Anu Saxena, President and Global Head, Hilton Supply Management interviewed by Rachel Humphrey

Anu discusses how she found her path into hospitality through management consulting and how she was inspired by leadership dedication and corporate culture in making that career decision.  She shares how important her support system is for her and the strategies she's implemented for overcoming negative thoughts. Anu also talks about the important step we should all take before advocating for our next position and how she manages to take care of herself while also taking care of her career and her family.

Transcript

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Rachel Humphrey 0:02

I am Rachel Humphrey with d e I advisors. We are a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering personal success within the hospitality industry, and I am delighted to be joined today by Anu Saxena from Hilton Supply Management, a new welcome to the show.

Anu Saxena 0:18

Thank you, Rachel. It's great to be here with you. And I'll just say, by the way, I've listened to a lot of your lineup, Kevin, Leslie, Mit Shah. Michael Deitemeyer, I could go on. I'm very honored to be included. Thank you for having me.

Rachel Humphrey 0:30

That is great to hear and we are excited to have you join us today and get to share a little bit about your journey and the lessons you've learned along the way. And since you've listened before, you know that one of the things I really love about the hospitality industry is how incredibly unique everybody's journey to leadership is. We can have very different paths along the way. But both find ourselves in positions of leadership. Tell us a little bit about your path and maybe some of the inflection points along the way that you think have really impacted your

Anu Saxena 1:01

career. Sure. It's a great question. I heard a lot of the stories in some of the recordings that you guys have already done. And one thing that makes my path a little different is that I didn't start in hospitality. I didn't grow up in hospitality, but I knew Rachel. From an early age, I was very conscious of, this concept of journey and career path. Growing up in Asia, you basically have to declare your major when you are in elementary school, And that was, I was my parents as well. They were from a very young age. They instilled this idea of always having a plan for. I knew an elementary school that I wanted to study in the United States. I had a, an opportunity to visit my aunt who lived still lives actually, in Columbus, Ohio. And I knew right away for many reasons that this is where I wanna be. And I wanna study here. I joined university here, migrated to the US and while I was in college, I knew that I wanted to be in management consult. I sought out people that were young consultants. I learned about their journey. I knew that's where I wanted to be. So after university, I joined a management consulting firm and I spent a little bit over a decade in management consulting. And again, like everything, know, having a little bit of a plan while I was in consulting, as you get exposed to many different industries and as a young kind of professional you are dealing with executives of many different companies, and you're really, it's an incredible learning opportunity. I knew that there were, after a decade or so of doing this, there were two things that stood out to me while I was in consulting. One was discipline of, the CEO and the executive. And the second thing for me was culture. I could really tell a difference as I went to all these fortune 500 companies, those that had an incredible culture. I know those were two things that I wanted when I decided to take a role in industry and get out of consulting. It was quite serendipitous that Hilton moved at their headquarters here into Northern Virginia. My back. And it was a company that I knew had incredible discipline and an incredible cul culture. So I, that's how I found my calling in hospitality.

Rachel Humphrey 3:03

That's incredible. And how aware at such a young age that the importance of discipline and finding a company or corporate culture that matched what you were looking for. I think that for a lot of us that has been trial and error, but you being able to identify at that point in your career that was something that was important to you. What. Advice. Something else that I know is really important to you is getting involved with associations and nonprofits, and I've been a great admirer of the work that you have done as part of the board of trustees for the H L A foundation. And I'm, I really have two questions about this. One is, why is this work so important to you? But also many of us have learned very different leadership skills or. Lessons through our roles with associations and nonprofits that are very different from the role, from the skills maybe that we develop in the corporate world. can you talk

Anu Saxena 3:56

about those two things a little bit? Sure. Yeah. Look, I know, you know the foundation really well. I think that the foundation is just simply incredible. I. By the way, I'm so excited about Anna Blue's appointment. I think she'll be a tremendous leader as we go forward. I'm getting to know her and every time I engage with her, I'm very excited for the future of the foundation. I always leave every interaction I have with the foundation. I leave it more and more impressed. I It's, firstly, it's an invaluable contributor to our industry, and I. Frankly, find it a bit guilty because I take away so much more from the foundation, from the experience, and I feel like I can ever give back. But I'm learning a lot uh, from being on the board. And look, it's been it's been very meaningful. I Just the network of people and connections that you make. as part of the board, the broader A H L A. You just it's not something you think about, any nonprofit for that matter, right? It's not something that you necessarily think about as you are, as you're considering it, but it inevitably ends up being such a meaningful experience because you get to meet these connections. And the foundation itself. Look, the work that they're doing that we're doing on diversity, equity, inclusion, the resources that have been made available to the industry at. The incredible, obviously the apprenticeship program. And now, no Room for Trafficking. I The impact on our industry I think is just incredible. I would say from, I think you, from a leadership perspective, what has really impressed me and continues to is this network effect. You have people from all these different companies, different cultures different priorities that all come together. And collaborate on to solve, some really tough problems with tremendous dedication. I think the recognition that when you have the right people working together with singular focus, you can solve big problems. Nothing seems out of reach I feel that, particularly inspiring.

