Basic Black: The Essential Guide for Getting Ahead at Work (and in Life) [Hardcover]

Cathie Black (Editor)

Book Description

Release date: October 23, 2007

Cathie Black is the wise, funny mentor that every woman dreams of having. She was a pioneer in advertising sales at a time when women didn’t sell; served as president and publisher of the fledgling USA Today; and, in her current position as the president of Hearst Magazines, persuaded Oprah to launch a magazine. In 2006 she was named one of Fortune’s “50 Most Powerful Women in American Business” for the seventh consecutive year. Now, in the exuberant, down-to-earth voice that is her trademark, Cathie explains how she achieved “the 360° life”—a blend of professional accomplishment and personal contentment—and how any woman can seize opportunity in the workplace.

No matter where you are in your career, Basic Black offers invaluable lessons that will help you land the job, promotion, or project you’re vying for. At the core of the book are Cathie’s candid, personal stories. She walks us through her decision to risk dropping a huge ad agency that handled the USA Today campaign in favor of a small boutique agency run by a wild man. (It was a smash.) She admits that her sometimes brusque style once led to a mutiny of staffers at Ms. (She learned to be more flexible in her managerial style.) She offers a clear-eyed look at what happened during the twenty-eight months between the launch and the close of the much-
buzzed-about Talk magazine. And throughout, she offers fascinating glimpses of media and business personalities, such as Rupert Murdoch, Tina Brown, Frank Bennack, Vic Ganzi, former CosmoGirl! editor Atoosa Rubenstein, Bonnie Fuller, and the legendarily difficult Al Neuharth, founder of USA Today.

Above all, Basic Black is motivating. It provides a close-up look at the keen judgment, perseverance, and optimism that have propelled Cathie Black to the top of her game, along with the kind of straight-up practical advice you get in a one-on-one session with a career coach. You’ll find out how to handle job interviews, which rules to break, and why you should make your life a grudge-free zone. Equally important, you’ll be inspired to pursue your passions and achieve your very best.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Media mogul Black, president of Hearst Magazines (Cosmopolitan, Esquire, Harper's Bazaar and O), delivers a memoir masquerading as a guide to career and life. Enthusiastic and hard-working, Black was one of the first women to take a major role in American magazine and newspaper publishing. She came to Hearst by way of New York magazine, where she was the first woman publisher of a weekly consumer magazine, and USA Today, which she helped build from a small upstart into one of the country's most widely read daily papers. Though she positions herself as a role model for professional women, her advice is slim and scattershot. The book mainly consists of anecdotes from her working life and fawning praise for Al Neuharth, retired chairman and CEO of newspaper publisher Gannett Co. and her unofficial mentor. It's an interesting portrait of a groundbreaking career, but Black backs up her own story with only a note or two of advice, waiting until nearly the end of the book to tackle what she originally claims is her main point: the 360 Life, or the difficulty of balancing work with personal life. While the author's life is an interesting one, readers looking for tips will do better with a more pointed book. (Oct.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review

“Basic Black does a great job of telling the story of how Cathie deftly navigated the challenges of the workplace and the media business, while also trying to balance the demands of a busy life. Her practical tips on handling typical workplace situations make this an important read for any woman who wants to become a better colleague, a better leader ... and a better person.”
—Meg Whitman, President & CEO, eBay Inc.

"Bravo for Basic Black! After reading this book, I understand more than ever why Cathie Black is the huge success she is today. She’s totally fearless! She shares her triumphs, but perhaps best of all, she shares her mistakes so that we can learn from them. I love her candor. Whether you're starting your career or going full throttle, you will benefit from Cathie's insights into business--and life. Basic Black is a true must-read.
—Gayle King, editor-at-large of O, The Oprah Magazine

"I’m a big Cathie Black fan–in part because we both believe that where you come from in no way determines where you can get to. If you think it, you can create it.Cathie’s career is living proof of that and her experiences, both professional and personal, make for fascinating reading. The life lessons in these pages are smart, true, and reassuring, no matter where you are in your career."
—Suze Orman, author of Women and Money and The Nine Steps to Financial Freedom

