Today we’d like to introduce you to Dr. Brian D. Agnew.
Hi Dr. Agnew, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
My story is like so many others. The product of an urban upbringing, in a middle-class community, with a single mother who had great expectations for her children- doing everything to provide for her family. The constant push to be successful in school led me to an incredible opportunity to go away to college. I credit this experience to being one of the most formative for my personal development. Learning how to truly become independent and responsible are the top two characteristics that come to mind. This college experience led to an internship and the internship open doors to a career that has taken me around the world advocating and raising funds for those most deserving of academic and health equity. After raising almost $100M as a professional fundraiser, I realized that many organizations did not have equal access to the skills, talents, resources and knowledge that I had been fortunate to be surrounded and mentored by in my various positions. This observation was the brainchild behind the creation of Sphinx Minerva Group, at the time, solely to support fundraising programs large and small across the country.
As we grew, we began to find that our clients were asking us for assistance in a wider variety of areas, first for enhanced strategic planning, 1:1 executive coaching, board engagement & development guidance and this became our second practice area. During this process, a mentor highlighted that the work I was engaged in was a unique gift, that I wasn’t afraid to tackle companies’ greatest challenges and that there was a real opportunity to make a difference and an impact. This advice was the push I needed to roll out our Integrated Marketing and Communications practice which provides a comprehensive approach to social media management, website creation, brand positioning, communication strategy and digital marketing. An organic and passionate response to our clients occurred during the peak of the racial unrest in 2020 across our country. Given my background and research in organizational diversity initiatives, we decided it was time to make a difference and be proactive in leading the discussion for our clients around the topic of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion in the workplace. It wasn’t a surprise to find that leaders were struggling to identify a strategy for embracing a conversation that became an immediate requirement of their employees, the nation and in many cases, their customers. From a dream a few years ago to where we stand today, Sphinx Minerva Group has engaged clients of all sizes, backgrounds, business types and stages of operation.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
In reflection on his life, Dr. Agnew noted it has been anything but easy. He grew up in a single-parent household with a strong, dynamic, educated, opinionated black mother who instilled the importance of education. “While I may not have understood it at the time, here I am, an educator by trade with a Bachelor’s Degree from Utica College, an MBA from Syracuse University and a Ph.D. in Organizational Leadership and Communication from Rutgers University in NJ. These degrees are a point of pride and an example for anyone who questions their ability to achieve it. If I can do it, so can you!” In a response, he noted, “Education is not only about what you learn in the classroom but what you learn about yourself… Pushing yourself beyond your comfort zone is where your true character is found.” If that sounds familiar, it’s probably because one of Brian’s favorite quotes is from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who said, “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.” Dr. Agnew believes “to whom much is given, much is expected” and continuously serves his community by mentoring young African American and Latino men on the importance of believing in themselves, getting an education and dreaming big.
In January, he was named Co-Chair of the 22nd Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Oratorical Competition, where 7th and 8th graders use their words to convey their view of “Dr. King’s perspectives on the world today.” On the road to success, Dr. Agnew acknowledged that it has not been easy. There is double the number of people out there ready to stand in the way of your dreams than there are to reach out a hand and pull you up. A lesson I had to learn the hard way was to make sure the people you surround yourself with are willing to work just as hard, if not harder for the same things you believe in. The hardest part of a goal is not setting it but putting in the work to achieve it!
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Sphinx Minerva Group?
Sphinx Minerva Group was founded on the vision that all organizations, large and small, should have access to the tools of success that are tried and true. Our motto is to guide you from surviving to thriving. In keeping with this mission, we are a full-service, minority-owned management consulting firm that supports a wide array of critical services organizations need to be successful. Our five practice areas are 1. Equity, Diversity and Inclusion 2. Organizational Strategy 3. Integrated Marketing and Communication 4. Fundraising Leadership 5. Emergency Management and Preparedness. In each of these areas, our talented team possess the skills and experience to provide best practices when planning for the future or responding to immediate challenges. Whether it’s embracing the changing demographics of our workforce, advocating for gender equity, laying out a long-term strategic plan, providing coaching to executives, designing entrepreneur websites, mapping out a social media strategy for your brand, serving as a fundraising campaign advisor for a non-profit foundation, preparing return to work plans as we get ready for the new normal post-COVID 19 or a combination of all of these are what makes Sphinx Minerva Group unique.
What does success mean to you?
Success is the ability to learn from your mistakes and continuing to persevere toward your dreams. Life is full of unexpected challenges that take your greatest lows and offer you such joy at your highest highs. Don’t be afraid to lean in when you make a mistake and analyze your actions, decisions, methods, and tactics. Inevitably, you will be faced with a similar challenge in the future and your success will be defined by how you turn it into an opportunity. Brian also defines his success by celebrating the achievements of the hundreds of people he has coached, mentored, and managed throughout his career. It is wonderful to see a once shy and reserved manager take an executive role and deliver a flawless presentation to their Board of Directors, or a student whose aspirations to be a professional athlete graduate from college, while simultaneously pursuing their athletic career. The moments of laughter, love, fun and watching children grow only occur once. If anything, the recent Pandemic has taught me to embrace each moment because tomorrow is not promised. Do not take the importance of family and spiritual nourishment for granted expecting it to be waiting for you after an 80-hour workweek. Interestingly, my definition of success today is based on the lessons learned, so I no longer seek to just find the time, I make the time to feed both my emotional needs as well as my financial ones.
Contact Info:
- Email: bagnew@sphinxminervagroup.com
- Website: https://www.sphinxminervagroup.com/brian-d-agnew
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsyhDY-Fos9gaCjJcSkJpmw