Rachel Humphrey 5:44

That's a great lesson too, that especially as you build your network across many different aspects of the industry, because I think from a relationship building standpoint, we can get very tunnel visioned in what we're doing as far as building our network or growing relationships. And I will tell you I just interviewed Anna, so you'll have to add that to your. As well to get to know her a little bit better. I'd love to share with our audience why I have invited someone to be a guest on d e I advisors that historically they have been people who've really had an impact on my career or inspired me in some way, and shortly after I transitioned from, Attorney to the association executive space. You and I were at a women's development event together through Hilton, and I heard you talk about how it wasn't a lack of women in. the supplier world, the brand world, the ownership world, it's that they weren't getting credit for anything that they were doing and that what we really needed was to celebrate the tremendous women in hospitality and really shine a light on this amazing group of successful entrepreneurs, of successful leaders that somehow they seem to take a backseat a little bit more. And I really. That perspective. I had not heard anyone very publicly unabashedly say It's time to start celebrating women in our industry. And so I thank you for that perspective early on because that really shaped a lot of how I saw things in celebrating other women. But that leads me to this concept of building a more diverse industry at the leadership level. There's a lot of talk about it in hospitality right now from your vantage. And you may wear two hats for this, but from your vantage point, what do you think the hospitality industry needs to do to see greater movement in that goal for more

Anu Saxena 7:35

diversity? I look here. Firstly, thank you for remembering that. I'll say right away that the good thing right away is that there's been. a lot of changed since we first had that conversation already. And I'm, by the way I'm proud to be a, a small part of that. I think that as an industry, look around, by the way, look at your docket of folks that you've interviewed. And the d and I advisors has interviewed incredible stories of fabulous women all around the. I do wanna acknowledge that there's been tremendous progress that has been made just in the, what is this now? 12 years that I've been part of the industry and part of Hilton. So I think, that's important that the industry is taking note that there's a pipeline of incredible women that are now finding, their footing and finding themselves in leadership. Which I think is, obviously a great way to, to continue the journey of diversity, equity, and inclusion. The other thing I'll say is, I think diversity, equity, inclusion, these things mean different things to different people. And I by, I love the work that you all are doing by getting these perspective all on the table. It may not just mean gender diversity or, whatever the case might be. Everybody has a. I think takes away different different perspective of what it means to be part of this initiative and what it means to make our industry more unique and more diverse. I think we've brought in people from outside the industry in several leadership roles over the last years. Look at Anna Blue as a great example of somebody that's come in from outside the. that in itself brings some diversity to the industry. So I just, I like to make that point. In fact Rachel, I'll say that's something even I've learned, over the last decade is that, although there, there should be, and there has rightfully been focused on certain elements of diversity, equity, and inclusion I think we also need to celebrate now the fact that we're bringing in true diversity of Absolutely. Uh, Into leadership roles. And I, it'll go a long way. It already has.

Rachel Humphrey 9:28

That's a great point. Not just I liked what you said too about of the collaborative approach. It's not just a women's issue or another issue. It's industry wide and collaboratively is how we're gonna make. That progress moving forward? I know that you are a a strong believer in continuing to grow and develop skills and thought and experiences. Talk about where you turn to for resources. What are some of the places or the strategies you use when you either identify a skill you wanna develop more or you wanna continue to as a, just a human continue to?

Anu Saxena 10:02

Sure. Yeah. Great question. I And I think, by the way, this is one that when I've listened into some of your earlier interviews, I've paid attention to what people have said about this question. I'll say that look, one of the great kind of cultural ho hallmarks of growing up in Asia is that from a very young age, right? The import there's importance placed on education. Just this mere fact of. And there's recognition given to the fact that learning is a lifelong quest, so I think for me, I was grateful for that from a young age. I also think that what happens is as you progress through your career It's a challenge really to, to remind yourself to keep in that growth mindset as we, we refer to now. I think as we rise to more senior positions, we are conditioned to assume the role of the expert. I think I might have talked to you about this. Yeah. In one of our encounters, we just we feel like we have all the answers and I think so. So first I would say we all have to have some self-awareness. But then we need to dedicate time to for continued learning. And that really does require at these levels, some like unwiring to push yourself and to create and then feed that kind of appetite for growth. For me, I'll say, it's less about resources. I think there's plenty of resources in our. I think it's more about being mindful, thoughtful about like seeking those people out, whose experiences I can learn from and that drive me towards that growth mindset that remind me that, I'm, my learning journey is not yet complete. Because, the reality is that we talked about our industry has an enormous bench of leadership, of some very inspiring stories, very successful stories. I would say in that respect, it's like seeking out those people, of making more connections, like you said through the foundation and otherwise of really listening more intently. Asking questions. All in the spirit of being open to what you can learn from anyone at any

