It's Personal Stories, A Hospitality Podcast

Jenn Clark Fugolo, Vice President, Industry & Stakeholder Engagement, AHLA Foundation Interviewed by Rachel Humphrey

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Jenn shares how her personal mantra of "love yourself, mix it up, and keep it moving" guides her journey through life. She also discusses the many ways that her support system is an integral, impactful part of her life and leadership. Jenn talks about why it is important for her to have a voice for others and also to make sure we advocate for ourselves and her drive and strategies for continuous learning.

Rachel Humphrey:

I am Rachel Humphrey with DEI Advisors. We are a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering personal success. And I am delighted to welcome to the show today, Jen Clark Fuglo of the HNLA Foundation. Jen, welcome to DEI Advisors. I'm

Jenn Clark Fugolo:

so happy to be here. Truly. Thank

Rachel Humphrey:

you. I am excited to jump right in because I have a lot of things I want to ask you about today. A lot of insights. I want you to share. But I want to start off with your journey to leadership because one of the things that I really love about the hospitality industry is how unique each of our paths can be. There is not just one runway that we all have to follow. So tell our audience a little bit about you and how you got to what you're doing today.

Jenn Clark Fugolo:

Yeah, I am. I'm glad you asked. And I guess the headline of this is you never know where life will take you. So be open to opportunities. I think along the way, even starting when you're a child those breadcrumbs are dropped and the dots start to connect. So quick little background about me. I am biracial. My mom is from North Dakota and grew up on a farm, one of nine. And my dad is from the projects of Trenton, New Jersey. So very different lived experiences. And I think that really shaped me in how I look at the world, how I empathize with others pick up on the little things, those little connections. So that is a skill I think that I developed probably because of I'm an only child and had to figure out how to make friends with everyone instead of you're not playing Barbies by yourself, But so that was an interesting, childhood journey. I'm growing up as a biracial child. I'm in navigating some of that. Children aren't always kind, but I think it gives you tough skin. So I'll put that in the wind column as we think about professional development. But I ended up going to college to study broadcast journalism, and it was a wonderful experience at University of Maryland. Taught me how to story tell, frame good messaging, etcetera. Thank you. I ended up in PR, and I started actually as an administrative assistant. So I was working in DC at a broadcast TV station, and I knew I wanted to switch careers. But I know I needed to get my foot in the door. So I was talking with an agency who said they didn't have an opening for, an account rep at the moment, but they did a. An administrative assistant opening. And I jumped at it because I saw the long term payoff or something like that and getting my foot in the door. So I did that and it was the most amazing experience because I sat outside the office of a partner. So I just absorbed, right? Absorbed. Every call that he had with a client, the way that he was consulting them on a crisis issue the way that he was talking with his family and managing that in between all the professional calls that he was doing. So I was really a sponge in that moment. And then that took me over to a senior living management operator where I led corporate communications and during the pandemic, which certainly. Gives you some tough skin. A highly matrixed organization during a pandemic is interesting. So really cut my teeth in thinking about the business of the business, but also learning to lead with empathy. So at that time George Floyd was murdered. So my head is in crisis communications and what are we doing about pandemic policies? And how are we communicating that with families? How are we communicating that with customers? But then I was looking around at employees and I saw, including myself, we were having a hard time, right? Like it's hard to focus 100 percent on your work when this other part of your life just feels. Like it's under attack or that you're unsafe or unsettled. So that led me to speak up based on some of the connections that I had with the executive team at that point to say, I gained enough influence with them and trust with them that when I did speak up, they listened, right? I think it's important. Don't just march into someone's office without developing that trust to begin with. But I marched in there and said, you know what? I've heard from a couple of people and I think folks are struggling. Let's take a pause. So I inserted myself into the D. E. and I world after the murder of George Floyd, and that took my career in a little bit of a different direction and ended up at the H. L. A. Foundation, which is the nonprofit kind of social impact arm of H. L. A. All about workforce recruitment, retention and advancement and doing that through the D. E. and I lens. If you really think about the communities that were impacting right? Marginalized communities that underrepresented communities. Underrepresented workforce, et cetera. So all of these little things in my life led me to where I am. And there were people along the way. I can think of Rosanna Mayetta in particular that I worked with at two organizations. She brought me on to HLA Foundation and she saw something in me that I don't even think I saw myself at the time. It's important to have that self awareness, know the right people speak up for what you believe in those moments to gain additional credibility. Thank you. and be okay with taking chances. So my

