I know what it's like to be the "only."

 

To watch less qualified colleagues get promoted while you're told to "wait your turn." To calculate every response to microaggressions—wondering if calling it out will cost you more than staying silent. To code-switch so much you forget who you are without the mask. And now, to watch your company eliminate DEI programs while expecting you to still perform, still lead, still advance—with half the support and twice the scrutiny.

 

I'm Frederick C. Jefferson III.

 

For years, as a Management Consultant, Leadership Development Specialist, and Director of the IDEA Center for Inclusive Leadership within the U.S Department of State, I designed the programs that shaped leaders in predominantly white institutions. I saw firsthand how organizations make decisions, how politics, and diplomacy really work, and why excellence alone doesn't get Black executives promoted.

 

Then I left.

 

Because I realized individual Black leaders needed strategic coaching more than organizations needed another diversity initiative.

 

Now, I work exclusively with Black executives (VP to C-suite) navigating PWIs. I bring both insider knowledge of how these systems work AND the lived experience of succeeding within them as a Leader of Color.

 

This isn't therapy. It isn't cheerleading. It isn't generic leadership development.

 

It's strategic partnership.

 

​I help you:

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• Master organizational politics and power dynamics 

• Navigate microaggressions without sacrificing your advancement 

• Build influence that's independent of your company's DEI commitment 

• Get promoted—typically within 12-18 months—without losing yourself

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You don't need another workshop on "executive presence." ​You need someone who understands both the excellence you bring AND the obstacles you face. Someone who can give you the playbook for advancing in spaces that weren't designed for you.

 

That's what I do. 

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If you are ready to stop proving yourself and start owning your power, let's Talk

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