Today we’d like to introduce you to Wendy Fong.
Hi Wendy, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I have always been an entrepreneur at heart. I either started my own or worked for fast-growing companies. Later in my career, I worked for several larger organizations. As experienced by many people of color, the higher up you are in an organization, the more power you have and the more discrimination you face.
In one of my last corporate jobs. I had an experience that pushed me to the edge. From the beginning, the people who interviewed me were very clear about how the industry was male, stale, and pale (their words, not mine). They said they wanted to implement change, they wanted diversity, and that I was the change-maker they wanted.
I felt like I had won the lottery – a company that actually wanted me to be who I am! Once I got in there and actually used my voice, I found the same resistance that many people of color, especially women, find. I didn’t get support for the issues that needed fixing. In fact, leadership ignored the issues I brought up many times. From tokenism to microaggressions to the denial of racism and retaliation, it all happened to me. My superiors described my demeanor as combative whenever we had conversations.
I didn’t even realize I was the subject of racism until after the separation.
So, I decided I would rather work hard and enjoy the fruits of my labor than have yet another negative experience in corporate America. I do work around talent strategy to ensure that employees are well-matched with the positions they hold. This and the DEIB work I do in organizations help prevent the same thing from happening to other people. This is my origin story.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
While starting a new venture is invigorating and fun. It’s not all roses and sunshine all the time, especially when you launch right before the pandemic!
Sometimes I wonder if I’m making enough impact – it’s really easy to feel alone when you’re literally alone. That’s why I’ve been extremely grateful for the mentors and supporters I’ve had along the way. I initially really missed having a team, but have grown to 3 employees in my consulting practice!
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
Our passion is people. Specifically, helping people get where they can thrive. We use and recommend data-driven, strategic, and sustainable solutions to optimize for business impact and performance. We work with companies that are equally passionate about unleashing talent as we are.
In short, we help leaders achieve results by gaining alignment between People + Strategy. We are authentic, fair, and above all, effective at what we do.
If you had to, what characteristic of yours would you give the most credit to?
Daring Bold. Open to the unknown.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://chiefgigs.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chief_gigs/
- Other: https://profiles.forbes.com/u/72508e23-a3b8-4483-a7bc-7ccc07939f81
Image Credits
Sabrina Sexton
Conor Lewis
Laura Sponaugle
