Women’s History Month Q&A

In recognition of Women’s History Month, we sat down with Chief Financial Officer Michele Allen, Chief Marketing Officer Lisa Checchio and Chief Human Resource Officer Monica Melancon to hear their career advice, what they wished they learned sooner and other words of wisdom from these dynamic leaders at Wyndham Hotels & Resorts. 

What are the best pieces of advice you believe have helped you become the leader you are today? 

Michele: The best advice I’d say is to focus on the positive and to build your network. Make sure that you are bringing a “how can I help?” attitude to work every day. It's all about the people you're serving, and I think if you can keep that in mind all the time, it will help guide decisions and your actions.

Lisa: I’ll keep it simple: Be an optimist and whistle while you hustle.

Monica: My mantra has always been to never be limited by the limited imagination of others. This is modeled off of a quote from Mae Jemison, the first black woman astronaut which is: “Never be limited by other people's limited imaginations ...” 

What do you wish you had learned sooner?

Michele: I wish I'd learned sooner that work-life balance isn't something you achieve on a day-to-day basis. It’s cumulative over time. And so there will be times where you don't have a tremendous amount of work-life balance, but then there will be times where you are indeed able to achieve it. And maybe work will take priority one week and then your family will take priority the next week. And the other thing I really wish I learned sooner was that no one's going to decide what that balance looks like for you besides YOU. You have to own it. You have to carve out the time in your schedule and you have to draw the hard boundaries.

Monica: To let my voice be heard. Earlier in my career, I would sit back and allow other people to speak first, or sometimes I would take what I thought was a great idea or suggestion home with me, think about it and perfect it … only to come back to discover someone else presented it and I should have spoken it when I had the opportunity! So I really had to learn that my voice should be heard. I think and speak it.

What advice would you give to the next generation of women leaders?

Monica: Be curious. Never stop learning. Always focus on making time for yourself – both personally and professionally. Doing this will help you position yourself to be the very best you can be and to lead with your best self. Don’t be silenced by anyone or anything. And if you have any insecurities, be true to thine own self and work on those insecurities to develop ways to curtail them or techniques to minimize them. But, always know that you add value in any situation that you're a part of. I’d also add: don't be afraid to take on challenging assignments, roles and responsibilities. Those are the moments where you get the biggest growth.

Lisa: You cannot expect more of another person than you expect from yourself. Whether you’re managing one person, 50 people, leading a project, managing partners or leading a meeting, you have a chance to be an example. If you expect things to go a certain way, you can be the change you want to see; the culture I want to create. Don’t leave it up to others if you can make an impact, even if it’s in a small way. 

Michele: Don’t let microaggressions, injustice or inequality define you. Focus on yourself, work on your relationships and your career. 

Who inspires you?

Lisa: My father is an immigrant, and when he came to the United States he started a small physician’s practice, and my mother ran his office. I have memories of growing up and being in their office constantly. Stuffing envelopes after school and playing on weekends when they worked to catch up on the week. The drive, work ethic and entrepreneurship of my parents that I experienced growing up shaped who I am. Fast forward to the work I do now, working with our owners and franchisees – small business owners just like my parents – I am truly inspired by their stories and connect to their experiences. Most recently, talking with our owners about their experiences during COVID, how their families pulled together to make it through such a tough time, it made me realize that the work we do to put our owners first is so important.

Monica: My grandmother was my inspiration. She gave me the best example of how to be a woman with purpose. I can still hear her say I should always focus on dreaming big and realizing that I could accomplish anything I set my mind to and so I decided to work really hard to achieve. And then the last thing she told me was that I should never, ever allow anyone to alter my dream because it's mine. I own it and I could achieve it if I truly felt like I could, or if I set my mind to it, and so that’s stuck with me for my entire life.

Why should more women think about careers in hospitality? 

Lisa: I'd be hard pressed to find another industry as dynamic as hospitality. There are so many dimensions to where a career path can lead you. You could be in hospitality for your entire career and not have the same job twice. This industry attracts an individual who is energized by a different day every day, energized by people, energized by service, energized by creating experiences. There’s nothing like being part of an industry where there is that kind of emotional connection. This is not just an industry of jobs, it’s an industry of careers. 

Monica: Across the board hospitality is an ever-changing environment that continues to grow and evolve. And as new strategies, new challenges and new opportunities present themselves you find yourself with the opportunities in so many different places. This industry offers you different experiences and the opportunity to learn new things that you may not get in other industries. 

Why should someone think about a career at Wyndham Hotels & Resorts?

Michele: There are so many great things about Wyndham including that we place a significant amount of importance on diversity and inclusion. While we recruit and promote diverse candidates, we also create an inclusive environment where diverse candidates can feel comfortable bringing their whole selves to work, because when you're comfortable bringing your whole self to work, that's when you can reach your maximum potential. And that's how we advance women in the workplace, by creating environments where she can reach their maximum potential. Wyndham has a vibrant culture. We're all about creating memories, putting people on vacation and connecting people with their family and friends. Who wouldn’t love to be part of that?!

Lisa: Wyndham’s values are what sets us apart from any other hospitality company. They make us who they are. We put our Count on Me service and values into practice in all we do. We are true to our values at every level of the organization, and they drive the work we do every day. 

Monica: Wyndham is an organization built on a very rich culture. We have embraced the ability to be flexible and adaptable as a workplace. There is a camaraderie within our team that makes this a great organization to be a part of. You'll find help in your co-workers; you'll find support in your leaders. And you'll find that we are always looking to build an environment of trust. How do we do that? We offer flexibility and trust our team members to work where they need to and desire to by offering flexible schedules, for example. We also look to ensure that our team members feel that they're supported for career growth and development. We do this by providing in-house as well as external learning opportunities and giving our team members time to commit to their growth and development. We make it possible for everyone to bring their whole selves to work. And then last, but certainly not least, Wyndham has been recognized as a great place to work time and time again – whether by Forbes, Newsweek, New Jersey Best Places to Work and more – our culture speaks volumes.