Alison Birdwell: SHA 2022 Convocation Speaker

Good morning everyone. I'm extremely excited and honored to be here today, and thank you to Dean Arunasia, all of the faculty, students, parents, and friends for allowing me to speak to you today. Congratulations. Today is a very important day for all of you. Whether you're a proud parent, a graduating undergrad, or a master's student who's graduating, you should be very proud of yourselves. It's been a long road to get here, and many previous speakers have mentioned COVID and what that has done to the state of the world, as well as to Boston University and SHA. So you should be especially proud of your achievements today, and I'm very, very sure when I tell you that these experiences have prepared you for what's to come in life. I have the benefit of knowing the outcome of my SHA education. I won't tell you how long ago that was, but it was quite a while ago, and I've had plenty of time to use my education. And as a proud alum, I would also tell you that I think my dad got his money's worth for my education here. So if you're a parent out there, or whoever paid for the education, my dad is here today, and if you'd like to confirm with him that that was the case, I'm sure he'd be happy to tell you after the ceremony today. But I'm also here, as are my parents, for another reason: my son is graduating today, whom we're very, very proud. And I think understanding that we have reinvested in BU and SHA a second time around also speaks to how impressed and how important we find SHA and the hospitality education. So the two speakers who went before me, both students, were really impressive, and I'm sure you're going to blow away what I have to say today. But it really speaks to how far SHA has come since I graduated and I sat in the audience where you are today. And if you told me I'd be up here speaking today, I would never have believed you. I was a pretty shy student. I certainly didn't have speaking skills like both of those graduates just shared with you today. So I really think that speaks volumes about the education and how far SHA has come since I've graduated. So my job here today is to tell you what I learned and give you some advice so that you can go forth into the world. And I know that I'm standing between you and getting that diploma in your hand, so I'm going to boil this down pretty quickly to three key things that I think you really need to know.

The first one is change. And you've heard a lot from some of the other speakers recently about change. The first thing that you really think about is what's just happened over the last couple of years with COVID. You have endured things that no one ever imagined in your college career. Over my desk, I have a big printed framed poster that says, 'Nothing changes if nothing changes.' And I look at that pretty much every day because change is hard and change is scary, but change is inevitable. And if you don't roll with it, it's going to roll with you, and you're going to end up someplace you don't want to be. So take charge of your destiny and embrace change. It's not always easy to say, but get out of your comfort zone before you're forced out of it, and really enjoy what's on offer and how you can capitalize on that. Our industry has suffered crucial change. I think about my business. I'm responsible for venues that completely shut down during COVID. Imagine running 150 stadiums, zoos, arenas, concert places, and convention centers, and overnight my business went out of business. How do you navigate something like that? There's no playbook. Nothing has ever happened like that before in the world. So me, my team, everyone was forced to really write the playbook, if you will, including our clients, the Red Sox, other major sports teams, performers. Everyone in our industry really had no idea what was going to happen. As a result of that, there have been some bright spots as we've come back online. There's been forced adoption of things that we thought would never happen in our industry, 10, 20 years from now, we never thought would be the norm. And those things are the norm today: things like not taking cash anymore, things like technology that we had never imagined would be adopted in the way that it has. And these are all really positive steps moving forward in our industry. But when you think about the industry, hospitality is a people industry. All the people went away. How do you connect with someone, whether you're a student sitting in a dorm or your bedroom taking classes, whether you're a guest who can't attend an event, whether you're in a hotel and you can't even go to the restaurant and you're lucky to just check in, because the human piece of hospitality went away? And that is something that could never have been reckoned with. So we learned a lot through COVID that has really helped the industry come out swinging on the other side.

