Since 2004, Mary Wisenski has played a pivotal role in FML’s assurance and advisory practice, working on matters such as financial statement audits, internal controls and Sarbanes-Oxley audits. A key to her successes in that work has been her embrace of creativity.
A CPA and a partner in the firm, Mary possesses extensive public accounting experience across a variety of industries including manufacturing, bio-technology, software, and consumer goods. She is also active in many nonprofits, and is the treasurer of the Creative Education Foundation, an organization dedicated to fostering creativity and innovation in education and the workplace.
Mary recently spoke about the importance of creativity in the workplace on Pulse of the Region, the MetroHartford Alliance weekly radio show hosted by Kate Baumann, where she also shared some of her experiences in accounting and how she came to call Hartford home.
Below are highlights from the discussion.
Listen to the full episode on the player at the end of this article, through the MetroHartford Alliance website, iHeart, Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts and TuneIn, or wherever you listen.
On what she’s learned while working with CEF
“I’ve really learned a lot about creative problem solving. As a CPA, I think people don’t always think we’re so creative, but, honestly, we do a lot of problem solving, and so this has really opened up the doors for me as to how to brainstorm and use creative thinking to problem solve. I’m an auditor, so I use this technique in trying to figure out issues with my clients, for example. So, I brought that into our organization and it’s been really good.”
On her creative type and her working style
“I categorize myself as an implementer, because I like to get things done. I like to take action, have an organization method and just get it done. However, as an auditor I would clarify a lot, because I would have to ask a lot of questions to be able to get something done.”
On the value of developing creativity for a corporation
“You don’t have to do things the same way all the time, and there are a lot of ways you can get to a goal. I think that we tend to just do things that are easy, or to take the easier path, which sometimes might not bring the best outcome. So I find that the brainstorming, creativity, and the ‘what if’ statements really open up avenues, and open up the thought process to other ways to achieve goals.”
On her own experience with the creative process
“When we do our board meetings, we have creative problem solving sessions, and we’ve had really good strategic planning sessions. I think the outcome of that is a bunch of great ideas that we kind of put together like the pieces of a puzzle, and then figure out the best way to get there.”
On what she loves the most about the Hartford region
“I’m originally from Buffalo, New York. I went to school in Massachusetts, and then I picked Hartford actually for jobs, because it was between New York and Boston, and because it was a good spot for me to raise a family. I love the Hartford area, and we made this our home.”
