“When people open my door, I want them to feel the way they feel when they step into a five-star resort.” This leader was referring to her office door, her “Zoom room,” and simply conversations that people might have with her.

Ironically, she wasn’t even in the travel and hospitality industry. She simply knew that feeling that those in that world created — the ability to melt away her worries and make her feel heard and seen.

THAT is what makes the travel and hospitality industry so unique: The number of people — women in particular — who have a genuine desire to care for others. And they make it happen. We love to serve and shine light on others. It’s our nature, and why we do what we do.

Yet, could one of our greatest strengths also be holding us back?

When we serve, we often forget ourselves — and, just as importantly, our voice.

  • We’re accomplished and strong, so we have no problem diminishing our own needs.
  • We lose touch with our greatest purpose and hence our greatest impact.
  • And in the “hustle”, we lose sight of where we want to go in our journey.

And without that clarity and confidence in our voice…

  • We adopt the voice of others (or that of the façade of the “professional” world).
  • We wait for others to validate our ideas before putting it “out there”.
  • We often wait for others to speak up before we do.
  • We simply forget how powerful our voice is … to elevate our career, influence our industry, spark innovation, create change, connect on an even deeper level with others, and to feel more personally fulfilled in our work.

So how can we as women harness a caring yet powerful voice?

  1. Think: “Self-expression over self-promotion”. We hate to “boast” and shy away from sharing our amazing accomplishments and superpowers. Let’s shift our mindset from “promoting our accomplishments” to expressing how we can be of value to others.
  2. Welcome the “ASK”. If a man needs something, he’d turn to his buddy and immediately ask for it, direct and blunt. No guilt if he doesn’t have the solution. Let’s start asking for what we need as women+. And helping others to “make the ask” by saying, “Help me help you. Tell me what you need/want.”
  3. Reframe compassion and care as a strength. Our world for far too long has seen compassion and care as a “weakness” in the professional world. I know we say empathy is a strength nowadays, but do you truly embody that? Own it, be proud of it. What people see and believe about us is largely a result of the narrative WE choose to tell the world.

As women in this industry, we’re often inherently caring and compassionate. And, if leveraged and amplified, it’s the most powerful voice of all. It’s what leadership wants and needs in this new world of work.