whew. How much time do we have? Again, there are so many different angles that you can take, but ultimately the people in power and the decision makers is where the actual change has to happen, and I think oftentimes, PE people will create these different employee resource groups and things like that, and, you align those people and that gives a sense of comradery, it gives a sense of safety and creating a safe space for people. But those groups can't actually move the needle to create change for a more diverse workforce, you need the people at the top to not only it ca. Oftentimes, it's the, here's where all of these come from. Let's unpack your unconscious bias. Let's look at microaggressions. Let's look at the systems that have been built, the systems of oppression, and there are multiple systems of oppression at play at all times in the workplace and everywhere else. And so we look at those and we try to unpack those, but there's still, I think, a disconnect when people don't understand why they're making the decisions that they're making, because oftentimes they are unintentional. I think a lot about succession planning, and I think about when we look around and we say there aren't enough people as CEOs or people in these top leadership positions that are truly representing the world that we live in. And certainly the people who are customers and consumers of the hospitality industry. you think they don't. It's just, it is a natural thing to look at people who think like you, look like you talk, like you, act like you, and it's not an intentional exclusion. I really don't think that there's a lot of thought put into it, and that's the problem. So how do we think about succession planning differently? How do we think about just saying, Hey, let's look at the reasons you're making the decisions that you're making. Look at what can happen if you were to make a different decision. But it has to start, people always say it's top down. I think it goes in every direction. I don't think we move the needle truly on creating diversity anywhere. And not just diversity, but like actual. Systems of inclusivity and belonging and equity. I use the word equity far more than the word equality at all times because that is where the scale is tipped. And so I do think that like we have to be looking at this like a spider web and how do we really, truly attack it at all sides but helping people understand why they're making the decisions in structures of power that they're making is crucial.

Rachel Humphrey 9:57

That's such a great point. And coming back to your conversation a minute ago about relationship building being your superpower. You also told me recently that empowering people, especially women and girls, is your love language. So now I know your superpower and your love language, and we've only just met

Anna Blue 10:15

you.

Rachel Humphrey 10:16

Skills or your strategy behind relationship building? This is another thing that I think is really special in the hospitality industry. Not only is it critical, but we all go about it maximizing our own comfort level, our own skillset in building relationships in ways that are meaningful to us to build that superpower. What do you think you lean into about you that works really well for you?

Anna Blue 10:40

That is a great question, and I've never really thought about it. I would say it's the personal piece. I don't get to know what people do. I get to know who people are. Like that's if you're gonna deal with me, if you're gonna be on my board or give to this foundation, or do this work alongside me in any capacity of my existence, you are gonna know the names of my kids. You're gonna know what the score of the basketball game was last weekend like. There just really is. There has to be a human element in relationships, even if they're quote unquote professional or business relationships. Like we're all one person. I'm not half personal, half professional. I am Anna. And so I think it, it really is that personal piece of it. I, I get to. You know who somebody is, what they might be struggling with, how do they feel about a meeting that they're going to, I love those little questions. I love asking people randomly Hey, right now, what's your stress level on a scale of one to 10? Because it, it catches people off guard and they're like, actually I'm doing okay today. Or, this morning was really rough and you just. opened a little tiny can of their entire pantry of existence. And it's pretty cool to just unpack those little things with people. And I think that's what I always lean into is who are you? I can look on paper at what you can bring to the table and what I, type of donation. There are whole databases and systems that can tell me that. Who are you? Is what I wanna deal. Nice. How is your stress level today then? Anna This is a lot of fun, so I'm feeling pretty great. I would say I'm doing okay, I like to hear that. I like that

Rachel Humphrey 12:13

question now, and I like the idea while not an icebreaker, that it is a little bit offsetting to some people and let them take a breath before the next step. That's a great strategy. Yeah. I wanna talk about, Speaking because there are a lot of people that will say I believe that my fear of or my lack of skills in public speaking may end up being my greatest barrier to leadership and public speaking. While some people think of it as the five, six. 7,000 person conference that you and I have both done. Yeah. It can also be presenting to your board, talking to your team, talking to a group from which you want to solicit fundraising. How do you go about public speaking your comfort level, maybe some of the skills that you've used along the way to try to develop

Anna Blue 12:58

that for you. I don't know that I ever entirely have, because the one thing that I will say is that I am exactly who I am at all times. And so I would speak to an audience of a thousand people. Exactly. The way that I'm speaking to you right now is, I laugh. I use my hands, I giggle, I do all of these things and I don't know how to present differently. So I don't think, for me it was ever that sort. Getting over a hump. I've always, maybe it's that. Maybe it goes back to that relationship building piece. Like I just connect with people and I am the same whether I'm talking one-on-one or in front of a team or in front of 5,000 people, it all feels the same to me. Now, I do remember my very first time when I was at the United Nations Foundation and I was at an embassy and. Presenting something and I had, all of my talking points and all of my notes and I was really nervous and so I like, I can recall that feeling in that moment in time. So I know there was a hump that I got over and I don't remember when or how it happened. I think it is getting, if you are comfortable with what you're saying, at least in, in my experience, if I know what I'm saying and I feel good about it and it is coming from a place of authenticity, then. Then it's just easy for me to do because it, to me, it is all the same. It's a level playing field. No matter how many people I'm standing in front of. No, I