When you think about hospitality, so much has changed. When I graduated, even up to 10 or 15 years ago, it was a very different world. Everyone sitting in a red robe down there today, you would have been going into an industry that really involved operations in a hotel, maybe a restaurant that your family might have owned or managed. And it was a very, very different environment. Today, many of you, I had the pleasure of speaking to some of you before we came out into this room today, shared with me what your career plans are. They're jobs that didn't even exist, let alone when I graduated college, but even five years ago, some of them even two or three years ago. So think about what change has been able to do and evolve and help you find your way in this new world. When I first started my career in hospitality, I started working at Warren Towers right down the street here, where I had the privilege, or not, of living. And I will tell you, true story, Warren Towers has not changed one single bit from the day I lived there, and that was a while ago. And my parents are here, and they dropped me off there, and they've been into my son's room when he lived there his freshman year, and would tell you the exact same thing. But the point of this story is I started working as a cook for, ironically, ARA Services, which is now the company that I work for, known as Aramark. And that's where I started my hospitality career. And that's what you did: you went in and you got a job and you learned the business from there. I decided after one semester that I was too glamorous for that, and my makeup melted in the kitchen, and that wasn't my gig. So I actually got a job at the Back Bay Hilton, which is still alive and well, it's been renovated though, since I worked there. And I really understood what hospitality and service and being the difference and providing an experience to guests and people in general was all about. And that was really an experience that led me into the hotel industry. Now, obviously, my experience veered off the hotel path. And if you had told me today that I'd be managing a business that oversees sports venues and concert venues, I wouldn't have had the first idea how to do any of that. And really, I don't know that I would even have told you I was interested. So the point is, change happens. And as it happens, embrace it and make sure that you think about the implications. SHA's 40th anniversary is this year, which makes me feel really old. No, no, I was not the first graduating class, just for the record. But the fact that it's celebrating its 40th anniversary speaks volumes about the change and the resilience of this school. And you should be so proud to understand that the program that you had, your two years, four years, one year, however long you studied, either your master's or your undergrad, is completely different from what I did. And so it should be, and it will be completely different again in the next four years. The innovation and the exciting things that Arun and his team have on deck, and I have the privilege and pleasure of being involved in as a Dean's Advisory Board member, are just always so impressive to me as we move forward. So really, the takeaway is embrace change, don't be afraid of change, and really, change is the way of the world.

One of the other speakers said that this industry is not for the faint of heart, and she's right. And I'm here to tell you, she can say that today, I can say that 30-plus years down the road. And for that reason, the second thing you need to know about is confidence. And a quote that I really enjoy and think about a lot is from Henry Ford: 'Whether you think you can or you think you can't, you're right.' It's all about attitude and it's all about your mindset. Self-confidence is a very powerful thing, not in a cocky way or posing as something you're not, that's arrogance, but in a genuine and well-earned way. Confidence is what you need. It's important for you to know that I still don't know what I want to be when I grow up. I better get my act together. But really, what I'm telling you is the confidence to put yourself forward and take whatever is given to you or you have the opportunity to take or give is really the key to moving your career forward. You may choose a career path that has nothing to do with hotels. You may choose a career path that has nothing to do with food and beverage or managing rooms or revenue or any of those operational things. There are career paths today. I employ a virtual army of data scientists in my business. And no kidding, they spend all day analyzing where we sell the most beer and hot dogs, in what location, and how we can move those menus around or how we can get those to you in different ways. That's a career. And I have a guy who's a vice president of doing that. Pretty cool. And so that job never existed before. And when you think about what you want to be when you grow up, there'll be a job like that down the line that certainly didn't exist when I was in your seat today. Confidence has allowed me to run what is today, finally back after COVID, a $1.6 billion business. But I'm still not confident in all that I do. And I think that's the best kind of position to be in. When I was asked to speak here today, usually I don't even make notes for speeches because I go into environments where I know the business, I'm a subject matter expert. I wrote a speech for the first time in a long time because my personal reputation is at stake, my mom's here, and I think my son's here, and I want to set a good example. And I really think being confident, you've got to understand the give and take of that as well. But I would tell you to believe in yourselves. Sports and me, not a natural combination. News flash: I have no idea. I'm from England, in case you can't tell. I moved to the U.S. right before I actually for high school, so I was pretty new in the U.S. when I came to SHA. And I have no idea how to play football, baseball. All those accounts that I have that do those things, I hope this isn't being filmed. All right, I'm outed. But really, the important thing you need to know is having the confidence. I spend a lot of time with team owners and team presidents, and I watch a lot of ESPN or speak to my husband before I go into those meetings because I really need to know and have the confidence to know what I'm talking about. I have a dear friend in the industry, she actually is the Chief Financial Officer for the San Antonio Spurs. Her name is Laurie Warren. And she tells a great story about when she started working for the Spurs and she went into the interview and the owner of the team asked her what position their most important player played. She had no idea. She sat there and she said, 'Uh, point guard?' And she got the job. And I think the point being here is that I'm not employed to be a quarterback. I'm not employed to be a base runner or a hitter. I'm employed to provide an amazing experience for fans while they are at events. I can't perform a song. I don't get on stage with people I've never heard of, but I and some I have heard of too, but I'm obviously not plugged into the music scene the way I maybe should be. But have the confidence and know what you need to know to get in there and have those conversations.

