Name: Gary T. Fishman
Position: The new managing director of Investigative Group International, a private investigation and corporate intelligence firm based in the District.
As a youth, Fishman had a knack for investigation, cross-examining his mom and dad about household incidents and serving as a milk monitor at school, making sure students did not make off with an extra pint. After law school he graduated on to bigger things, investigating a variety of cases, including murders and white-collar crimes while at the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office before he began his post at IGI.
When was the first time you led a group of people?
When the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office promoted me to chief of the welfare fraud unit. I had about 18 assistant district attorneys that I supervised.
What was your greatest leadership lesson during that time?
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You have to realize that everyone is not you. Everyone doesn’t do things the way you do. Being able to provide constructive criticism is a very big thing. People work better and will try harder when you are constructive. Driving them into the ground doesn’t motivate people to do things.
Share this articleShareWhat distinguished you in the field?
I had an ability to understand a complex set of facts and know how to go forth and investigate. Interviewing people was my best asset. I had a strong ability to extract important facts whether they were drug dealers or titans on Wall Street.
Where did you get the best training for that?
At the DA’s office I interviewed probably 1,000 people, sometimes at 3 o’clock in the morning in a detective’s three-by-five room without windows. Any time you’re trying to learn, you watch people who are the best. If there was someone who was great at interviews, I would try to watch them do interviews. If I had a securities matter, I would attach myself to the person who specialized in securities fraud.
What’s the best advice you’ve received?
Someone told me not to have a lazy mind. They said to focus on what you need to get done because you can get pulled in so many different directions.
— Interview with Vanessa Small
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