Order Now | Review | Excerpts

Excerpts from Cracking the Corporate Code

Linda Keene and Alana Robinson found that subordinates often have critical information. Their willingness to share with you depends on how you regard them, how you treat them. Given the sensitivity of many African Americans at being seen as a representative of a group rather than as an individual, it is no surprise our executives said treating everyone with respect was the cornerstone of their management style.

Managing relationships among your peers is a delicate process. You begin as colleagues, on the same team, learning to swim in the same water. At early stages of a career, healthy competition is a part of the equation, but at that stage there are enough rewards and promotions to go around. Then, as you work your way up the pyramid, the competition assumes a more significant role. Although trust earned through shared experiences remains an important factor, very quickly you learn to distinguish what you can take at face value. Because there are no formal lines of authority and no one of you has the ability to reward or punish the others, you must learn to convince and influence. That means finding those places where your self-interest intersects with the self-interest of your team members.