Product Description

In a perfect corporate world, intellect, hard work, and professionalism would be recognized and rewarded regardless of the color of your skin. Kenneth Arroyo Roldan is here to tell you that nobody works in a perfect corporate world. Stellar performance alone will not determine corporate advancement—minorities need to learn and follow the rules of corporate politics. As one African American employee who started as a systems analyst at Xerox observed, "The reality was that despite your ability, if you weren't playing politics correctly, you would be derailed."

In Minority Rules, Roldan gives a dose of tough love to minorities in corporate America while educating their majority counterparts. As the CEO of the top U.S. head-hunting firm specializing in placing minorities in fast track jobs, Roldan watched as minority superstars hired at Fortune 500 companies bailed out, disappointed and rejected after only a few years. The problem, Roldan says, is that minorities are not adequately prepared psychologically or culturally for corporate careers. In a six-step plan, he explains how to surmount the obstacles, play corporate hardball, and succeed as a minority in the workplace. Corporate culture is unforgiving to minorities, but it is possible to rise to the top with Roldan as your guide.

With refreshing candor, Roldan prepares minorities both psychologically and culturally for corporate careers. Forget about using affirmative action and discrimination lawsuits to level the playing field. The only way to win is to know the landscape and master the rules of the game—from finding the right mentor to learning the art of networking to focusing on self-reliance, patience, and most of all, performance. Roldan shows minorities how to climb to the top jobs—and keep them.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #420241 in Books
• Published on: 2006-09-01
• Released on: 2006-08-29
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 304 pages

From Publishers Weekly
Before explaining how to use ethnicity to one's professional advantage, Roldan spends almost two-thirds of this book arguing that minorities need to lose any illusions they may harbor about succeeding without learning to understand and play by corporate and majority rules. From his position as CEO of a top minority recruiting firm and former employment discrimination attorney, Roldan matter-of-factly details the obstacles to the advancement of Hispanic, Asian, African-American and female employees, and the self-defeating behavior that can keep promising managers from rising. His emphasis is on creating a personalized plan of action based on stellar performance and on building relationships, choosing mentors, networking and mastering corporate politics while outperforming competitors at every rung of the ladder. Intended for ambitious people, these are well constructed and tested lessons, supported by examples from the career paths of prominent executives like Merrill Lynch CEO Stan O'Neal. Roldan also highlights myths and mistakes that are commonly and easily made along the way, such as failing to leverage one's ethnic background into an area of expertise or resisting assimilation into the corporate culture. While he targets a specific segment of readers, Roldan's clear-eyed advice on what it takes to succeed in corporate America would benefit a reader of any background. (Sept.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist
In this age of debate on expanding immigration and diversity, and ambivalence toward affirmative action, Roldan offers a framework designed to enhance the experience of minorities and women in corporate environments. He is well informed by his experience as CEO of his own minority recruiting firm and prior experience as an attorney addressing claims of employment discrimination. Roldan takes a balanced and insightful approach, addressing both internal and external tensions and obstacles. He advises minorities to find a mentor who can provide direction and support in pursuit of goals. Mentors can be inside or outside the workplace, including business or professional associations. Roldan warns against overdependence on support sources within the ethnic group because restricted numbers undercut the prospects of a tandem rise and a rising star. This is a practical, hands-on approach that critiques the potential pitfalls for individuals and corporations as it reveals much of corporate culture. This book will find readership among minorities and corporations concerned with improving the work environment and others desiring insight on the issues of minorities and the workplace. Vernon Ford
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

About the Author

Since 2001, Kenneth Arroyo Roldan has been the CEO of Wesley, Brown & Bartle, the nation's top executive search firm that specializes in placing minority executives. A graduate of Cornell and Touro Law Center, he is also a former New York State Assistant Attorney General in the Civil Rights Bureau. Ken lives in Hempstead, New York, with his family.