Rachel Humphrey:

gosh, so many lessons in there. And I interviewed Rosanna for D. I advisors. So I'd encourage everyone to go over and listen to that interview as well. The former president and CEO of the H. L. A. Foundation. But Jen, you talked about a lot of really important leadership lessons in there, and I want to follow up with some of them. But first, I want to talk about Your description of you sitting in that desk as a sponge of learning what was around you. And I want to talk about continuous growth from it because I always love sharing with people why I have asked someone to be a guest on the show. I tend to ask people in my network, people I have relationships with who have really impacted me, my career in some way. And you are relatively new to my universe. Only about a year or so, I think. But every now and then somebody crosses your path that every time you're around them, you learn something and that is what or who you are to me, whether it is on a panel together, whether we're in a meeting, whether I'm watching you on stage, listening to you on a podcast, I'm constantly learning about areas that are so important in leadership in life, but that are really new to me or really things that I am in the progress of trying to learn. And so I appreciate it. Okay. Jess, I am a sponge of you in a way that you were of these other people. So I really appreciate that. But tell me a little bit about other than absorbing what's around you. How do you continue to grow your skillset, your knowledge? Vocabulary is changing. Needs are changing. Leadership is changing. There's so many ways we can each do that. How do you tend to continue your own personal

Jenn Clark Fugolo:

development? I Formally and informally. So I would say on the formal side of things I spend about 10 minutes every day. I belong to the, I get the e newsletter from Harvard business review and then a couple other consultancy firms that kind of focus on leadership and how to do that from an inclusive lens, and the impact on the business. So I'm very intentional about seeking those articles out and Soaking them up like a sponge and learning. But then I think part of it is just intuition, right? Surrounding yourself with. I'll go here because I want to make sure we touch on it. Having that personal board of directors, right? Like being very intentional on who do you heavily rely on as a support system? Because you have those folks who validate your strengths, but I also think it's just as important to be aware of where you have areas for improvement or where a support system can help fill a gap, whether that's professionally or personally. So as a specific example, I had diagnosed ADHD, so that affects the brains. Executive dysfunction. So it can be harder at times to process information, especially if it's disparate information and make choices based on that. So that can sometimes lead to paralysis when starting long term projects or planning. And so in addition to those professional resources, like reading articles from HB space. B. R. Or going to therapy or talking to someone who also is in that realm and trying to navigate that in a professional setting. I also know when it's time to bring in my go to people, right? And so this goes back to sponge. So my husband, he has a background in design thinking, so he's helping me think about the problem analysis and making decisions. I go to a friend who reminds me that I am successful and that Despite having ADHD, there's so many positives to it, right? The ability to perform under pressure, having high EQ typically. And then your colleagues, right? Who are those people who you can get in a room and help map out all these thoughts with you so that you can keep moving things forward. So I think part of it is being intentional. But then there's also just the organic. in the hallway, talking to someone about, Hey, what are you working on right now? And learning something new and figuring out how to connect those dots. And maybe you go to lunch with them in two weeks and ask them to really deep dive into something that they're working on. So my head is always spinning and thinking about dots that I can connect both personally and professionally to support the business, but to grow as a person too.

Rachel Humphrey:

Not only do I love the support system, but because you. You really reflected that different people can serve in different capacities on that personal board of directors for you. But I like the connecting the dots. Cause now I'm thinking about a sponge with the little dots and here it is with a theme running through it. So that was a good analogy for sure. Speaking of continuous learning and ways we go to build resources and skills in addition to your day job, which is obviously for a not for profit arm of the HLA foundation or the social impact arm, you are also heavily involved with boards, association and nonprofits within the community and within the industry. And for a lot of us, in addition to the ability to give back or to serve others, which is really important. We can also learn tremendous skills that may be different than skills we learn in our day job. Why is that involvement for you important? And can you pinpoint any skills that you've learned through those opportunities that might be different than your corporate skill set?

Jenn Clark Fugolo:

Sure. First, I will reiterate and put an exclamation point on. I want to give back. I think that's why everybody gets involved in nonprofits and boards. And they also have that self awareness where they know that they can contribute positively to the mission or to the bottom line. My kind of specialty and what I pride myself on and what helps me sleep at night is being a voice and advocate for those Who maybe don't have as much of a voice or who are underrepresented or marginalized. And I would say my superpower, a skill or strength that I've really had to flex my muscle on is figuring out how to diplomatically in those meetings, right? Ensure that I'm at the table saying, all right, hey. Let's pull the thread through on that idea. Let's think about how that decision or that thought may affect X person or X community, right? So I'm bringing a different lens often to the nonprofits and the board meetings as a black woman biracial woman. It's really important that. Those lived experiences are reflected in that space as well. And there's certainly an art and a science to how you carry yourself and you move throughout those spaces because you typically are the one or two people who look like that in a room at least the nonprofits and the boards that I've been a part of. But in terms of skills, I would say it's really just continuing to flex the muscles and the strengths that I already have as it relates to being empathetic and always putting myself in the shoes of others. Of course, no business is fully altruistic, so you have to also wear that business hat. And I think that's something that I pride myself on, too, is how can you marry kind of profitability and performance with still doing good? That's what social impact really is about. And how can you carry everyone along on that journey? If they may only be thinking about it one way or another, right? How can I serve as the convener to get everyone to think somewhere in

Rachel Humphrey:

the middle? I love the message of being able to impact or influence others. through your role there, your voice, making sure that you are providing others perspectives. And that actually lends itself perfectly to a lot of people think of public speaking as the conference public speaking or this interview with you. But in fact, public speaking could be presenting to a board or could be presenting to your team at the office or to potential investors or sponsors. Things. And for many men and women, they will list public speaking as the idea they think is the number one obstacle to their career growth. How do you feel about public speaking? How do you prepare? Are you comfortable with it today? Always been the case. Talk a little bit about your experiences with all kinds of different public speaking. Sure.

Jenn Clark Fugolo:

And I'm glad you said that because really, it's about visibility, but recognizing that it's interactions big and small, both on stage and off stage. It's not just at the conferences. So how should I purchase? Okay. So if we think about executives and leadership, and you just mentioned Rachel being persuasive. Part of that is really about building that one on one trust and to do that, it's not only about how well you articulate something, but like what you, it is about what you are saying and how you are saying it. I tend to be very in tune to ensuring that I'm persuasive and carry a sense of confidence. You don't want to seem. Like you want to walk in there and know everything. But certainly you want to have some assertiveness. And the big take away is to ensure that you're tweaking your messaging to lead inverted pyramid style. So going back to my journalism days really starting with what's most important. What's that most important information or message first and then do your supporting details. Oftentimes, whether you're in an email or you're having a conversation with a colleague or your boss, you start with all the information in the lead up, right? And then you bury the lead and so lead with the most important thing. And as far as preparing, think about your audience. So you could be giving the same message or email or topic but it's going to look different depending on who your audience is. So we need to be thinking about what motivates them. What do they care about? Maybe what are some of their vulnerabilities or where do they have fears? Are you being inclusive? Do you, are we ensuring that if we are addressing a board that everyone feels seen and that their ideas are being recognized and considered when you're making a proposal? Yeah. And sincerity. I think that's also key. You, it's an art and a science, part art, part science. I think I've just been blessed to, to have that in my life probably because I am so empathetic, but I think you just have to anticipate questions and build content around that. So you're presenting a new strategic direction to your manager or a board or whoever your team. What questions do you think they'll ask? So a board or a manager, they're likely thinking about the bottom line and performance. So I may say we might take a short term hit because of X, Y, Z. By doing this, we anticipate larger revenue by X percent. If I'm talking to my team or a direct report or whoever it's really important to lead with empathy in that moment, because if we're So I need to build that trust by first acknowledging their position and putting myself in their shoes before I start barking. So that idea of kind of transformational leadership rather than transactional leadership is really important. So building those connections and really thinking about how you can put yourself in the shoes of others.

Rachel Humphrey:

I think leading with the punchline is so important also because of attention span. But the minute you say something that's the punchline, people are like, Oh, tell me more. And then you've drawn them in. But also your audience, you're right. Every audience is changing. So even though your messaging at the end of the day may be similar, making sure you're thinking about at the end of the day, who's going to be hearing it and maybe how do they best here. So thank you for sharing that. I think that's really great advice. You have talked a lot about advocating for others, making sure that. You give voice to others who may traditionally not have a voice. Your role certainly at the foundation is heavily focused on that, but I want to turn that around to a minute to advocating for ourselves. And there's certainly a generalization that women especially do not do a good job advocating for ourselves and whether that is. Asking for a promotion or raise that we think that we have earned seeking out a job that maybe we don't check every box for celebrating a success or taking credit for a success. There's so many different examples. What would you tell people who maybe are struggling to find their own voice about learning to and the importance of advocating for themselves?

