Executive Vice President, Global Communications & Public Affairs
www.marriott.com/default

Kathleen Matthews has been there and done that. Been there as an eyewitness to history. Done that as a savvy yet sensitive storyteller.

Kathleen spent the first 30 years of her career as an award-winning broadcast journalist in Washington, DC. She served as anchor, reporter, producer and host of WJLA TV’s daily newscasts and special programs Capital Sunday and Working Woman, a nationally syndicated news magazine.

She interviewed every First Lady since Rosalyn Carter and covered more political conventions than she can count. She has been on the front lines of breaking news, such as the Washington-area sniper case in 2002. She lived and worked through the 9/11 terrorist attacks in Washington and traveled the globe to report the events that have literally changed the world.

A San Francisco Bay Area native, she was inspired to move East at the height of the Watergate scandal because she saw that investigative journalism could be a form of public service. Last December, she left the newsdesk to become executive vice president, global communications and public affairs for Marriott.

She is married to Chris Matthews. Yes, he of “Hardball with Chris Matthews” on MSNBC. Their dinner table must hear a lot of animated political conversation! The Matthews have three grown children.

What I learned from Kathleen: It’s OK - even advantageous - not to be Superwoman. You don’t have to know it all and you shouldn’t try to do it all. Showing vulnerabilities can even be a good way to get things done because it makes people want to help you, partner with you and give you opportunities.

Be the Change You Want to See

“As a journalist, I was a storyteller. It was both rewarding and challenging to empathize with the audience. The most satisfying moments were the times I could do a story and have a positive impact on the subject in some way.

“For instance, I was on the board of an organization called Suited for Change which provided work clothes for women coming off welfare. I was forthcoming about my involvement up front and did a story about the 10,000th woman to come through the door for assistance. The next day, she went on an interview and got the job. They recognized her from my story.”

On Hillary

“Hillary is one of most impressive people I’ve interviewed. In some ways, people see her as too confident, too in control. People have the sense she thinks she’s smarter than the rest of us. If that were a man, people wouldn’t have the same reaction.

“She goes on listening tours to show she’s not a know-it-all. A man wouldn’t have to go on a listening tour. Men, who don’t admit their vulnerabilities, are uncomfortable with women who don’t seem vulnerable.”

A Lady in the Newsroom

“When I walked through the door in 1975, news directors were eager to hire women. They had so few women in TV news then. To be a woman then was an advantage. My career progressed through the changes in gender balance and now there are more women than men in a lot of newsrooms.”

… And the Boardroom

“In business, women generally hold at least half of mid-level positions but there aren’t a lot of them at the top. Business is slightly lagging behind journalism, which was under a lot of pressure. I think we’ll see parity at the top very soon. There are clusters of women ready to move up.”

Career Plateaus

“Women’s talents are recognized. They mostly need to catch up with experience and that’s just time on the job. A woman’s career trajectory isn’t necessarily consistent. She may put her career on a plateau to care for children or sick parents. There are times when women don’t want to put their careers first. I never took years off when my kids were growing up, but I did turn down assignments. I asked to be taken off the 11 o’clock news so I could be home with my family.”

Teaching the Boys About Networking

“Women make connections on personal level and business may come later. Women are wired towards relationships. We’re very social. We’re communicators. We’ve now figured out that our sociability can work for us in business. Trust is an important factor for women, too. We’re driven more by compassion than ambition but we’ve found that our ambition is served through our relationships.

“To mention a stereotype, we could say that men network on the golf course. But now they’re learning a lot of networking techniques from seeing how women network at work.”

Woman in Progress

“Women are always trying to lead integrated lives. They’re trying to move their careers along and remain integrated and happy. It’s about finding balance. Oprah, for one, calls herself a woman in progress. Women will generally say that integration makes them happier in their career and all other aspects of life. Men often just say their careers make them happy.”

Put Your Corporate Skills to Work for You

“A lot of women take their experience from a big organization and feel their resume is portable. They take their talent and do it on their own, forming their own business. It’s a big thing to realize your talents aren’t linked to the cog you are in an organization’s wheel but can work for you personally.”

Take the Risk

“Entrepreneurs are risk takers and women are getting more comfortable with risk and trying various routes. As an entrepreneur, you may find the flexibility to lead an integrated life. But, you may also be busier than ever.”

Grow Big!

“My friend Ginger Pape has co-authored a book called Repotting: 10 Steps for Redesigning Your Life. It’s about not staying in a pot that’s too small. It encourages women to find a bigger pot where their roots can grow deeper and the plant can grow bigger. There are lots of opportunities in women’s lives to repot.”

Repotting in Practice

“I don’t miss TV news. I was looking for a chance to ‘repot’ and try something new. At Marriott, I use my journalistic filter and skills to understand the good stories that can generate coverage. As a storyteller, I can tell Marriott’s story through the traditional and new media. I can communicate directly with customers through blogs and YouTube videos without having to interest a traditional reporter in a story.”

A Good Read

“I recommend Life’s a Campaign: What Politics Has Taught me About Friendship, Rivalry, Reputation, and Success by Chris Matthews”.

Advice to Launchers

“Think big. Think short-term milestones and also big ones. Imagine a point well beyond your wildest dreams and create benchmarks to get there one day at a time.”

This Featured Lady was profiled by Andrea Adleman, a Los Angeles-based freelance writer.