FWD Feature: Fabian Elliott | Co-Founder & CEO | Black Tech Mecca
FWD Collective is excited to feature Fabian Elliott, one of our incredible speakers from the 2016 Chicago Summit.
We had the pleasure of connecting with Fabian to ask a few questions!
What does diversity, equity, and professional inclusion mean to you?
It really means empowering as many people as possible to be their best and contribute their unique value. It is not a charity case, but finding a way to bring all hands on deck to push mankind forward.
How have you experienced and/or dealt with adversity in your professional and personal life?
I felt imposter syndrome when I first started at Google. I wore non-prescription glasses my first few months to combat any negative stereotypes from my appearance as a black male. As my role became more and more technical, I would still wear them to client meetings.
After a while, I finally realized that I deserved to be there just as much as everyone. And that it was important to have confidence in yourself that you are as smart or smarter as anybody that you work with.
What would be one piece of advice you would give to your younger self?
Focus is your friend. Don’t over distribute your energies especially if you are creating something new and big.
Name three things that you do everyday to help lead you to success.
Review my goals
Learn
Reflect
Who inspires your professional ambition? Why?
Kobe Bryant — he is just incredibly passionate and purposeful. I feel that if anyone approached their career or endeavor like he approached basketball that you couldn’t help but succeed. I really like how he is viewing his life post-basketball. He was recently quoted saying “Fast forward 20 years from now. If basketball if the most important thing I’ve done in my life, I’ve failed”
What is your favorite book? Or the one you’d recommend most?
“The 10X Rule” by Grant Cardone is a good one that I read earlier this year. I’d recommend it because it makes a case for why massive action is so crucial for making anything happen in life.
Connect with Fabian: LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram
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