An Interview With Fotis Georgiadis
Enabling our people: When our people can be their real and authentic selves, they perform better. This has been demonstrated time and again. We know through our engagement surveys that when our team members feel safe and valued for who they are, they are more engaged, they have a sense of belonging and loyalty to the wider team. They want to do right by a company that does right by them.
As a part of our series about “How Diversity Can Increase a Company’s Bottom Line”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Mary Haddock-Staniland.
Mary has worked for decades as an executive helping to ensure diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging are not simply add-ons for culture but are woven into the fabric and DNA of a business. Mary is an expert in talking about how adopting a ‘beyond binary’ approach and being proactive about DEIB, can not only benefit businesses, but allow companies to connect more with their customers. Mary is believed to be the first to hold the executive role in DEIB throughout New Zealand at Timely, an EverCommerce solution. She has since been promoted to the role of the first Global SVP of DEIB at EverCommerce.
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?
Well, as I get older of course the backstory gets longer. I was born in small town New Zealand, in a region called the Taranaki.
I grew up in a family where my mother accepted me and supported me as best as she could with limited resources, and a father, who didn’t accept me and was abusive, and he fortunately left us. I still haven’t connected with him, so that’s an unresolved issue that I have come to terms with. I battled through secondary school, I couldn’t hide who I was, it was there for all to see, and I was bullied for that. It was the 80’s and it was a completely different landscape then.
I think those experiences, with my father and at school really tested me, and made me a lot tougher. It was either going to do that or break me. We then moved to Auckland (the big city) and I eventually started my professional career as an Executive Assistant. I was so very lucky to have a boss who saw beyond who I was, and looked simply at what I could do, what I had to offer. Working for him, I learned so much. I ended up being his point person on the ground immediately after the Christchurch earthquakes, organising logistics for our Company in an extremely challenging environment. I stayed down there for months with that work and it was a once-in-a-life time experience.
I then spent time in a global advertising agency, Ogilvy & Mather leading HR and People Experience, before being given the opportunity to become the head of membership for the NZ national body for workplace diversity and inclusion.
That brought me into contact with Ryan Baker, one of the founders of Timely and he was just amazing to work with. He quickly made it clear he would like me to join the Timely team and help them along the DEIB journey, and I haven’t looked back. I think the reason I have stayed at Timely and now EverCommerce is because they are totally genuine and committed to this work and that excites me.
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 take away, you took out of that story?
I think the interesting thing I have experienced over the years is that often it’s the people you’d least expect who accept you and perhaps the ones who you’d expect to accept you, who don’t.
That amazing boss I had as an EA, was ex-Navy, a man’s man, self-made, and quite a drinker. But he was one of the most accepting people I’ve come across. On the flipside I had an experience in a 5-star hotel a year ago, in my capacity as a customer, where despite correcting the concierge, he would continue to use the male pronoun when addressing me.
In a customer centric industry like that, I was amazed at how ill-equipped their people were, the lack of awareness that was present, in that environment. And that concierge has quite literally cost that hotel a good customer.
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?
One of my heroes is Oprah Winfrey, and I was fortunate enough to meet her when she came to New Zealand. She says “Excellence is the best deterrent to racism and sexism.”
I choose to expand on that and believe excellence is the best deterrent to discrimination of all sorts. Because of this, I have always tried to be the best I can be at whatever I am doing. By giving my “all” I prove to the world that I deserve my place in society.
I am not asking for any favours for myself, and I’m not asking for favours for any minority, I’m asking for everyone to be given a fair chance, an opportunity.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are?
That is absolutely true, I have been fortunate to have four significant people in my professional life who actually valued the contribution I could make by bringing my unique perspective and abilities to a role. Indeed, these individuals placed a value on my unique identity, and I think they knew that through my life experience, being me, I would not take anything for granted, I would be giving it my best shot.
I think as leaders, one of the great privileges we have is opening doors, creating opportunities for minorities, and adding that uniqueness and different perspective to our operations.
What do you think makes your company stand out? Can you share a story?
I think what makes EverCommerce stand out in this field is that we are working to weave DEIB into our very fabric.
This work is not viewed as a bolt on, or a specific project. It is viewed as how we do business, how we are. I guess what illustrates this most clearly, is that this work is very much being led from the top.
In my role as Global SVP of DEIB, I work closely with our CEO, and he demands tangible progress along this journey. He also understands that there is no endpoint to this work. The world changes, new issues of equity and inclusion eventuate, there is always something that can be done better.
One of the challenges we do have is that we are spread across different countries with different cultures and values.
It is not enough for “headquarters” to impose DEIB policy on these solutions. Our duty is to engage and bring these different people along on the journey.
Are you working on any new or exciting projects now? How do you think that might help people?
This year we did a huge push for Pride month. We publicized it and we held a discussion panel. We made Pride a real opportunity for engagement with our teams.
We did a similar piece of work with a multi-denominational calendar earlier in the year. What we find is that we are not only making a connection with a particular minority group, but we are also improving the connection between other team members as well.
