8 minute read
DR. GEORGE C. FRASER
from Inclusion
POWERHOUSE GLOBAL MAGAZINE (PGMAG) INTERVIEW WITH:
DR. GEORGE C. FRASER (DGF)
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PGMAG: Dr. Fraser, so good to have you on today’s interview with Lady Anita.
DGF: Thank you, it is an honor to do this interview. And congratulations to Lady Anita for her servant leadership and Powerhouse Global Magazine. When we control our own narrative, media, and images the real stories of Black America can be told. Pgmag has clearly contributed to the empowerment of our people, thank you for that.
PGMAG: Please briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
DGF: All the things I’m about to say, I say with humility, I really don’t like talking about myself, but you asked, so here goes. Starting from humble beginnings I was born into a family of 8 boys and 3 girls in Bed Stuy, Brooklyn, NY. My mother became mentally ill, so me and 5 of my siblings were orphans for 2 years then put into toxic foster care for 13 years. I graduated High School with a vocational diploma in carpentry because no one thought I was college material. My first real job was an award-winning floor mopper and bathroom cleaner at LaGuardia Airport. My core beliefs: It’s not how you start, its how you finish and how you do anything is how you do everything!
Today I am Chairman and CEO of FraserNet, Inc., a company I founded 34 years ago to lead a global networking and economic development movement for people of African descent. My lifelong operating principle has been “Chase excellence, never chase money, and stay the course.” When you are excellent at whatever you choose to do you will not be able to get out of the way of opportunity and money. I spent nearly 20 years in leadership positions with Procter & Gamble, United Way and Ford Motor Company before starting my own business, FraserNet Inc. in 1987.
I’ve written 6 best-selling books to include: Success Runs in Our Race, Click and most recently, Mission Unstoppable: Extraordinary Stories of Failure’s Blessings, a book I coauthored with Les Brown. Upscale Magazine named me one of the "Top 50 Power Brokers in Black America," and Black Enterprise magazine called me "Black America’s #1 Networker" and featured me on its cover. I’ve been featured on 7 national magazine covers and have received over 350 awards and citations to include: Induction into the Minority Business Hall of Fame and Museum, 3 Honorary Doctorate Degrees, a Chaplaincy, and an Ambassadorship. I am a *Certified Financial Education Instructor and have an insurance license.
I have been named as one of the best speakers in America and 5 of my speeches have been selected for global distribution by the prestigious Vital Speeches of the Day magazine, a first for any professional speaker in America.
Why? Because everything we do, we do for our children, just as our parents did for us. As an Elder, in 2019 I have used my massive network and influence to launch a new virtual nation with no borders, boundaries or barriers called FraserNation: Citizens of Generational Wealth. The goal is to globally mobilize and unify people of African descent around, effective networking, business development, wellness through training, and coaching. Over one million Black people and allies will be citizens of FraserNation within 5 years. My favorite passage in the Bible is Proverbs 13:22: “A good man leaves an inheritance for his children’s children.” So, in 2009 I joined the fight for financial literacy in Black America. In 2019 my organization has launched a system for financial education called WINDS: Wealth Building Centers and Curriculum. Over the next decade, thousands of new and well-equipped “faith-based” WINDS Centers will open (free of charge) to all those who want to teach and/or learn the basics of wealth creation and money management.
Mentors and a marriage partner are the most important decisions you will make in your life, thus my belief is “If you can’t build with them don’t chill with them” I have been married to Nora Jean for 47 years and have 2 sons and 3 granddaughters…is was a wise decision.
PGMAG: As an industry leader with over 40 years of solid achievements in business development, what are some of the strategies of staying relevant in the marketplace?
DGF: Reading, innovation, excellence, leadership, and effective networking. You are either excellent or invisible. Your competition is now global. Things change, and shit happens, change before you have to. You have to be an inch wide and a mile deep in your “subject matter expertise”, and a mile wide and a inch deep in matters of the world. Reading, traveling, risk taking…living on the edge of change is where innovation and life is. These are the shortcuts to success. If you don’t have a competitive advantage, don’t compete. Face reality as it is, not as it was or as you wish it were. Control your own destiny or someone else will. There is nothing Black people can’t do as God’s first people, when we put our mind to it. Hell!, we survived slavery and made a meal out of chittlins.