Jenn Clark Fugolo:

Wow. This is my therapy session. I love it. So much of leadership really is about that self awareness and managing those emotions and figuring out how to work out those both personally, but also in influencing a team. So I do appreciate this conversation in terms of advocating, you hit the nail on the head. I started to smile when you said taking a pause to celebrate the wins. Yeah. So much of advocacy tends to come from a place of being your worst inner critic. So you have to start there, right? And having that self awareness and acknowledging where maybe you do have an oversaturation of an inner critic for a specific skill. And it could be even something personally, right? Oh, I'm not spending enough time with my cat. That's personally how I feel a lot of the times my cat ZD. And you have those inner critics, but then you say, you know what? But then I. When I do get home, I am spending time with her and it's quality time. And having that inner dialogue, being very in tune to where you do have those trigger points to your inner critic and figuring out self management techniques. There's a logic to that too, but then also back to the support system recommendation, having those people that, are in your corner and can remind you of how amazing and fabulous you are. That's been so important to me in terms of advocating. And then I would say also leading just being genuine, right? So any interaction I have, particularly if it's with someone of influence I am very intentional about. A nugget or two that I want to drop to them on how I want to promote myself, right? So if I think about the list of things that are my strengths or something as part of my professional or my personal brand, I want to ensure they're left with after I have that interaction. Whether it's three seconds, 30 seconds, 30 minutes, I'd go in with intention and I think about, okay, what do I want them to take away from this? And that is going to be different depending on the relationship that maybe you want to build with that person both personally, professionally, like outcomes. So intentionality is really important planning. So yeah, that's it. And a little bit of

Rachel Humphrey:

intuition. I love the combination of intentionality, but also again, another way that you really rely on your personal board of directors, because I think that's true for all of us. I think that many of us, I think. The own voices in our head tend to be so different than how others perceive us. And if every now and then we can reach out and say, remind me why you think I'm a good leader or intelligent or whatever it is, sometimes we just need somebody to be a little bit louder. Then the voice in our head and it's easier to quiet that down. You turn up, you talked a minute ago about your personal brand. And this is actually really interesting to me because personal branding was certainly nothing we talked about as my career started or was progressing, but we hear a lot about it now. I rely heavily on a personal mantra that kind of gets me. I think about as I make decisions in my personal life, my professional life. Do you have a way that you would define your personal brand and, or, cause there may be two very different things here, some sort of mantra that you tend to live by that guides your decision making?

Jenn Clark Fugolo:

I will lean into a personal mantra that my best friend and I developed probably 10 years ago. We were both going through a lot, just work wise, life wise, right? We've all been there. And he's been my rock and it is something that I tell myself every morning and it is. Love yourself, mix it up and keep it moving. So it starts right with yourself, knowing yourself, loving yourself, celebrating those wins, recognizing what makes you special. The strengths that you have, the people that love you, right? Mix it up. Is a challenge to myself in the vein of D and I, to ensure that I am. Continuing to grow that I am forcing myself to be exposed to new ideas, to different people, to new content and then keep it moving. Is there going to be those bumps in the road and you just. Got to keep it moving. So Kim, that's what we always say to each other. We text each other every morning and Kim. So it's that nice balance of self reflection, self love a little bit of outside of my comfort zone of ensuring that I'm pushing the envelope to continue to grow. And then recognizing that things are going to happen in life, not a hundred percent as you want them to, or as planned, and it's just important to keep it moving. And. learn how to adapt. So that's my mantra. I love it.

Rachel Humphrey:

And that you share it with someone else that can play a role in reinforcing it and reminding you maybe you come off those rails a little bit. Over the course of our conversation today as I get to know you better, One of the things I've noticed is you've taken some pretty big risks. Accepting a job as an administrative assistant, maybe feeling like maybe that would be where you get pigeonholed or switching industries, certainly going from one over to hospitality. The new roles you've had, they're speaking up in places that may be less accustomed to it. How would you maybe define how you tackle risks, how you anticipate and approach them whether it be in your.

Jenn Clark Fugolo:

Great question. My true north will always come down to ethics. I think I'm very driven by that. Particularly if we think about speaking up for others writing wrongs equity. So important. And I, that's just ingrained in me. I don't know if that's a skill that you can necessarily build perhaps with intentionality, but I think I've been blessed to just have that in terms of taking risks. There's a, I wouldn't say there's a perfect formula. Part of it is gut. I wish I could tell you that there's a checklist of 80 percent this it's 20 percent that. But going back to the support system, right? Bouncing ideas off of individuals who know all the dimensions of you both personally and professionally to say, Hey, I'm really thinking about this. Where are my blind spots? What am I not thinking of? You're not in this alone. When you take risks, lean on others who know you well, both your strengths and your areas of opportunity. So that you can really evaluate objectively where you want to go. But I would say that I'm just a risk taker. I think that's what life is about. It probably goes back to me being blessed with ADHD. We tend to be we can be sporadic and spontaneous. And so sometimes that works out well, sometimes it doesn't work out well. But I've learned to accept that. And thankfully every risk that I've taken both professionally has put me where I am today. So I am