"Cathie Black is exactly the kind of mentor every woman needs: a talented executive at the top of her game willing to tell it like it really is. Imagine having a private lunch with one of the most powerful women in business, and then feast on her wonderful book. Basic Black is among the very best insider accounts of how to succeed as a leader."
—Rosabeth Moss Kanter, Harvard Business School professor and author of Confidence and America the Principled

"Cathie Black demystifies the workplace with her typical brand of pragmatic insight and engaging humor. Basic Black provides a practical guide to the traits we see demonstrated by our greatest leaders at GE---passion, drive, attitude, risk taking, and the ability to nurture and develop great talent. I had fun reading Basic Black, and thought to myself...This is someone I would like to work for."
—Jeffrey R. Immelt, Chairman and CEO, GE

"As every woman needs basic black in her wardrobe, she also needs Basic Black on her bookshelf. This is the perfect handbook on getting ahead while staying true to yourself."
—Donna Karan, Designer

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Crown Business; First Edition edition (October 23, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0307351106
• ISBN-13: 978-0307351104
• Product Dimensions: 6.4 x 1.1 x 9.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (84 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #644,905 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

33 of 34 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars Basic Blah -- not a how-to, not a memoir March 10, 2008

By beckyjean VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover

Despite this book's subtitle stating that it is a "Guide," I felt this book was more of a memoir than a how-to. It has components of both, and succeeds as neither.

Some of Black's anecdotes about her rise to the top were memorable -- most notably the one in which she very publicly gives one of her superiors a giant tomato from her garden, in order to make an impression on him.

But Black doesn't succeed in turning the anecdote into a lesson. It's just a story about a stunt she pulled to publicize herself -- and in the telling, it comes off as a lame stunt at that. (She also kept referring to the tomato as a "vegetable," which drove me nuts.)

Oddly enough, a few chapters later, she talks about a hopeful interviewee who sent her a four-foot-tall potted plant as a thank-you gift. Black makes fun of the gift and advises against readers doing something similar. I don't get it. Why is it clever for Black to go to a big meeting and give somebody a giant tomato, but it's stupid for a potential new hire to send Black a large plant?

Basic Black is full of muddles like this. In another anecdote, Black talks about the first executive resort getaway she organized after joining Hearst. She tells us that she booked the getaway at a Florida resort that was "not your father's resort," and yet she doesn't give other details to show why the place was so different, special, and fabulous. She does mention that the decor features sweeping floor-to-ceiling draperies.

Later, she describes making a speech to the Hearst execs, and makes a big deal about her rallying cry of, "It's time to shake the dust off the curtains at Hearst!" At which point, she gestured to the resort's big curtains.

Uh, OK. So that was it? You pointed at the curtains, AND...?...

And nothing. That's the end of the story. Apparently she is to be congratulated for booking a resort that had fantastic curtains, and then working the curtains into her speech. The book doesn't go any deeper into the Big Curtain Metaphor to provide any advice for the reader. The anecdote falls flat.

As does much of the book. I found very little in it that was interesting or worthwhile. The "Devil is in the Details" chapter was probably the best one. It broke out, in list form, various dos and don'ts of maintaining and upgrading one's career and personal relationships.

But there is very little actual "advice" in this book, so don't be fooled by the subtitle, or by a quick flip-through -- those little red-boxed bits of "advice" peppered through the text were more like lame fortune-cookie fortunes, empty aphorisms. Read more ›

36 of 40 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Basic Black Teaches Basic Work Skills November 24, 2007

By K. Gilmore

Format:Hardcover

I enjoyed this book as a corporate skills review. Cathie Black's book gives good information on basic business life skills. This book gives advice on how to handle the corporate environment and what to do to avoid some office politic pitfalls. However, the subtitle of the book "the essential guide for getting ahead at work (and in life)" does not hold true to the final story. This book does not talk about life outside of the corporate circle Cathie Black lives. Unless you are a recent new corporate entry, most of this book is leadership review. This book helps to iterate what is learned over years of working. Cathie's work stories tend to become tired by 3/4 through the book and her experiences seem limited to some degree. I recommend this book for young, fresh out of college corporate women. They will learn some basic leadership skills from this book.

