Black Faces in White Places - 9780814416808

As an African American, you've heard the adage that you need to work twice as hard as white counterparts to succeed. So you play "the game" and anticipate being rewarded for your talents and hard work. Now you're up for a prized promotion, landmark business deal, or other professional breakthrough---this is your moment....

It's at this point that many African-American professionals experience a "black faces in white places" moment: a point at which it becomes all too clear that just playing well isn't enough---because the rules can change on you in a heartbeat. This scenario plays out countless times each day in American workplaces, and for Randal Pinkett it played out on national television---when Pinkett's seemingly storybook ending during the finale of The Apprentice was about to get an unexpected twist.

Black Faces in White Places is about that very game---the one played in the competitive world in which we all live and work. While exploring the ideals and realities of identity, meritocracy, opportunity, and society, the book lays out ten concrete strategies to help you become a "game changer." The ten strategies will advance you to the next level of personal and professional success and unleash the greatness that lies within you.

The book also examines social responsibility, institution building, and longstanding traditions of giving throughout African-American culture and history.

Based on interviews with dozens of prominent African Americans and the authors' considerable experience in business, in the public eye, and in the minority, Black Faces in White Places shows how as an African-American professional you can (and must) think and act both entrepreneurially and "intrapreneurially"; combine the strengths of your peers with the wisdom of others; and plant the seeds of a positive and lasting legacy.