Rachel Humphrey 11:52

time. And such an important lesson about being a lifelong learner, that we don't reach a certain level in our career, and then we're done learning. And I think that's one of the consistent themes we hear a lot from the d e I advisors is this idea of continued curiosity, continued lifelong learning. That even when we achieve a level of success, we're not done yet. So

Anu Saxena 12:13

that's great. I like that. I'm gonna write that down. Continuous curiosity. I like that.

Rachel Humphrey 12:17

Yeah. Related to that, you just said you seek people out, which is a perfect segue to talking a little bit about support systems. People know that, I love the phrase a personal board of directors. I heard it last year and it's been really impactful for me over the last year of trying to identify. Personal board for myself. Do you rely on a strong support system? And if so, what types of things do you turn to your support system for? How do you identify the right people to fill those board seats

Anu Saxena 12:43

for you? Yeah. Another great question. Yeah, I yes. The answer is yes, I do. Very much and I think. Men, women folks that are new to the industry, folks that are veterans of the industry, we all should have a kitchen cabinet of trusted advisors. I'd say, look, in terms of how I identify these people, and we talked a little bit about this in the growth mindset conversation, but I think you have to pick the kind of people. The distinction is really who is helping you think. who's helping you to think bigger than big and who's helping you think, long term? Because it's important in our particularly in leadership levels, you need people that like, are pulling you out from the present day and that they're challenging you to pull up and think five, 10 years down the line. It's hard to do to take yourself out of the day-to-day minutia and challenge you in a way that is, is you're rising up, really. You're raising your. Who are these people that remind you to, the importance of responding versus reacting or aligning to the right people that are opening and expanding your aperture. So that's who I look for. And they're very easy to find. You've said this at the outset. We have an amazing industry. And we're lucky that we have no shortage of these folks in the industry. It's really, again, being conscious and thoughtful about how you're seeking these people out that are helping you becoming literally a bigger version of yourself.

Rachel Humphrey 14:02

I love the concept of thinking big. And I actually think that one of the things that a lot of us do is we limit our own potential in our own heads. And one of the things we hear from a lot of emerging leaders is that sometimes. The voice in their head is not as positive as the outside voices of people supporting them. The people like you that are encouraging Oh, true. To think bigger and, interestingly this is one that, that I've spoken to people about and they're like, you know what, I don't always have a great answer for that. I don't know that I. Can advise others, I'm not sure. I can advise myself sometimes how to get over it. What would you tell someone either about a strategy that you use or if they're really struggling to have that voice in their head match up to the way others see

Anu Saxena 14:49

them? Have them call me Rachel have them all call me. Your phone's gonna be ringing off the hook now, I look, I don't listen to it. I, I'm trying to put myself in that. I'm proud to say that AF an entity requires work, but I'm at that point where I literally don't let you know. Mentor once told me, actually right here in this building, said that Don't build these narratives in your head that don't exist. And just like everything else, you have to not pay attention to it. Because why? Why limit yourself and why get in your own way. I These. These are barriers that you're creating for yourself. And this is where I'll just say, this is where your trusted advisors really come in handy. When you feel like you're getting stuck and you don't know how to get unstuck, or you start down the path of things that may or may not be true call lean on that group of trusted advisors. Call on people that can help you. That, you're, this is one of those things that you just need to stop focusing on and pull yourself out of. So again, I I literally mean this. If people they should lean on their trusted advisors. They should call call me call lean on people around you that can help you see that you really are doing while you're there because you're clearly doing extremely well. You're part of this incredible. And you'll, the more that you untrain or retrain your brain to not think about these things or not, let it become the narrative the day, the easier it'll get as it happens in the future.

Rachel Humphrey 16:15

Wow. That is very powerful advice and I appreciate your sharing what works for you, because I have no doubt that'll work for others as well related to overcoming sometimes a negative narrative in our head is also a hesitation or a fear of advocating for ourselves. There's a generalization that, especially as women, we don't do a good job advocating for ourselves, maybe even celebrating our own successes. What type of advice would you offer to those? Again, emerging leaders who might feel like this is a hurdle that they're gonna have to overcome to really see their career go in the trajectory they're looking for?

