An Interview With Candice Georgiadis
Never ignore your instincts. At this point in my life, I strictly adhere to this. If it doesn’t feel right, it simply isn’t. The moment I feel something isn’t right, whether it’s with a potential hire or a client, I decline the hire or client. Many times, it’s inconvenient to listen to your instincts because you’ve probably invested in a person or idea or you don’t want to lose a client. But it’s far better to rip off the band aid early than to let the original issue fester — because it will. Be decisive and always listen to your gut.
As a part of our series about women who are shaking things up in their industry, I had the pleasure of interviewing Susan Cho.
Susan Cho is a 2003 graduate of the US Military Academy at West Point and is currently the Director of Intelligence at Hyperion Services — a global security firm. As a serial entrepreneur and combat veteran, she also serves as a passionate advocate for veteran hires in the workforce.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you a bit more. Can you tell us a bit about your “backstory”? What led you to this particular career path?
I was fortunate to have cultivated my skill sets in tactical intelligence while serving in some unique assignments and units within the military — under some of the most brilliant and unconventional leaders in the intelligence field. As a result, I had the opportunity to be selected for some assignments with critical missions and was selected to be the intelligence lead on several very complex hostage rescue operations. Hostage rescue operations are not an everyday occurrence in the military, so it is pretty unusual to be a part of one, let alone several. Fast forward to today and it makes sense to bring my expertise into the private sector. Hostage rescue operations are, by far, the most complex type of security operation and I’m fortunate to lead intelligence operations once again for an organization like Hyperion. I get to work with the very best operators who bring their own expertise in hostage rescues and complex security operations and we’ve been able to accomplish some incredible things together.
Can you tell our readers what it is about the work you’re doing that’s disruptive?
One of the reasons we are so successful in some of the most dangerous and complex missions (i.e. hostage rescues) is due to our ability to respond to a situation immediately anywhere in the world with the best operational teams, supported by the very best intelligence and technical expertise. No other private security company can do this because they don’t have operators pre-staged in every country in the world and don’t have the logistics in place to support those operators within 24 hours. Hyperion’s sister company, Silent Professionals, sources and vets skilled field operators and intelligence professionals on a continuous, rolling basis, so unlike every other security company in the world, we have no need to spend time and resources on recruitment. As a result, we have the ability to respond to any crisis anywhere in the world within 24 hours by mobilizing operators and assets who have been pre-vetted and also already reside within the crisis region.
Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
The thing about being disruptive in an industry is that it causes a chain reaction and you’ll find inefficiencies everywhere so that it becomes necessary to take on more than just the slice you’ve disrupted. Even though we have so much native operational talent and experience within our team, we fought so hard in the beginning against being an “operational” security service provider. We knew we had a disruptive asset in being able to source and vet top talent in the private security industry in a way that was absolutely unprecedented through Silent Professionals. We had every intent to focus our efforts solely on improving this disruptive and valuable capability and regularly rejected requests to become operational as a security service provider. We fought this idea for probably about 2 years before we grudgingly created Hyperion Services to take on all of the clients that were requesting us to be their security service providers. We now look back and laugh at how hard we fought this move given that it completely makes sense now.
We all need a little help along the journey. Who have been some of your mentors? Can you share a story about how they made an impact?
My parents have been a continual source of deep wisdom for me throughout my life and I consider them to be my greatest mentors. Their wise advice has always had profound life and business implications that I probably couldn’t even enumerate them all in a single book. They were born in the early 1940s in Korea — before there were even two Koreas. They’ve been through such hardship in their lives yet have never complained about how unfair or difficult life was for them. They worked hard and sacrificed their own dreams and goals and pleasures to give my brothers and me better opportunities. They were shining examples of what immigrants are in this country and what honest, hardworking people can accomplish in a single generation in a free country. No matter what obstacles I ever encounter, they pale in comparison to the hardships my parents faced in their lives and still they never let life defeat them. I fully believe that strength and resolve can be inherited if the example is strong enough.