Rachel Humphrey 14:21

think knowing your content and also picking your speaking spots based on knowing that you know your company, can be really critical in that. If it isn't public speaking necessarily, that there was an intentional development of, did you come across in your leadership journey. Maybe a skill that you identified that either you didn't know would be so important, or when you did, you're like I might need to to learn a little bit here. And if so, how did you go about developing that?

Anna Blue 14:50

So I will say, I'm gonna approach this from two different sides. The six where I have been successful and where I have still not been successful. So on the successful side, I come from a family of salespeople. I really do. And my, my. Dad is a salesman. He was a traveling salesman as I was growing up. My son is actually now in sales. The baby I spoke about from college is now 24 and working in sales and just getting started in his career. My brother is in sales. I'm like, it's, it is very much ingrained in who we are and our family. And I think when I realized that sales. A skill and everything. Every job is a sales job. I firmly believe that. I don't care what you're doing. Every job is a sales job, and so leaning into that sales also gets a really bad rap. Like you think of the used car salesman, which also my brother. My other brother is a used car salesman and he is amazing at it, by the way, And he's not slimy or any of those things that like you grow up with that stereotype and so leaning into what is powerful about sales. I think once I recognized that sales wasn't a bad thing, it wasn't somebody trying to. Pass something over on you or get the best of you. It was actually somebody just trying to connect with you and see if they have something that could make your life, your business, anything better. And nonprofit fundraising is sales building. Social impact campaigns is sales. Everything that I've done, lobbying is sales. Everything that I've done in my career has certainly been that. And so it's a skill that I think I had. get over the stereotype of, to fully embrace and recognize that we all, we are all really in that together. And it's a pretty cool thing. It's a great skill to have and it's also where those relationships and that ability, that superpower to build relationships comes from On the other side, I am not a numbers person. I never have been And so understanding that in leader, There comes with elements of running an organization, running a company, whatever it is that you're running, that are things that are not, is not your skillset. And so for me, my Achilles is budgets. It is understanding, it's putting all of the numbers together. It's paying attention to everything that goes out and everything that comes in. And in the past I was in a co-leadership model where we were, co-executive directors and it was fantastic because she loved that she said. And and I, ran everything that I was good at. I got to fully, as a leader, lean into just my skillset, which was the fundraising and the global marketing and communications. And she could re lean into her skillset of the finances and the programmatic impact piece. And so it was great because we were both. We were a fully rounded executive director as two people, which was a cool thing to do and to experience. But then I could just show up to a meeting and say, I don't care what all these numbers are, just tell me how much I need to raise Tell me where we are and what I'm responsible for and I'll deliver. And that was great. And having it in other positions, I haven't had that opportunity and fortune to be able to do that. So really having to sit down and to do the hard stuff, to do the stuff that I don't like to do. I would say I have not developed that skill, but it's still a commitment. Like you have to do the things you have to do and that is what that has been for me. But if you have any tips on developing that skill, if anybody has any tips, contact me now because it is important and it is part of my job and at the same time I, it just doesn't click for me. It's funny

Rachel Humphrey 18:20

that you mentioned that because when I transitioned from law firm life into corporate association life, that was really, I had run trial budgets before client budgets, but never company budgets. And it was one of the very first things, one of my very first days, and I was like, I don't know how to do this. And I actually have a CFO husband. I came home and I'm like, tell me

Anna Blue 18:40

about

Rachel Humphrey 18:40

budgeting. And learned a little bit there. So I think that actually for a lot of people, somebody else mentioned that the other day on a call that I was on that this transition into learning, budgeting, I wanna talk about something now that, that. Super near and dear to my heart and to my personal growth. And you just mentioned starting off your career as a single mom the other day, you were talking about going through carpool at school. Yeah. And I know that this is very important to you in trying to figure it out. Yeah. None of us ever balances. None of us ever gets it. Yeah. But how has your management of your work-life balance maybe changed over time? What are some of the big lessons you think you've learned maybe from parenting that now also play a capacity in your. Style. Yeah.