Anu Saxena 16:53

I I have a very simple motto that, again, an early mentor shared with me, I'll say, which is and I know it's gonna sound simple, but it's just lead with the work, lead with your work. The rest of it is just noise. And I think the more that we again, go back to are we doing, are we being the best version of ourselves makes it easier, I think. Look, it's easier said than done. I do understand this. We have complex roles. And the larger problems we solve, you deal with a lot of stimulus and it's harder to really focus on just leading with the work. What I ask people, Rachel, that come to me for advice on self-advocacy is, number one, have you mastered what you're currently being paid to do? Because if you haven't, then you shouldn't be advocating for more. And the reality. we don't get to decide for ourselves how we're doing because frequently, we don't possess enough self-awareness to you. Just don't. And this might be a bit controversial and I think some folks have mentioned this in some interviews, but I think this is where the importance of feedback comes into play. don't be afraid of it. By the way, the higher up you. The more feedback you will have from customers, from guests, from your board, from everybody. So how you respond and actually more importantly, how you incorporate feedback demonstrates enormous capacity. And look I'll just say I've learned this the hard way, by the way I've learned this the hard way myself. But if you are really. To raise your hand for that bigger position, for ad advocating for larger role, the next opportunity, whatever it is, you have to find out how it is you're doing in kind of your current current role, current one. And that requires, by the way, that, and these are all leadership elements of kind of growth. It requires you to show incredible humility seek feedback, and then, the hard part. Yeah. So I'll, again I'm, this is a question that I care a lot about because I've had a lot of, I top talent in my own organization come and talk to me about career progression and, they're ready for more. And Rachel, candidly, I've had to tell them because here's what I will say, and you talked about diversity in the industry. I'll go back to that a little bit. Is we the only way we will have more diversity in the industry? That we can't be women, men, whatever it is. People that are rising up through their careers cannot shy away from feedback. And feedback doesn't mean that the person is not in your corner. In fact, it means just the opposite. Many times there's a misconception. This is a, this could be just a concept, misconception that women don't receive feedback very. And people are afraid to give them feedback cuz they don't know how it'll be perceived. And I would say, let's not play into that because that's not we should celebrate the fact that somebody cares enough about our growth that they're giving us, feedback that's going to truly get us to that next level. I'll go back to my question is people will come to say, what do I need? I'm ready for this next level. And I have to candidly tell them that for these reasons, I don't believe they. and those that have listened and applied, that feedback have now moved on to, bigger, better things and frankly have come back to say thank you. So I think that's important. Now, if you feel, if you're feeling undervalued and you know there's other components, then that's a whole different con conversation. And again, that's a great moment for you to lean into, one of your trusted advisors and figure out how you wanna move forward. But I'd say for the rest of us, master your current job and then make your intentions clear about, what you wanna do next. I Self-advocacy, is about making sure the right people in the organization clearly know where your interests and intentions lie. And the hospitality industry, is filled with amazing companies that are loaded with, great opportunities. So again, how you apply your feed. You know how you choose to raise your hand, make your intentions clearly, these are all pivotal moments when it comes to self.

Rachel Humphrey 20:51

No, that's great advice. Feedback is a gift and sometimes it's not easy to hear and sometimes we have to be very self-aware and very disciplined. But I love the idea of seeking that feedback to know and to be able to evaluate whether you're ready for that next, Step and using. Then that feedback for positive growth I think is another really important lesson. So thank you very much for sharing that. You mentioned a second ago being our best selves when you were talking about advocating for ourselves and there seems to be right now a renewed focus on self-care and wellness. Among the workforce in general among our colleagues. And that can mean a lot of things for a lot of people. Some people automatically go to the idea of exercise or nutrition and things, but self-care and wellness can mean different things to different people. How has this played a role, if it has, in your career so far? Has that changed over time? And what are you seeing now whether it's as looking at the team around you, looking at your own commitment to it from, in this.