In today’s parlance, being disruptive is usually a positive adjective. But is disrupting always good? When do we say the converse, that a system or structure has ‘withstood the test of time’? Can you articulate to our readers when disrupting an industry is positive, and when disrupting an industry is ‘not so positive’? Can you share some examples of what you mean?
If your solution to a problem is more comprehensive and efficient than the existing solution(s) to a problem, then disruption is positive. You’ll know when disruption is positive because adoption of the new solution is organically accepted by the masses, rather than a forced adoption. On the other hand, some people consider disruption to mean simply shaking up an existing system without consideration to the effectiveness and efficiency of the solution itself. This sort of disruption often causes more damage than good — not just to the existing industry or system but it usually inflicts collateral damage on other peripheral industries or systems.
Can you share 3 of the best words of advice you’ve gotten along your journey? Please give a story or example for each.
1) Never ignore your instincts. At this point in my life, I strictly adhere to this. If it doesn’t feel right, it simply isn’t. The moment I feel something isn’t right, whether it’s with a potential hire or a client, I decline the hire or client. Many times, it’s inconvenient to listen to your instincts because you’ve probably invested in a person or idea or you don’t want to lose a client. But it’s far better to rip off the band aid early than to let the original issue fester — because it will. Be decisive and always listen to your gut.
2) You’re responsible for building the world you want to live in. Every action I take, no matter how big or small, contributes to the environment and community around me. I
3) “Do right and fear no man.” I love this quote from Winston Churchill. I never let anyone enslave me through greed, fear, or
In your opinion, what are the biggest challenges faced by ‘women disruptors’ that aren’t typically faced by their male counterparts?
I honestly don’t think about things this way — I never think of anything in an ‘us’ versus ‘them’ fashion…and I’ve been in male-dominated industries and environments my entire life. I think that every person faces challenges that can be greater for them than it is for another person, and that includes men. I’ve been fortunate to work alongside the most elite men and women while at West Point and while serving in the military. Sure, I’ve faced countless situations where I’ve been judged or viewed a certain way because I’m a woman. But men can face the same level of discrimination but in different ways. It’s no cakewalk for a man to be selected as the very best when they’re surrounded by a sea of other men who are considered to be the best. It’s competitive and brutally cutthroat to rise to the very top. People will always try to get under your skin or think of reasons why you aren’t capable compared to others, but the very best don’t focus on what other people say or do to undermine their accomplishments. The things I might hear or see as a woman may be different than a man, but the essence of what is happening is the same. The thing that sets apart the very best is that we look at our so-called disadvantages and turn them into advantages and don’t get our feathers ruffled because of someone else’s prejudices.
Do you have a book/podcast/talk that’s had a deep impact on your thinking? Can you share a story with us?
It’s not a book or podcast, but a lesson from my father that has deeply impacted the way I think about how I approach all obstacles in life. It also dovetails off of what I said in response to your last question. My dad was my Tae Kwon Do coach since I was 4. After a sparring competition when I was about 8 years old, my dad took me outside and drew a line in the dirt with a stick. He handed me the stick and told me to make the line shorter. So I cut the line up into several segments with the stick. Without saying anything, he took the stick from me and redrew the line and then drew a line next to it 10 times the original length. He said that while I had great potential as a fighter, I would never realize my full potential by trying to identify my opponents’ weaknesses and attacking them where they were weak. Instead, he told me not to focus on my opponent and focus all of my energy on “growing my own line” so that, in comparison, the line next to me could never measure up. Focusing on what’s unfair or where I perceive someone else’s advantage or weakness does nothing to develop my own skills or value.
You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂
I would start a movement of empathy. I think this age of social media and media sensationalism for engagement is so polarizing and dulling peoples’ sense of empathy and compassion.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
“A great carpenter can build with any kind of wood.” That’s about the most direct translation from wisdom that my dad shared with me long ago. It’s a constant reminder to me that all people and resources have value but the challenge is mine to determine the best application and place to employ that asset to build something great. It’s easier said than done and is a lifelong work in progress — my goal is always to become a better carpenter in life.
Thank you for these fantastic insights. We greatly appreciate the time you spent on this.
Female Disruptors: Susan Cho On The Three Things You Need To Shake Up Your Industry was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.