Anna Blue 19:21

Oof. There's a few questions in there. There are And I would say just also I would

Rachel Humphrey 19:25

add that I know for a lot of people, work life management doesn't mean necessarily being a working mom or a working dad. Oh, absolutely. It could also mean having hobbies or parents or siblings. Spouses, yeah. Friends, other things outside of work, but just generally

Anna Blue 19:38

speaking. Yeah. Yeah. It is that concept of whole people. I don't like that we have designated the thing that pays us as work when. There are so many things we work at. If you have a hobby, you are working at that. I work at being a mom. I work at being a good friend, at being a good activist and advocate. Like these are all things that I work at and I work at my full-time job that pays me. And so I think we went wrong when we s. Made this designation of work versus life, right? Like it is all, I work in all capacities and I enjoy and I love all capacities and I feel fulfilled in all of those. And so I try really hard to stay away from that sort of work life designation because this is my life. Like this is it. It is what it is and there are multiple components of facets of it. And the biggest thing that happened for me, I remember and I was literally just speaking with somebody about this cuz she just recently did this and cried for three days. I remember when my son was young, probably two or three, and I did the math that I would. Encourage everyone to absolutely never do of how many waking hours he was in daycare versus how many waking hours he's with was with me. And I felt guilty for probably an entire decade just about that one thing because you know that is the reality when you choose to work and you choose to be a parent as so many do. But that's also the reality. If it's something else that you love, it's not a child, right? There are things. that we are sacrificing for the thing that pays the bills. And so I would say that when I let all of that go, when I let go of what I wasn't doing and who I thought I wasn't being to him, and I wasn't the one who could chaperone everything and I was never been the room parent or the. School like I've never been that person. I've never been the head of the p t a and half off to those women because wow. But I can't and but I had to let that go. I really had to become okay with this is my life, and it is successful and powerful and beautiful and messy and hard and all of those things all at one time in every facet of that, and sometimes, Little pieces of it in certain ways might suffer, but I can't be taking tally, right? Like I, I can't be checking the boxes of how much of my life gets this and how much of my life gets me here because nobody will ever win. And so ultimately I have to win. Like I am responsible for this. And so the biggest shift to me in managing like all of who I am was to let go of the guilt, was to let go of that tally system.

Rachel Humphrey 22:17

That's incredibly powerful and I love the idea of thinking about each of us as just one life. It's all different. Yes. Spokes of the bicycle tire of this one. That's an incredible way. And of letting go of the Gil. No. I have had a similar. Trajectory. I recently finished Viola Davis's book, and she talks about when her life opened up was when she realized her parents were doing the best they could at all times that they were doing it. And just that ability to accept and know that we're all doing the best all the time, related to the. the life, the giant ball of life that you were just mentioning. Yeah. There seems to be lately a renewed focus on self-care and wellness and really looking at employees as a whole person, as you mentioned. And it sounds like you've been very successful at looking at yourself and your colleagues in that way. How has self-care and wellness, if it has played a role in your life, and what about the people now who are like, I really want to be focused on that, but I'm finding a difficult time allocating it as a.

Anna Blue 23:18

It's hard. Some of it is, I think we have, oftentimes we have the wrong notion of what self-care actually looks like. There is, because there is a whole consumer capitalism driven component of this that self-care is the face masks and the massages and the bubble baths and for some people that might be self-care and like kudos, right? Like I do love a good massage. I will say that. Like doing my personal finance budget for my family, I absolutely hate doing, but that is self-care, right? Like saving for my future is self-care and making sure that we are being responsible parents and all of that is part of self-care. And so sometimes self-care is actually doing the hard things that don't feel like wellness, but they are for a bigger version of wellness. And that has been a little bit of a lesson for. To get to as well. I think in terms of leadership and my team, that is still where I lean into the personal and just making sure that people are getting what they need. Making sure that people know that I am not a person who is checking hours or are you at your desk or, any of these things. because you have one life, because you are one whole person, and there is an automatic trust that I give to people to make the right decision as opposed to, I think this mentality that some people have of you have to earn that flexibility or you have to earn, my willingness to let you put your children first or make certain decisions. And I'm the other way around. And that just works for me to say I trust that you are gonna be successful in your job and the best way for me to support that is for me to support you as a whole person. And so I encourage whatever version of self-care that is for everybody. I think it really is important. I think people knowing that is welcomed and encouraged is also really important.

Rachel Humphrey 25:09

What a important thing to think about too, because self-care is gonna be different for everybody. For some it might be exercise. For others it could be fresh air. For some it could just be medical attention and other things. Like you're talking about family planning and Yeah. And retirement planning. Such a great way of looking at it too, that we don't have to define it. just in one way. I'm gonna lean in now to your love language of empowering others and women and girls. There is a generalization that women especially are not good at advocating for ourselves. I think I am someone who's been great at advocating for others, but I have a lot to learn and a lot of growth opportunity. Yeah. And advocating for. What would you tell people based on your experience, who are really finding it a challenge for them to whether it's to speak up and this could cover, everything looking again at that whole person. It doesn't just have to be advocating for themselves in a career environment.

