Power Women: Laurie Albrecht of San Diego’s Liberty Station On How To Successfully Navigate Work, Love and Life As A Powerful Woman

An Interview With Ming Zhao

Ability to Grow and Change: what got you here, won’t get you there. In order to evolve and change with the world, be open to feedback, hearing what others have to say, and grow both personally and professionally. Enjoy the stage you are in at the moment. It is hard when your kids are small and you think, “will I make it until I can put them in bed at 7 pm?” Now your time is your own, but you would love the snuggle time back. Enjoy each moment!

How does a successful, strong, and powerful woman navigate work, employee relationships, love, and life in a world that still feels uncomfortable with strong women? In this interview series, called “Power Women” we are talking to accomplished women leaders who share their stories and experiences navigating work, love and life as a powerful woman.

As a part of this series I had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Laurie Albrecht.

As director at San Diego’s Liberty Station, Laurie Albrecht oversees all functions of the multi-dimensional community from marketing to events, as well as property management and public relations. Through comprehensive strategies and innovative wit, she plays an integral role in maintaining Liberty Station’s position as a sought-after destination in San Diego.

Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you a bit more. Can you tell us a bit about your childhood “backstory”?

I grew up on 60 acres in Michigan with two buildings that the family rented out for picnics/parties/events. Everyone saw the exterior (large home, rolling pastures, horses, etc.) but they didn’t see that our family worked cleaning buildings, grounds, latrines and picked up cigarette butts for every event. Our family worked hard and as a team.

Can you tell us the story about what led you to this particular career path?

This career takes creativity and dedication which I feel has been ingrained in me since my days helping with the events in my childhood. After I tried out the pre-law world and discarded it as a career path, I continued in my business classes and realized marketing fit me like a cashmere sweater and capitalized on my strong suits. My days at the 49ers, years of running my own businesses and now serving at Liberty Station, have all been very marketing oriented and each day is an exciting challenge.

Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?

My career has opened up opportunities that I never could have dreamed. I have five Super Bowl rings! Who would have thought that a female with no NFL connections from Holland, MI would be able to say that?

You are a successful business leader. Which three character traits do you think were most instrumental to your success? Can you please share a story or example for each?

• Listening: Oftentimes you have to hear not what is being said but the hidden meaning in the words. Determining the end goal and listening to comprehend vs. listening to hear is imperative. ​
• Humor: I always feel that humor helps in any situation. In serious situations, it helps alleviate, deflect, and bring everyone back to a common ground. I like to tell people to not take themselves too seriously as we aren’t trying to build a rocket.
• Adaption: With Liberty Station’s Centennial celebration, we are starting a project from the ground up and wanting to marry a formal naval training center with the successful multi-use project it has become. It is freeing to not have to have the event look a certain way. We are open to interpretations and allowing others to add their expertise so that the end result is success for the project. Communication allows for adaptation.

Ok, thank you for that. Let’s now jump to the primary focus of our interview. The premise of this series assumes that our society still feels uncomfortable with strong women. Why do you think this is so?

Sometimes, strong women work really hard at making it known they are a strong woman. Often times, this makes those around them uncomfortable. I would say the same idea applies to men.

Without saying any names, can you share a story from your own experience that illustrates this idea?

My husband and I attended a large event and watched a strong woman in attendance position herself in a certain spot with specific lighting and then proceed to tell all who would listen how powerful she was.

What should a powerful woman do in a context where she feels that people are uneasy around her?

A powerful woman should have the self-awareness to understand the comfort level of those around her as well as possess the skill set to make people comfortable.

What do we need to do as a society to change the unease around powerful women?

I don’t consider myself a powerful woman, I consider myself someone who knows where they are going and the goal to be accomplished. My hairstylist shocked me when he told me I am someone who exudes power. The thought makes me laugh! Some individuals are uneasy about powerful people. For example, being a female representative in the early 80’s and 90’s with a successful football franchise, people didn’t know what to do with me. Some thought it was great that I could talk football, and some were not comfortable.