Anu Saxena 21:49

Yeah, look, I think it's very important. I think that I've been very pleased to see the focus that's been placed on this in general, since post Covid times and more and more people at least are talking about it and sharing ideas. I think you have to define what wellness looks like for you. Like you said, there's a lot of different ways to approach what self-care and wellness means, but I'll tell you one thing is a non-negotiable. Taking care of yourself should never be an option. It should always be a priority. You can choose how you approach it. For me, spending time with my family is important. That makes me feel balanced. Finding time to do things properly is important. Time management is important for me, so pick what's important. and then make time to do it. I've I make a joke about this with my colleagues here at work that I've given up trying to, I have kids and I've given up trying to keep up with those signup geniuses that come out at school. No matter hard how hard I try, I'm always the last one that sees those things, and by the time I get to it, it's all filled up. I've made a little ritual, Rachel. I, at the beginning of the school year, I call my kids' teachers and I let them know, what I do. And I say, gimme just two things in the year. These are the times that work on my calendar and gimme two things that, that, I can either volunteer for or whatever in advance. That makes me feel like I'm taking care of myself and it makes me feel good. I just say identify what truly makes you feel good. Not just look good, but truly feel good, and then make a choice to incorporate that into your life. That's

Rachel Humphrey 23:14

such great advice. I laugh about the signup genius because I used to say that I was the non-perishables mom. You need tissues, paper towels, decorations, anything I can buy at the start of the school year, I'll send in all year, but don't come to me for the

Anu Saxena 23:30

cupcakes or the actual things

Rachel Humphrey 23:32

that have a shelf life on them.

Anu Saxena 23:33

So I'll add I agree completely. I think that's, I learned that early on too. I'll add one more thing, if you don't mind. Yeah, of course. I was thinking about it as, as you were. I would say, feedback is certainly a gift, but so is delegation. It's another tool. I'll just say we as leaders, we have the power to delegate. We don't have to do everything ourselves and we should not be afraid to enlist help. I, delegation is also a gift we should unwrap that box and put it to use. It's it's another way to find time to do things that are really important for us relative to, self-care and.

Rachel Humphrey 24:02

And it helps support and elevate future leaders because as you delegate, they are then learning new skills, new responsibilities, and getting new exposure to leadership to really help them shine as well. So that's a win-win as well. I know as I told you at the top of the interview, I know we're gonna run short on time cause you have so many incredible things to share. Those who know me know that I love the question of advice to our younger selves and part. Because I think reflection is a really important part of our personal growth. But as you focused on earlier, we are works in progress, continuous growth, continuous curiosity, those types of things. So what would you tell today, 21 year old anew,

Anu Saxena 24:43

how much time do you have It's a great question. One that we should ask ourselves all the time because it truly, it instills and invokes some self-reflection. look here. Here's what I would tell my younger self, what I still tell my older self, Rachel, which is that I don't have to be in on in overdrive all the time. which is just, it just how I was raised. And there's a lot of, obviously goodness that comes out of it. But, it's something I have to continue to remind myself. In fact, I think I'm a better leader when I put myself on neutral sometimes to be honest. It's something I have to remind myself quite often. And the other thing I'll say is, and my trusted advisors, again, help me remember this, is just not to hold on so tight. Like it all works out how it's supposed to in the. And maybe that's a combination of just time in the water experience growing, growing in role. But I really believe that's

Rachel Humphrey 25:33

such great advice. Thank you very much for sharing that. Then just lastly, as we think of the motto of d e i advisors on empowering personal success, what is one final piece of advice you would offer to our listen?

Anu Saxena 25:45

the way, I love that tagline. I think it's great. I'm sure that a lot of people, can relate to it. I certainly can. I, I don't know if it's, this is advice Rachel, but just some thoughts. I think we, we live our whole lives whether it we're conscious of it or not, we're always susceptible to somebody else's plan for our success versus carving out our. At a young age, it's your parents' plan for you, then it's your teacher's plan for you. Then it's your professor's plan, your boss's plan. I think it's so easy to follow a path with expectations that are set by others. So I think the only advice I'd give, or, I thoughts I'd share is you have to really ask yourself ev every so often, what's my plan? And do. Do I have what I need to pursue it? And am I pursuing it with an intention and focus that stays fixed on, what, it is what I want to do, not what somebody else expects from me. So think you can learn from others for sure, but I think at the end of the day, you have to follow, your path, stick to your vision because literally at the end of the day it's your reason for success. It's your own. Wow.

Rachel Humphrey 26:43

That's a tremendous way to wrap things up. A, on behalf of the hospitality industry, on behalf of my personal career progression, thank you so much for being such an incredible advocate for women and diversity in the hospitality industry and for your leadership and importantly today. Thank you for supporting the mission of d e I advisors. I've had

Anu Saxena 27:03

a lot of fun. Rachel, thank you for having.

Rachel Humphrey 27:05

And to our audience. If you have enjoyed what you've heard today, we hope you'll go over to d e i advisors.org and hear from the over 75 industry leaders who are sharing their paths to leadership and the lessons they've learned along the way. You can also stream d e i advisors on your favorite podcast streaming service. But Anu, thank you so much. Have a great afternoon.

Anu Saxena 27:25

Thanks, Rachel. Bye-bye.