An Interview With Fotis Georgiadis
Building diverse teams with an awareness of how to appreciate differences in others is a great way to bring in new, innovative ideas. These ideas, born of rich back-and-forth exchanges among team members with varying perspectives, preferences and behaviors, drive the innovation that can drive your company’s success.
As part of our series about “How Diversity Can Increase a Company’s Bottom Line,” I had the pleasure of interviewing Lisa Ong.
Lisa M. Ong, PCC, CPA, is an award-winning executive coach; speaker; and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) strategist and consultant. Prior to founding Wishing Out Loud LLC, she was a national diversity director in the Office of Diversity and Inclusion at PwC. Lisa designs DEI strategies to attract, retain, develop, and advance diverse talent by focusing on minority retention and advancement efforts, as well as growing inclusive leaders at all levels to foster a culture of belonging.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dive into the main part of our interview, our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit more. Can you share a bit of your “backstory” with us?
In the early part of my career, I had the good fortune to work in one of the world’s top recognized firms for DEI, reporting to the Chief Diversity Officers from the program’s inception. I saw the evolution of the strategies and programs played out on a national scale. After 30 years in public accounting, consulting, and human resources as a DEI and Belonging leader, I saw 2020 as the opportune time to use my experience and knowledge to become more impactful by launching my new business. A natural problem-solver, I enjoyed designing solutions to help retain and advance diverse talent and promote inclusive leadership and belonging. I was able to do this through coaching, speaking, and training within the national Office of DIversity at my former employer. It was a natural extension to create a firm where I could continue that work for companies lacking internal resources but needing similar help. I became a fractional Chief Diversity Officer for CEOs and CHROs in need of real-world, field leadership to co-create their DEIB strategies.
I named my company Wishing Out Loud to combat the key element that I’ve found hinders my clients’ success: their reluctance to tell others their biggest dreams. Highly talented individuals can oftentimes be held back by the fear that comes with the vulnerability to share big, meaningful dreams. Working with them, I’m able to help bring clarity to create cultures of belonging within their organizations.
Can you share the funniest or most interesting story that happened to you since you started your career? Can you tell us the lesson or takeaway you took out of that story?
Early in my career, as a new manager recently relocated from Houston to Dallas, I struggled to meet new people. I kept candy on my desk, and soon my office became known for that, so people would drop by for sweets. This simple act of sharing helped me connect with colleagues quickly, and the investment in the cost of candy was priceless. I took the initiative to bridge differences to make it easier for others to connect with me versus waiting for an invitation. One morning when I arrived, I was dismayed that the dish was empty, so I learned to lock it up at night and only put it out when I was there. As a talent gardener, I learned you certainly do attract more bees with honey (or candy).
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote?” Can you tell us a story about how that was relevant in your own life?
Surround yourself with generous, heart-based leaders who inspire and uplift you. We are a product of both with whom we spend our time and where we spend our time. Invest in your continuous learning every day.
“Be bold when managing your moments. Be kind to yourself and others. Be brave and keep “wishing out loud” ™” I learned this later in life, and it’s now my signature system for activating “The Power of Wishing Out Loud,” which is my registered trademark coaching approach.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person to whom you are grateful who helped get you to where you are?
I have said I’m most grateful for the support and guidance I receive from my husband. He understands me best, so he knows how to help me. I’m grateful to many mentors and sponsors but in the marketing and public relations area, I’d like to highlight Bernadette Davis, who has been a champion of my work with her marketing and communications agency and passion for DEIB. She offered me her expertise and mentoring for many years before I launched my business. Because she knows me and my work so well, she was an obvious choice to hire to help me promote my company brand. She represents the successful business model that I wish to emulate. She is my guide by my side and cheerleader who offers stretch assignments for me to aim bigger.
What do you think makes your company stand out? Can you share a story?
People tell me my company is who I am and how I lead. It’s me. They see me consistently showing up, whether I am in person or online. I am known as an inclusion connector and talent gardener, providing free introductions and mentoring to others. Many of those I have coached or mentored are now in positions of influence and hire me. I focus on building long-term memorable relationships, not for future work, but to help others thrive and grow. They remember it, and our business comes from a blessed number of referrals as a result.
Are you working on any new or exciting projects now? How do you think that might help people?
I’m excited to be launching my members-only portal on my website, wishingoutloud.com, in 2023. This new website feature will allow me to scale how I mentor and coach so I may reach more leaders who need support as they grow their inclusive leadership skills. I have found that many DEIB leaders benefit from hearing from my extensive CPA, HR, coach, and DEIB practitioner experiences to help them shape their strategy and goals into action plans. Through individual coaching, group mentoring, and office hours as well as cohort workshops, we will be able to move forward faster together.
How have you used your success to bring goodness to the world?
We volunteer on several governing boards to lend our DEIB expertise in academia at area colleges and universities as well as professional associations like the Texas Society of CPAs and Infusion Nurses Society. We donate 10% of our profits — if not more — every year to charities doing work in DEIB. To bolster those donations, we promote and amplify their work and invest in long-term solutions. We also hire with DEIB in mind.
My personal social media policy is to share what is educational, encouraging, affirming, and uplifting. I like to share my platforms to highlight the work of others who may not have the tailwinds that I had from my long-tenured corporate career for a top-tier firm. I try to lead by example and hire other diverse businesses so we can grow together.
I also regularly share what I’m learning, along with the mistakes that I’ve made, so that others can accelerate their success. We all have career speedbumps, but if I can share mine to lessen the pain for others so they can accelerate and navigate more smoothly, I’m happy to share. It creates psychological safety and trust to share that we are all works in progress, learning together.