Anna Blue 26:01

So the first thing I think is really important when thinking about advocating. is it a safe space to do that? It's very easy for me in a position of leadership, in a position of influence to encourage young women or others to advocate for themselves or even, looking at my own children to encourage them to advocate for themselves. But it is important to take into account that my journey and my ability to do that and whose ear I have and whose respect I have is different than what may not be a safe space for somebody else. It may not be. That they can advocate for themselves. Their job could be on the line. They could lose a promotion by, advocating for themselves and making somebody uncomfortable. There are so many dynamics that go into that, that we really do have to look back at that equity piece and what position that we're putting people in and who is in the positions of power. And that's true across pretty much everything, right? That's not. True in the workplace, but absolutely in the workplace. But it's also true in like power dynamics and relationships. It's true in power dynamics in the classroom. It's true in so many structures that we find ourselves in as we walk through life. But I always, before I think to give somebody advice on how they might speak up or how they might advocate, I always. Ask the question, are you safe to, do you feel comfortable? So it's there's first getting over the, is there space for this person to speak up? Will it be welcome, will it be received? And then it's then coaching and encouraging people on how to put those words together. I happen to be pretty good with words. So when somebody says, here's what I'm trying to do, we can unpack that together. And I love to do that with people. I have ghost written so many emails to people's. Husbands, bosses, like teachers. I have another superpower. Another superpower. And so yeah, I'm a really good writer. And so people say, this is what, this is what I want. And I'll be like, all right, you're not gonna say this very well. I can tell. So let me help you say this. So oftentimes that's how I support, at least the people in my life who know that is another one of my superpowers. But yeah, I think that making sure that there is space to advocate, because oftentimes in the systems that we live in, that space isn't actually there.

Rachel Humphrey 28:13

That's fantastic advice. Wow. I, as I predicted, we are gonna run short on time. I have a million and a half other things

Anna Blue 28:19

I wanna ask you cause that's all I get to know you. Like I said

Rachel Humphrey 28:22

at the start, getting to know you at the same time everybody else is. One of my favorite questions always to be asked and then to ask others is advice to our younger self. And I think for me, the reason it. So much is I think reflection is a really important part of personal growth and I think that we are all works in progress. Yes. So when you look at, and Anna today president of the A H L A Foundation, what would you tell 21 year old Anna about the path or maybe something that you wish you had known then?

Anna Blue 28:55

Ooh, I have so many pieces of advice for that young woman. Lemme tell you, there's so many ways, but I think the biggest, the thing I am most grateful for is the fact that I didn't have it all figured out. And so I was scared about that and I was at 21, I was already a mom and but, so there was a lot of fear and am I gonna be able to. For me, for him for everything. But I think the biggest thing has, so I don't wanna say just like it's gonna all be okay, but follow, be open to the path as it is presented to you. Like it is okay that you don't have everything figured out. It's okay that you don't know what's gonna happen next. It's okay to experience all of this journey and opportunity as it comes to you and be creative with it. I have had jobs that I've loved, I have had jobs that were. A huge challenge and traumatizing, but taught me things and all of that has been part of the journey that has gotten me to be who I am as a whole human today. And so I think not being so hard on myself for not having a plan and not having it figured out, I would say give yourself a break. It's, it is actually, this is the best way to approach. I love

Rachel Humphrey 30:08

that. I'm a big believer in sliding doors, which is a similar type of concept. Anna, keeping in mind the motto of d e i advisors to empower personal success, what is a final tidbit that you would leave our audience with today?

Anna Blue 30:22

So I like to push back a little bit on the word empower. It does have a beautiful connotation. I know why people use it, but we innately have the power that we are going to be able to use. The things that we can bring to the table, our skillsets, our capabilities, that is a power that we already possess. So my advice to the people in empower people in decision making roles, you don't need to empower people. You need to get out of the way you need to. Space. You need to create opportunity. It's not about giving them power. They have power. I promise you that. harness it, tap into it and move out of the way. That would be my advice. I love that.

Rachel Humphrey 31:01

I look forward to getting to know more about your various superpowers and the other things that make you the whole person. Anna, thank you so much for your time today. Thank you for sharing with us. We are excited to see. your leadership at the HLA Foundation and what that vision and strategy and passion results in over the next foreseeable future. So thank you very much and thank you for supporting d e I

Anna Blue 31:23

advisors. Absolutely. Thank you, Rachel. This has been amazing. Thank you. and to

Rachel Humphrey 31:28

our audience, thank you so much for tuning in today. And if you like what you heard, we hope you'll head on over to d e i advisors.org where you can hear from numerous industry leaders about their paths to leadership and the lessons they've learned along the way. You can also stream your favorite advisors any on any of your streaming platforms available to you. Thank you so much again, Anna.

Anna Blue 31:48

Yeah, thank you.