Her Story
About Marcia
My career in hospitality spans over 40 years, beginning when I graduated from college in upstate New York. A relative who worked for an international airline reached out and asked if I'd be interested in joining as an international flight attendant. At 21, it was an exciting opportunity to see the world on someone else's dime. I flew for less than 2 years before moving into airline management. The airline industry proved unstable, and I saw the writing on the wall before my airline folded, so I moved to another airline at a lesser position but more financially lucrative. When I saw instability again, I had an opportunity to join the cruise industry. They moved me to Florida with housing and a nice title, and I worked for a number of different cruise lines. I also worked with American Express and other companies. Throughout my career, I've been very fortunate to land on my feet whenever the industry shifted. Currently, I'm in communications and engagement at the Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection, where I write the daily newsletter and lead our daily lineup meetings, using the Ritz-Carlton's Credo Card to get everybody jazzed for the day. My strength is in developing and motivating individuals. I also have a second career writing romance novels, which has helped sustain me during unstable times in the travel industry.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Marcia
01What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
I had a boss in the New York area who gave me advice that I always valued. He told me I needed to work on a poker face, especially in the boardroom, because he could tell whether I thought someone was an idiot or not. He also emphasized the importance of work-life balance. He said he'd never seen a plaque in a cemetery that says 'best worker ever.' He told me it's healthier to balance my commitments well. He said if he saw me constantly staying after hours doing busy work every day, his concern was that something was off and I wasn't balanced. Another piece of advice came from someone very well known in the writing field who told me to keep my day job, because not all of us are Stephen King and it's a career that's up and down.
02What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
First of all, I think you have to be really, really very committed if you're going to have two careers at the same time. Something has to go - I would wake up at some ungodly hour, like 4 o'clock in the morning, to get my writing done before I went to work, especially when I had to meet a deadline. Both careers are a business, and I think people forget that. That's important, and you have to do them both well, so it does require a lot of juggling. From the business end of it, especially when it comes to guest relations or customer service in any company, there is politics, and you have to learn how to navigate the politics. I also think it's important to remember that our voice needs to count more. We tend to take a backseat to men, and especially women of color tend to get pushed behind and not be as validated as some of their other coworkers.
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