PGMAG: How would you describe your style of leadership?
DGF: I’m an inspirational, collaborative and coaching leader. You don’t build businesses you build people and people build businesses. I focus on selecting the right people, I coach and train them, trust them, then give them massive responsibility, flexibility, and plenty of rope. I have excellent emotional intelligence and I practice the philosophy of Stoicism. It’s an odd combination of attributes but it works for me.
PGMAG: In your capacity as a global influencer, what are your views on the issue of mental health?
DGF: Right about now we can all use some therapy…the last four years has been crazy. We have had two pandemics, so to speak, a human (Trump) and biological (Covid19). Hopefully, you have someone(s) in your life you can speak your truth, be it your partner, spouse, Pastor, best friend, or personal/ family therapist. Hobbies, reading, being alone and vacation time are critical. We should invest as much time on mental wellness as physical wellness. Managing your stress is key…I am a “No drama” kind of guy…I simply “Bless and Release” those who bring angst, stress, and drama into my life. Many of those people are your family! I like to laugh a lot.
PGMAG: What is your message for world leaders?
DGF: The only thing we have to fear is fear itself. And stupid. We should be scared shitless of stupid, so: Take care of this planet, this is all we got. You are not a rock star, you are a servant leader, act like one! When you are in your own lane there is no traffic…mining your own business will keep you focused. In the words of Horace Mann, “Be ashamed to die until you scored a victory for humanity.”
PGMAG: What could be done to support more women to take up leadership roles across all spheres of industries?
DGF: All men should read The Athena Doctrine: How Women (And the Men Who Think Like Them) Will Rule the Future. Science says women are smarter than men at many levels and are better suited to lead. There are now 40 women leading Fortune 500 companies, it will be over 150 within a decade. My personal business solution has been gender equity, at least 50/50 at all levels of opportunity and responsibility. My businesses have thrived. Why? Black women are the bomb.com and it’s the future.
PGMAG: What were the top three books that changed your life?
DGF: Excluding the Bible: The greatest stories ever told, they are: The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: ground-breaking life principles. Emotional Intelligence 2.0: great lessons on a new and very useful human connection science. The Obstacle is The Way: The Timeless Art of Turning Trials Into Triumph: My introduction into Stoicism, a philosophy I was organically living but didn’t know it. My sister Emma gave me this book and said, “I think you will find this very familiar and interesting.” She was spot on.
PGMAG: Considering the effect of the global pandemic (covid-19), what would you suggest to struggling business owners?
DGF: The things that hurt will instruct: ask; What did I learn about myself and my business? Did I use these lessons, to flex, pivot, punt, innovate, and reinvent? What does this say about my long-term survival skills? If you can’t point to and justify your answers with good results…start over or get a job! Businesses are forgiving, but everything you want in life is on the other side of hard! If it were easy why would God need you?
PGMAG: What would you say to your younger self?
DGF: Learn more. Do more. Be more. Stay the course. Make your life matter!
PGMAG: Finally, what does legacy mean to you?
DGF:
Your legacy lives beyond your small fragment of time, because when your body is gone, it is gone for infinity, a concept that is difficult to wrap your mind around. Thus, every minute matters, do not waste your time, you can get more money, but you can’t get more time… and you don’t know how much time you have. Finally, to me legacy is passing on these learned lessons : 1. The past cannot be changed. 2. Opinions don’t define your reality. 3. Everyone’s journey is different. 4. Healing and things always get better with time. 5. Judgements are a confession of character. 6. Overthinking will lead to sadness. 7. Happiness is found within. 8. Positive thoughts create positive things. 9. Smiles are contagious. 10. Kindness is free. 11. You only fail if you quit 12. What goes around, comes around.
PGMAG: Thank you for your time – much appreciated.
DGF: It was a joy and pleasure to serve you.
PGMAG: Please share your links with us.
DGF: onefrasernation.com, powernetworkingconference. com, windscenter.org