I used to think that if I did my job well, people would notice me. And so I did, and they did. But it wasn't until I started putting my hand up and asking for more and having the confidence to say, 'I could do that, I want to try that,' and people started saying yes to me. I work in a pretty male-dominated industry. I was always thinking, 'Well, I don't know that I can do that.' But I can, and I did. And you need to know that you can and you will as well. You chose hospitality. What drew you here? Think about that. You have to love this industry. It's a tough industry. It's tough when times are good, but it's tough when times are bad as well. But underneath that toughness, there's a lot of passion and there's a lot of fun. I decided I didn't want to be in the hospitality industry shortly after I left SHA. I didn't really know what I wanted to do. I went back to school and got an MBA. And where did I go after I got that MBA? Right back into the hospitality industry again. I tried working in a bookstore. I thought that would be really fun. I wanted to run a bookstore. I went actually to Barnes & Noble and became a bookstore manager. It lasted two weeks. There was a panic when they needed more than one register open, and I thought, 'I can't believe this is even happening.' I'm used to much bigger scope. A lot of fun in hotels. And really, what I learned in the hotel industry translated exactly into what I do today. You are the master of your destiny. Whatever you are, be a good one. That's the price of admission. And then have the confidence to move forward. You need to put in the work and earn your leadership every day. I often used to think when I was younger, 'Today could be the day I lose my job.' And that's kind of a negative, crazy thing when you think about it, but in some aspects, it's not. I always had to show up and make sure I was doing my best every day, or someone else was going to do better than me. And it's not that you have to be that competitive all the time, but you do have to have the confidence to know that maybe you shouldn't be so confident if you don't have your act together. Success is not an accident. So have the confidence and back it up, and you will do great things.

The third thing I want to talk to you about is leadership. And that's when you put being able to handle change and confidence together. We need leaders. I can't tell you how important it is in my industry, in any industry, in hospitality in general, especially right now. We need leaders. Having the right team on the ground at our venues is the most important thing to our clients and our fans. If we don't have a leader who's leading our team, whether it be at Fenway, Citi Field, anywhere, we don't get the job accomplished. So it takes time to grow into leadership. You may be a born leader, but you can learn leadership. And what does that mean? I can teach anyone the business, but I need someone who's willing to lead, to take risks, to improve the outcome, and to do well, and to do something that our industry needs more of. The real quick key: those people who step up and make changes and aren't afraid to own things get where they need to go faster. And there's not just one way to skin a cat. You can do it your way if you're the leader. Leaders, when you look in the dictionary, it tells you they inspire, they motivate, they guide, they influence, and they're fair. They're decisive. They set goals. And they have a vision. That's a lot. And you don't learn those things overnight. Rome was not built in a day. But you need to have that confidence to feel that you can learn those things, and don't be afraid to do that. In times of uncertainty, step up. COVID was a great testament to those who stepped up and figured things out and got ahead. Lead by example. Back at Warren Towers when I was living the life in my little chef's hat over at Warren Towers 30-plus years ago, I learned something which was so menial at the time, but I just can't believe how much I've used it since. I learned to take a pot and clean the dish machine at Warren Towers. So for those of you who've ever eaten at Warren Towers, not a fun task, right? But to this day, I understand the inner workings in a kitchen of things like that, and I can lead by example and I can say, 'Hey, do it this way,' or 'You know what, let me show you how to do that.' Even in my role today, relating to our employees who wash dishes is really, really important as a leader. So don't take for granted that those small things won't make a difference. It's all about making a difference and being the difference in an experience or an interaction or a kind gesture. That is what being a leader is. Perspective is also important in leadership. You have to think about things. If you think about COVID, 'This too shall pass.' And that's really a mantra that you might need more than others. Pick your battles. Dying on every hill doesn't work. You've got one body. There's a high body count if you're going to die on every hill. Don't take yourself too seriously. We sell hot dogs and toys. That's my job. And quite a lot of beer as well. But some people get very worked up about things in the workplace. Hey, we're here to have fun. We're here to give other people fun. We sell hot dogs and toys, and we have to put that into perspective sometimes.

I'm a big fan of Winston Churchill quotes, so I had to throw one in here before we end today. And that is: 'Success is not final, failure is not fatal. It is the courage to continue that counts.' And I also have that on my office wall as well. And really, it grounds you when you're in tough situations or you're feeling really good about what you've just done. You have to be resilient and keep things in perspective. Expect and embrace change with confidence. Step up. But above all else, really enjoy the ride. Another quote which some people have attributed to Churchill, but I don't know that he said it, so I'm just going to say it's anonymous in my attribution. But one that I live by every day: 'Everything will be okay in the end. If it's not okay, it's not the end.' Congratulations, graduates. Thank you for having me here today.