The corporate environment was not developed with them in mind, say Price M. Cobbs and Judith L. Turnock, authors of Cracking The Corporate Code: The Revealing Success Stories of 32 African-American Executives (Amacom).

"It was created by and for white men. As a result, it guaranteed the success of others like them and excluded everyone else."

Women and minorities simply don't fit the mold. "Lacking both the traditional outward appearance and knowledge of the language, imagery and symbols of the culture, they have to work to make themselves feel they fit and to make it appear to others that they belong."

In other words, the world of corporate American can feel like a foreign culture with its own unwritten rules and unspoken code of conduct. But that doesn't mean if you are black or female, you can't succeed in it.

Based on the experiences of African-American executives from such corporations as Sears Roebuck, General Mills and Citibank, the authors share common threads and strategies these executives developed to succeed in business terms--that is to become comfortable in this ambiguous environment while preserving their own emotional well-being.

Rich in wisdom on how to build on the positive while having the "moral courage to change or eliminate the negative," here's a look at some of those strategies.

The first and foremost strategy, say the authors, is to acknowledge your confusion, then learn this culture you work in. Identify patterns that initially seem like chaos. Look at this environment as a puzzle to be solved--a code you can crack. By being open to understanding, interpreting, clarifying and making peace with uncertainty, you will ultimately master the corporation.

Second, manage your demons. To succeed in this environment, you cannot lash out in anger when you experience others' discomfort, indifference or inappropriate responses to you. But you can't ignore it either.

The authors suggest learning to control your anger by stepping back, examining each interaction and reaction. Identify what pushes your hot buttons and why, try to understand the other person's behavior and decide on several appropriate responses.

Three executives learned to temper their sensitivity by looking more deeply into the complex motives of their white colleagues, learning to manage their reactions when race is used against them, and applying their "weapons": self-confidence, intelligence and emotional fortitude.

Another key strategy is to understand power. Power is the ability to influence behavior, overcome resistance and get others to do things they might not otherwise do. This always involves disagreement, they say. So if you aspire to influence, you must be willing to engage in conflict with others.

You must also develop and refine traits that powerful people share--no matter what race, gender or age--including:

• Endurance--being willing to work long and grueling hours over an extended period of time.
• Focus--being single-minded in the pursuit of a goal.
• Sensitivity--being keenly attuned to the wants and needs of others.
• Flexibility--constantly reassessing all available information to know when a change of course is needed.
• Emotional strength--keeping emotions and intelligence in alignment.

Don't flaunt your power, they say. Make fairness a part of your behavior and the opinions of others a part of your considerations. And never be apologetic. "You are entitled to have and use power," say the authors.

I highly recommend this book. It is honest and inspiring, clarifying the subtle issues that can be hard to articulate, yet must be addressed. As the CEO of PepsiCo says in the foreward, when you read this book, you can't help but be inspired to work towards a new inclusive corporate culture.

© by Andrea Kay