Rachel Humphrey:

Very fortunate. I love your mentioning your gut instincts because my personal board tells me regularly that I do not rely as much as I should. They're like, it's there for a reason and you don't always have to act on it, but you at least have to take a minute to honor it and say, why is my gut telling me this? And so I think that's really interesting because, some people would say, oh, it's very data driven or it's very information driven. And sometimes for me, it really is. Just how does it feel inside for me? You just mentioned that every risk you have taken in your professional life has panned out very well for you. And I think that's incredible. But as we go through our careers, whether it is a risk that we take or an initiative that we launched with our company or something else, not everything goes as we hope that it will. What do you learn from obstacles or challenges that maybe are? Even more impactful than things you've learned from your successes

Jenn Clark Fugolo:

to things overcoming obstacles. I keep going back to this introspection because I think it's so important in how you show up in the world and how the world sees you. The overcoming an obstacle is. reminding yourself that no one is perfect and nothing is perfect. And so accepting this idea of continuous improvement is really important as a leader. Again, nothing is perfect. And so always think ahead to all right, that didn't work out, but maybe that's for the best. What did I learn from that? That I'm going to do differently next time and be honest about that and think about what did I do to contribute to that? What did others contribute? Thank you. To make that outcome what it was and be open to experimenting. Nothing is ever final and going back to my mantra of loving yourself and mixing it up and keeping it moving. It really just is about keeping it moving and figuring out, where you go from there and being resourceful. The only way to grow is to learn and by making mistakes and exposing yourself to other people, to other experiences, to other industries I actually learn a lot from my five year old godson. He keeps it the most real with me. I think just being honest with yourself and being open to just keeping it moving and finding out what motivates you so that you can overcome when you are feeling stuck, right? Don't sit and wallow. Take that time to mourn or say yeah. That didn't go as well as I thought it did. But then pick yourself up and know like tomorrow is a new day. Remind yourself of all of the amazing things that you have done in your life to get to where you are. And use that as a springboard to, to get you to the next thing. So baby steps for sure.

Rachel Humphrey:

I think that every challenge is a lesson, is a life lesson that we can all learn from. You just mentioned without knowing it, one of my favorite words, and that is introspection. I think that We are all works in progress and we will all continue to grow. But one way we do that is by reflection and introspection. So I have always loved both being asked and asking in return advice to our younger selves. What would you tell 21 year old Jen today either about something you wish you knew then, or about how things have played out for you over the years?

Jenn Clark Fugolo:

No, but in all seriousness trust your gut, know your value, find that support system who can reinforce and validate what you already know exists within yourself. I think you, that helps you love yourself more. It makes you feel more confident in decisions that you need to make. It makes you more confident in problem solving. So love yourself and surround yourself with people who will validate you when you lead with your gut. And it's okay if you pick your gut.

Rachel Humphrey:

I really love how your support system is such a recurring theme in so many of your leadership insights and really the ability to recognize that we don't do any of it alone. It's not just the tasks, but the actual leadership development is such an incredible lesson. As we wrap up today and we're thinking about the D. E. I. Advisors motto of empowering Thank Personal success. What is a piece of final advice you would share with our listeners?

Jenn Clark Fugolo:

Keep learning, challenge yourself to keep learning. And I don't just mean reading the HBR article about, the top five characteristics for leading inclusively. It's learning about people. It's that culture of curiosity, right? Because the more you know about lived experiences, other ways to approach things, being open to getting to an end goal. But maybe the way you get there is different than how you thought of it in your head. That is what is going to propel you forward and lead you to success.

Rachel Humphrey:

That's such a great way to wrap things up today. Jen, on behalf of my own continuous learning through being a sponge off of you on behalf of the hospitality industry to which you are so committed and provide such tremendous value. Thank you so much for joining us at DEI Advisors today. To our audience, if you are interested in hearing from other great leaders within the hospitality industry, we hope you'll head over to DEIadvisors. org to listen to the more than 100 interviews we have there, as well as streaming from your favorite podcast streaming services. So Jen, thank you so much for supporting your advisors and appreciate your time today. Thank you so

Jenn Clark Fugolo:

much, Rachel.