The 2023 Women Leaders in Consulting: Ashley Thomas

Ashley is a Senior Consultant with FMG Leading, a team of advisors and coaches who help build world-class organizations by aligning business strategy with human capital strategy. She brings more than 15 years of experience as a consultant and coach, specializing in DEIB as well as leadership development, strategic onboarding, employee experience, training and coaching. Prior to joining FMG Leading, she was a Leadership Development and Culture Senior Consultant for a Fortune Global 500 health care organization. She has extensive experience in both nonprofit and for-profit industries, with the ability to drive business outcomes and ensure client satisfaction. Ashley works with both leaders and their teams to build deeply engaging relationships that yield inward and outward growth that transform organizations. She fosters growth by weaving "inclusion and belonging" into every interaction. Ashley believes in following her North Star and staying true to her authentic self. Ashley holds a Bachelor of Science in Human Development and a focus on Entrepreneurship from The Ohio State University. She is a certified DiSC Diversity Trainer, Prosci® Certified Change Practitioner, Master Facilitator, and Lean Six Sigma Black Belt. She resides in Cincinnati, Ohio.

What do you consider your greatest personal or professional achievement?

Among my greatest professional achievements is an initiative I recently led for an FMG Leading client. I designed and led a series of comprehensive focus groups spanning several days as a means of unearthing the reasons why Black employees were leaving the organization in disproportionally high numbers, critically impacting its ability to retain and attract diverse talent. I was able to truly level with team members, encouraging them to speak freely with psychological safety and confidence to get to the heart of the challenges within the culture. These interactions drove an actionable change plan for the organization's leadership team and helped bring clarity to 6 leading drivers impacting the Black teammate lived experience. I feel privileged to have made a difference and to have been awarded the trust of the workforce to their stakeholders. But bigger picture, I'm proud of consistently helping people feel heard and building platforms for people who don't have a voice. Even going back as far as my childhood, I've felt at times I didn't have a voice, and I've had to walk the journey myself to guide others. I've done this thing called shadow work—striving to get to depths of how I feel, think, and how I show up in my career and personal life. This work has allowed me to step into my own voice in all areas of life. I've rewritten my own story and I walk in my own truth encouraging and inspiring others to embrace their most authentic selves.

What's the best advice—consulting or otherwise—you've ever received?

The best advice I've received is twofold: to always find and seek both a workplace sponsor and mentor, and to always have a growth mindset. The difference between a sponsor and a mentor is that a sponsor will position you and a mentor will give advice. Promoting who you are and your skills to both, helps you find the best version of yourself. Early on in my career, I worked at Sears Home Improvement and had a manager who first taught me this principle. He started as my boss and became my mentor. It transformed me and continues to transform my career—I'm still living it today. Now, I have become a sponsor for others and help show up in that space to promote people to the next level in their careers and personal lives and pay it forward. Regarding having a growth mindset, it's a fairly common turn of phrase in business environments—but to actually model this, you need to truly have a willingness and openness to let go of control. Letting go of any rigidness and preconceived ideas allows you to freely innovate and embrace cross-collaboration. Having the courage to say, "I don't know," transforms cultures and organizations, and forges a path to create solutions together. That's so powerful.

What advice would you give to a female consultant just beginning her career?

My best piece of advice for a woman beginning her consulting career would be to create value for clients by emphasizing results and impact. Start by asking your client intimate and intentional questions—such as what is valuable to them, what challenges they are currently experiencing, how you can best work together, or how they define success and what it would look like to them —and work to show up in that space qualitatively and quantitatively. After removing the lens of assumptions, there are so many ways that you can create success. Ask yourself what is valuable, and deliver those tangible results for yourself, your clients and your company. Women have an opportunity to lean in with confidence and develop a reputation for excellence by surpassing all expectations. In a male-dominated industry, women can tap into their inner voice to ask any question with intention and delicacy and, in turn, use clear examples and numbers to demonstrate the impact of their work.

What does this recognition mean to you?

This award is more than just an accolade—it serves as a reminder of my journey to where I am today. It brings forth a deep passion for what I do and a sense of gratitude. It is a very proud moment to celebrate, and a symbol that marks the difference I've made in helping people find their most confident voices and authentic selves. A few years ago, I found myself unsettled in my life, my career, my sense of self, and most importantly, I felt unsure of my own voice as a female leader. I took the time to map out where I wanted to be, and how I was going to get there. Now, I can help people take this first step in their own transformations and make tangible impacts in the lives and careers of others. This award marks what I've gone through and reminds me that I can help guide people in finding their confidence as leaders, in their careers and embracing their whole selves. Beyond serving as a mere token of appreciation, this award honors how far I've come and how I will confidently continue to pay it forward through sponsoring, mentoring, advocating, guiding, supporting, and empowering other women in consulting.