My motto is “The only way is up”. It reminds me that I must always level up and prepare for what is next. I know what you are thinking: This is a recipe for misery. It is undoubtedly a challenge I have experienced. What helps me the most is focusing on something bigger than myself. I will never be content if I want “more” for selfish reasons. But when I want more for my community, I get a lot of happiness out of it. Don’t get this twisted; I am not about self-sacrifice. I believe in putting my oxygen mask first before helping others.
I also believe that a community must be in control of its destiny. And that control requires many variables. Two are essentials: systemic power and the capacity to scale through its constituents.
These two firm beliefs are driving me to level up. I first need to play my part. If I want collective wealth, I need to lead by example. Continuing to grow our family wealth and actively seek opportunities to invest in ventures with potential spearheaded by Black leaders. Second, I must share my experience/expertise to help others learn from my mistakes and provide them access to my network to help them reach their goals.
What’s the plan? Elevating my community’s influence through the Black negotiator sub-community. I invite my past and future mentees to play a central role in this goal.
What do I wish from my mentees:
- To actively make progress towards collective wealth, starting with them. People will listen to your guidance if your story is authentic. And the only way to make it original is to go through the journey. And going through the journey means experiencing failures and having scars. People want to learn from your mistakes. Not hearing you boast about how amazing you are.
- To actively support the community through their own expertise and be vocal about it. A simple way to make the world better is for each person to positively impact 2 people. Then, these 2 people will positively impact 4 people. And so on. It can start with you. While many in the community are already doing a lot, there is the opportunity to be more vocal about it, not for bragging rights but to inspire others to learn and act.
My commitment to my mentees:
- Support their collective wealth journey through individual/group coaching. My approach focuses on mindset. Both negotiation and investment mindset shifts for Black people. The approach is surprisingly simple, but changing mindsets requires time and support groups.
- Access to experts in my network. It will start with me, but eventually, your potential will outweigh my expertise. This is a great thing. My job is to continue to build my network so that when you need that next level of guidance, it will be ready for you.
- Always free of charge
It may sound like I am assembling an exclusive group. On the one side it is true, my support is free and open to all, so I need to be selective. I must guess who would fit in best and drive the sub-community’s objective the most. But looking after your wealth and supporting your community should be a stable stake for everyone. I want to normalize that approach. it is not a big ask and has the potential to be a game changer at scale!
The Black Negotiator 