I believe a successful woman in any field has to have a greater knowledge base then men.

Unfortunately, I don’t have any easy answers on how to change the way society thinks.

In my own experience, I have observed that often women have to endure ridiculous or uncomfortable situations to achieve success that men don’t have to endure. Do you have a story like this from your own experience? Can you share it with us?

When I attended my first NFL marketing meeting, one of the other team’s representatives pointedly told me that the Community Relations/PR meeting I was looking for was down the hall. I guess I don’t have to explain that I was the only female marketing director in the room. The gentleman and I still laugh about this situation and he is a close friend.

In your opinion, what are the biggest challenges faced by women leaders that aren’t typically faced by their male counterparts?

Women leaders often lack the ability to be taken seriously. There seems to be a much greater yardstick when a woman comes into a situation rather than the acceptance that a man finds.

Let’s now shift our discussion to a slightly different direction. This is a question that nearly everyone with a job has to contend with. Was it difficult to fit your personal and family life into your business and career? For the benefit of our readers, can you articulate precisely what the struggle was?

Working 60 to 80 hours per week at the 49ers was difficult to even think about a family. My husband and I were married for 10 years before discussing children and that was only because I had left the organization to move to Southern California. There were individuals who did have a family who worked the same wild hours, but I wasn’t comfortable to do so at that time.

What was a tipping point that helped you achieve a greater balance or greater equilibrium between your work life and personal life? What did you do to reach this equilibrium?

What gave me an equilibrium was having kids — I wasn’t able to figure out how to work the 80-work week and be hands-on with our kids. We didn’t talk about kids when I was at the Niners, but when we did have kids, it brought a different quality of life and prioritization to my work and life. I left what people would consider to be a dream job to be a wife and then started my own businesses and found that I could do both with the right priorities.

I work in the beauty tech industry, so I am very interested to hear your philosophy or perspective about beauty. In your role as a powerful woman and leader, how much of an emphasis do you place on your appearance? Do you see beauty as something that is superficial, or is it something that has inherent value for a leader in a public context? Can you explain what you mean?

Beauty to me is found with your internal comfort of who you are and what you believe in.

How is this similar or different for men?

We have all met individuals, women or men, who just have a comfort level with who they are. Their presence brings everyone to a different level.

Ok super. Here is the main question of our interview. Based on your opinion and experience, what are the “Five Things You Need To Thrive and Succeed as a Powerful Woman?” (Please share a story or example for each.)

• Creativity: this idea goes back to the adaption point ​and always being open to change and new ideas. In the early 2000’s, my husband and I morphed our private label merchandise business into an online school uniform business. It’s funny to realize how much we had to overcome at that time with an online platform that is the norm today.
• Organization: in a fast-moving world, being organized and able to prioritize are an absolute must.
• Time management​: in line with being organized, managing your time, knowing when things are urgent versus knowing when it’s okay to take a step back. Being a mother is the best time manager I know. Keep the big things, big and let the small things take a back seat.
• Sense of humor: don’t take things or yourself too seriously. I LOVE working with people that I can laugh with….sometimes at ourselves and sometimes at the situation. Personally, it is also what attracted me to my husband.
• Ability to Grow and Change: what got you here, won’t get you there. In order to evolve and change with the world, be open to feedback, hearing what others have to say, and grow both personally and professionally. Enjoy the stage you are in at the moment. It is hard when your kids are small and you think, “will I make it until I can put them in bed at 7 pm?” Now your time is your own, but you would love the snuggle time back. Enjoy each moment!

We are very blessed that some very prominent names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this if we tag them.

When you experience the death of a child, your reality changes. Sometimes, positive changes are made and unfortunately, sometimes negative changes are made. One area I have felt this the most is what I fill my mind with outside of work. I gravitate towards individuals who have suffered loss(es) and their response to the situation. This is background to say that I would choose to have tea with Corrie ten Boom. She suffered greatly during World War II and yet lived a life full of joy and gratitude. It is my hope that I do as well!

Thank you for these fantastic insights. We greatly appreciate the time you spent on this.