Black Faces in White Places
10 Game-Changing Strategies to Achieve Success and Find Greatness
By: Randal Pinkett, Ph.D., Jeffrey Robinson, Ph.D., Philana Patterson
Published: October 28 2010
Format: Hardcover, 288 pages
ISBN: 9780814416808
Publisher: AMACOM
"We are officially retiring the glass ceiling and suggesting as a replacement a new metaphor that we call 'the ever-changing game'", write co-founder, chairman and CEO of BCT Partners, Randal Pinkett, Ph.D.; leading business scholar at Rutgers Business School, Jeffrey Robinson, Ph.D.; and business news editor for the Associated Press, Philana Patterson, in their eye opening and landmark book Black Faces in White Places: 10 Game-Changing Strategies to Achieve Success and Find Greatness. The authors describe the often uncomfortable reality and challenges faced by African American men and women as they enter the exclusive boardrooms, and the highest levels of academia and politics in America, and how they must redefine the rules of the game along the way.
Randal Pinkett, Ph.D. (photo left), Jeffrey Robinson, Ph.D., and Philana Patterson recognize the challenge for African Americans is to change the game from one where the rules don't work for everyone. For Randal Pinkett, that game changing moment arrived on the reality television series The Apprentice, where he was asked by Donald Trump to accept being a co-winner. Until that point, the show had featured only one winner per competition. Donald Trump was attempting a rule change in the middle of the game. Randal Pinkett refused the ruling, and created his own game changing moment. That type of game changing event is faced by African Americans every day, and the authors present a groundbreaking set of techniques for leveling the playing field. The authors don't seek an entirely color blind America. Instead, they envision a diverse and multi-cultural country where differences and alternative voices and are embraced as part of the fabric of a dynamic society.
Jeffrey Robinson, Ph.D. (photo left), Philana Patterson, and Randal Pinkett, Ph.D. move beyond the outdated glass ceiling metaphor, and describe the situation facing African Americans and other diverse groups, as one of an ever changing game. The good news, according to the authors, is that the game can be modified to suit the participants, as the rules are not fixed in position. The authors point out that the modern African American experience consists of identity, society, meritocracy, and opportunity. The authors modify these rules to change their focus from equal treatment to equal respect as people of diverse culture, heritage, and individuality. To strengthen their case, the authors present ten important strategies to to empower and inspire African Americans.
For me, the power of the book is how Philana Patterson (photo left), Randal Pinkett, Ph.D., and Jeffrey Robinson, Ph.D. share concepts that are grnuine game changers that enhance opportunity while celebrating the diversity offered to all organizations by Black voices. With the world becoming a global marketplace, the recognition of multicultural, multi-ethnic, and multinational diversity represents not only a competitive advantage, but an understanding of the reality of globalization now and in the future. This not just another book on success, but one that takes very seriously the still unresolved challenges facing minorities in a majority white culture.
Instead of the usual platitudes about working harder and attempting to fit in, the authors provide actionable real world strategies that make a difference. By making the bold analogy of organizational behavior as a game, the authors remove the psychological barriers for initiating change. By describing the current rules of the game as being in constant flux, the authors empower African Americans to make changes to those rules that recognize diversity and accord respect to all individuals.
I highly recommend the indispensable and must read book Black Faces in White Places: 10 Game-Changing Strategies to Achieve Success and Find Greatness by Randal Pinkett, Ph.D. and Jeffrey Robinson, Ph.D. with Philana Patterson, to anyone seeking a book that offers an empowering alternative to the usual success manuals. The authors provide a powerful and workable set of recommendations for African Americans to achieve more than mere success, but also respect and recognition of their individuality. In a world where diversity is now the rule, and not the exception, this book provides a valuable guide for changing the old rules to create new ones that better suit the current and future reality.
Read the important and groundbreaking book Black Faces in White Places: 10 Game-Changing Strategies to Achieve Success and Find Greatness by Randal Pinkett, Ph.D. and Jeffrey Robinson, Ph.D. with Philana Patterson, and discover how to embrace diversity, while changing the game to provide greater opportunity, respect, and empowerment to everyone in the organization. This book provides the tools necessary for African Americans and members of other minorities, to achieve success and respect on their own terms. This brilliant and timely book provides the blueprint for building more diverse organizations, and a better society for all people.