The positive nature of this type of engagement, with the underlying message that all are welcomed and valued, applies to everyone.
In parallel with our efforts for a Pride message, within Timely, we launched the pronouns feature in our app, allowing our customers and their clients to choose the pronoun they want to be recognised as when they visit our customer. This was and is seen an incredibly progressive step in the right direction to achieving true inclusion and adding real value for our customers.
How have you used your success to bring goodness to the world?
I am a big believer in telling the message. Increasingly in this role I am being given the opportunity to speak to audiences, do an interview or write an article. These are fantastic opportunities to engage and bring more people on the journey. Open eyes and improve understanding. Once people realise this isn’t a zero-sum transaction, that everyone gets to win from this work, it takes a lot of the reservations away.
Certainly, western society has made great strides in the area of DEIB over the last 30 years, and that has happened because champions have been out there talking to it, raising the issues and doing the policy work that underpins change. I am hugely optimistic about future progress and want to be a part of continuing this work.
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.
Bringing a broader perspective: Adding diversity of thought and experience to the decision-making process equals better quality decisions. A good example of this is a company my husband operates in, that has often had a fractious relationship with the Union representing their workers. That company brought in a lady to head up their industrial relations, and the tone changed almost overnight. The “them vs. us” mentality went away, and that relationship is now much more cooperative. It’s not perfect by any means, but there is a huge improvement.
Customer engagement: Certainly, with a lot of EverCommerce clients in the hair and beauty space, there is a lot of diversity. People from all different parts of the gender/sexuality spectrum, and a wide variety of ages. These clients want to see that their suppliers reflect who they themselves are. At its most basic level, this means their interactions with EverCommerce are through relatable people, but it also shows through in the culture of EverCommerce. Our diverse teams tell the story that we are accepting, and that we value difference. This shows through strongly in our customer loyalty. I know a certain hotel that could benefit here.
Opportunities to recruit the best: Because EverCommerce embraces and values difference, we recruit from the broadest pool of talent. And it’s not just about us being willing to hire, it’s also about being known as a safe and accepting space that values the unique contributions that are made by people with different backgrounds. We become a place that a wide variety of people want to work at.
Enabling our people: When our people can be their real and authentic selves, they perform better. This has been demonstrated time and again. We know through our engagement surveys that when our team members feel safe and valued for who they are, they are more engaged, they have a sense of belonging and loyalty to the wider team. They want to do right by a company that does right by them.
Retention: EverCommerce exists in a competitive recruitment and retention space. We know that it’s not enough to recruit good people, we also need to retain the good people we already have. High retention rates are so much more beneficial than high recruitment rates. Increasingly people are concerned with the whole employment package, not just the money. This goes to a company’s culture.
I have experienced the effect of developing a strong DEIB culture, followed by improved engagement, followed by improved retention and loyalty.
What advice would you give to other business leaders to help their employees to thrive?
“Doing Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging in the workplace well, means we will do well because of it.”
Embracing a culture rich in DEIB is crucial to securing the future, the people who make up any organisation’s teams are by far, their most important asset. Enabling that human resource is essentially what we bring to the table.
A strong DEIB culture, through having a reputation for embracing all our team members as their authentic selves, we not only attract a wider pool of talent, but we become an employer of choice as well.
Not only is it the right thing to do: Everyone should have the right to work in an equitable and inclusive environment. Regardless of any business benefits, it’s just the right thing to do and reflects the world we want to be a part of.
Inclusion is not complex. Inclusion takes work. It takes personal reflection, unlearning and relearning.
It takes a growth mindset and a commitment every day to be a better human than yesterday.
What advice would you give to other business leaders about how to manage a large team?
Understanding the importance of what DEIB means is key to a solid foundation.
Diversity is a fact: People and communities are by their very nature, distinct and different.
Equity is a choice: Equity (of opportunity, of respect, of differences) does not occur magically. We all tend to gravitate towards what we know, but when we do this, other people become excluded. To counter this tendency, a conscious choice needs to be made.
Inclusion is an action: Once the pursuit of equity is chosen, we need to make real change.
Belonging is an outcome: And as far as I’m concerned, this is the most important of the letters to understand and appreciate. I know what it’s like to feel like I’ve not belonged. The point I’m making here is where minorities no longer must feel gratitude for being included, or where the majority have to make a conscious decision to include them. This is a culture where minorities are simply an integral part of the tapestry along with everyone else.
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 🙂
For me personally, Michelle Obama is a person who inspires me. Her amazing ability to connect and make everyone feel valued. I think her time as first lady was just an amazing example of what can be achieved when you grab the opportunity. So yes, Michelle? If you are out there, I would love to share lunch.
How can our readers further follow your work online?
Either on LinkedIn or Twitter. Search for Mary Haddock-Staniland
Thank you for these excellent insights. We wish you continued success in your great work.
Mary Haddock-Staniland Of EverCommerce 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.