My Texas Women’s Foundation Orchid Giving Circle sisters have inspired me in the philanthropy space with how they lend their time, talents, and treasure to giving back in the community as AAPI women leaders. I’m being more bold this year to stretch myself to raise more than $56,000 for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s spring campaign as part of their Visionary Leaders efforts Feb. 22-May 5, 2023. I will be wishing out loud with my connections to make that goal a reality. I joined the spring 2023 Visionaries of the Year campaign as one of their candidate leaders for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society to learn more about philanthropy and engage my connections in a cause I care about deeply. I anchor on humanKIND in my work and since we all bleed the same, we all have a shared goal to fight blood cancers and support patients and families impacted by them. I hope we can crush our team goal to raise more than $56,000 by bringing people together as inclusion connectors.
Ok. Thank you for that. Let’s now jump to the main part of our interview. This may be obvious to you, but it is not intuitive to many people. Can you articulate to our readers five ways that increased diversity can help a company’s bottom line.
Diversity has always been an important key indicator of a company’s success. With my unique experience and perspective as a CPA, I’ve witnessed how DEI can have positive impacts on the bottom line, traditional return on investment, and budgets. Here are five ways that increased diversity can help a company’s bottom line:
- Building diverse teams with an awareness of how to appreciate differences in others is a great way to bring in new, innovative ideas. These ideas, born of rich back-and-forth exchanges among team members with varying perspectives, preferences and behaviors, drive the innovation that can drive your company’s success.
- According to research conducted by Gartner, diverse teams, continually fueled by inclusion, improve team performance by up to 30%. Diversity and inclusion efforts must be intentional to reap the benefits of increased team yields. When you realize successful results, mimic that action to sustain your momentum and continue to grow.
- Cost savings are realized as a result of building a culture of belonging. Additionally, once you foster environments where everyone feels safe bringing their authentic selves to work, you can save on recruitment efforts. Promoting your DEI accomplishments externally is a great way to attract diverse talent in a cost-effective way.
- When your company widens the diversity spectrum of your employee base, the benefits extend further than your enriched work product. As consumers see themselves in your company’s goods and services, it results in an expanded brand reach.
- Increased productivity occurs when your employees feel more engaged. There is an excitement that sparks original and fresh thinking when many, varying ideas are allowed to flourish. Appreciation for those differences in thought occur when those ideas lead to creative solutions.
What advice would you give to other business leaders to help their employees to thrive?
For employees to thrive, leaders must create an environment where everyone feels comfortable bringing their authentic selves to work. Everyone’s varying perspectives, backgrounds, and behaviors — when allowed to flourish together without fear of rejection — fuel rich conversations and push employees to find out-of-the-ordinary solutions. This creative process in turn pushes employees to contribute more significantly and be their very best selves. Inclusive leadership skills can be learned and role-modeled to embed the habits into the culture. Investing resources to teach listening, empathy, and feedback skills is vital. It all starts with truly listening and once you act on the feedback you receive, you start to build the trust necessary to shape your desired culture.
What advice would you give to other business leaders about how to manage a large team?
Start with the “why?” Each leader has a DEIB “why” or reason for their passion for participating in the efforts as well as what they are trying to achieve for team culture and the overall organization. It helps to get clarity on the why DEIB, why now? It’s most effective to meet people where they are and include everyone — allies, learners, and supporters. As you solve for inclusion, it helps not to exclude, and to over-index on welcoming everyone. I love it when leaders remind everyone that they do not have to “be (a member of an affinity group) to belong”.
More hands make for lighter work. Ask for volunteers and assign them to roles where they can leverage their super powers or untapped strengths. We are all very busy, but we prioritize and find energy to do the things we love when we get to flex our strengths.
A regular cadence of accountability and a compelling vision and scorecard can also help keep everyone on the same page to reach key objectives. It helps motivate others to see the progress as well as how each contribution is making a difference.
It also helps to keep the messages and pillars succinct so that others can embed the same language, purpose, and vision. Anything over five goals gets harder to memorize.
Rewards and recognition for the extra work is also helpful to acknowledge those going above and beyond to be DEIB ambassadors within the organization and also in the community.
We are very blessed that some of the biggest names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this 🙂
There are many leaders who I respect and admire, so it’s difficult to choose only one.
Recently I was thrilled to see Mackenzie Scott’s $3.8 million grant to the Girl Scouts of Northeast Texas. As a Girl Scout Gold Awardee, and former troop leader for the Girl Scouts of Northeast Texas, I would be thrilled to meet her to thank her for her example of investing in the organizations that are growing our next generation of strong, inclusive leaders while exposing girls to new career possibilities. I love how she is leading by example to invest in changing lives, which is truly a priceless ROI. She is using her power and influence for great positive world impact, and that inspires me too.
I admire the writing of DEIB consultant and author Lily Zheng. I’d love to hear more about the process that went into Lily’s new book, “DEI Deconstructed: Your No-Nonsense Guide to Doing the Work and Doing It Right.” Having a chance to meet with Lily would be a great honor. The way that Lily concisely and directly addresses the truth that needs to be said for positive and meaningful DEIB momentum is incredibly helpful to me. I’m curious to learn more.
How can our readers further follow your work online?
Website — https://www.wishingoutloud.com/
LinkedIn — https://www.linkedin.com/in/onglisam/
Instagram — https://www.instagram.com/wishingoutloud/
Thank you for these excellent insights. We wish you continued success in your great work.
Lisa M Ong Of Wishing Out Loud On How Diversity Can Increase a Company’s Bottom Line was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.
