"Today, companies want you to do well. They will give you the chance. You just have to step up and prove yourself."

Westina Matthews Shatteen, First Vice President, Merrill Lynch & Co., Inc., From the book Cracking the Corporate Code

A Black business book classic is that I recommend reading is Cracking the Corporate Code : The Revealing Success Stories of 32 African American Executives by Price M. Cobbs and Judith L. Turnock. This book delivers truth in a disarmingly no-holds barred fashion.

The truth about advancement in the corporate world is that the unwritten, unspoken rules and values are often more important then those that are written and spoken. The challenge for African Americans is that the rules were created for and by white men.

This book receives my recommendation for both what the book does and for what it doesn't do.

The first half of the book is tough to swallow as an African American because you hear the stories of young, idealist Black men and women entering the corporate world on the heels of years of Civil Rights unrest and newly minted gains. They are pioneers in business and the business world proves to be as dangerous as the American frontier was to the pioneers that left home to settle here.

These new entrants into corporate America face abuse, back stabbing, hurt, rejection and subtle as well as outright racism. Through it all, they manage to keep a proper perspective, excel in their respective careers and prove to many in the business world that Blacks have a place at the corporate table, that we can turn a profit in the white man's world of business.

Now, these executives are stalwarts of business giving sage advice to all who will listen. The stories they tell and the advice they dispense is as invaluable as having 32 mentors unified in guiding you successfully through your career. They openly share their experiences and feelings about them at the time. Have you ever had doubts about your ability, felt persecuted and put down because of your race or have you felt the sting of subtle racism and not known what to do? They have and they share that with you. This gives the book a sense of sincerity in its efforts to benefit the reader.

The authors teach the skills to overcome the blows to one's ego that happen to everyone but are often complicated by the color of our skin. Have you ever wondered if someone's intention to help was sincere(an honest gesture to assist) or slightly racist(you need help due to your skin color). The authors tell you the skills they developed to perceive these subtle differences.

What Cracking the Corporate Code does not do is try to provide a step by step formula to success. The book decribes the lonliness of success experienced by these Black executives, the ambiguous nature of corporate power and the reality of "unwritten rules" in every business.

The authors recognize that a cookie cutter approach will fail the reader. The real keys to success are embedded in the stories of the executives as we read about their rise to power.

Much like my ebook, The 7 Simple Secrets to Building Wealth available at www.blackwealthnow.com, core skill sets are what separate the winners from the losers in business and finance. This book recognizes that African Americans require all the skills that whites need to succeed as well our own set of skills to thrive as Black men and women in a hostile world.

A few of the skills learned in Cracking the Corporate Code include reading unwritten rules, playing the corporate game, building a base of supporters, cultivating a network and wielding corporate power.

32 African American executives each with decades of experience giving advice and sharing wisdom on these critical issues and more makes Cracking the Corporate Code an indispensable success guide on the bookshelves of all African Americans at any level and in any business.

I'll end here as I began and that is with a quote from one of the African American executives from the book.

"None of us has gotten here on our own. We may have busted our butts, worked extremely hard, made lots of personal sacrifices, and brought some talent and ability to the table. I believe all that is true, but we didn't do it alone. We've all had people who have been there either directly or indirectly and made a difference." Bruce Gordon, Group President, Verizon From the book Cracking the Corporate Code by Price M. Cobbs & Judith L. Turnock

God bless

About the author:

Bret Searles is a freelance writer on Black personal finance and business issues, author of ebook "The 7 Simple Secrets to Building Wealth: An African American Guide" and publisher of the ezine Black Wealth Now (www.blackwealthnow.com).