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars Applaud the effort, question the value for women January 8, 2008

By Avid Reader

Format:Hardcover

As a highly successful working woman and mother, I'm always interested in hearing from other successful working women--and I thank Cathie Black for her attempt. I'm tired of books written by men. And even though women have the money and buying power, there aren't enough books out there for us. Yet, this book disappointed me. Cathie Black's book is black and white: an over-drive of ego. Her stories center around her brilliance. She comes off as self-obsorbed and shallow. Where are the business books written by women that have walked our path--eager to share their stories as a woman, mother, wife? Don't tell me to be driven and take risks. I do that every day. Don't bore me with your love story with yourself. Surely she could do more for women than canned testimonials and naming a book afer herself. I wish you would have dug deeper, Cathie.

89 of 110 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars a neccessary book for every ambitious young (or not so young) woman October 22, 2007

By Jesse Kornbluth TOP 500 REVIEWER

Format:Hardcover

Many people who are unhappy with their jobs or just eager to move up have used company time to work on their résumés. And they've probably gone on to photocopy those résumés on the office machine. And some of them have almost certainly left the original at the copier, where, as luck would have it, it gets found by a senior executive who knows exactly what it means.

Cathie Black did all that. The difference between her and the yutz who regales his friends with his stupidity over brewskis at the corner tap is that Cathie Black is the CEO of Hearst Magazines --- and that she tells this story on herself at the start of her book. Right away you know: This is not a woman who has airbrushed her career.

I can personally testify to that. Over the years, I have spoken at Hearst conferences and flirted with employment at Hearst, and my conversations with Cathie Black have been models of clear communication. She states her position or asks her question, listens attentively, and follows up --- she's the walking example of a "New York minute." But she's not a chilly corporate nun. She gets the joke: Magazines may help you better your life, they may divert you from your cares, they may even help you figure out how to dispose of your disposable income, but they do not cure cancer. And so, when I picture Cathie Black, I think equally of her blunt-as-a-bullet approach to business and her quick, warm laugh.

Those qualities come through in this book, which is, above all, a virtual mentoring campaign. That benevolent sharing is crucial, for Black believes every woman who hopes for a successful, rewarding career needs a mentor.... If you happen to lack a powerful woman with a generous heart, look no further --- Cathie Black is not one of those people who got to the top and promptly set about making sure no one else could follow her route.

Nor is Cathie Black some sort of doctrinaire feminist --- though she was at Ms. Magazine in the early years when it was assumed that its employees were rabid. Great CEOs have no politics, they'll vote for whatever works. And Cathie Black is a great CEO; in her decade at Hearst, she's presided over 10% growth, scored the most successful magazine launch in history (the Oprah magazine, O) and power-wedged a once-glacial company onto the Web.

So her advice is practical in the extreme. Think of your boss as "a small woodland animal" --- you don't want to surprise him/her with any sudden moves. Better that you should anticipate his/her needs. Better that you make him/her look good. Does that grate on you? Always remember: "The end game is the only game in town." Translation: Don't play for small stakes.

This simple advice is worth the price of admission. If you spend your days in the kind of offices I've had the misfortune to work in, you are surrounded by politicians who think the election is tomorrow. They're catty and petty; they think small. Join them, and you'll never get beyond middle management.

Happily for those of us who are sick to death of how-to tomes written by people who couldn't do it if they memorized their own books, Basic Black dares to suggest an idea you rarely hear: Smart Thinking and Right Conduct do get rewarded in the real world.

Examples:

When you've prepared for a meeting with the big boss, do you present your pitch, no matter what he/she signals? Cathie Black listened carefully, then threw an hour speech out the window and got everything she needed --- from Rupert Murdoch, no less --- is just five minutes.

When you're wooing Oprah, do you hire Spielberg to make a promo film about your company? Black's crew took digital mini-cams to the mall.

When you're offered a job with your dream title, do you jump at it --- even if it means a move to Podunk? Cathie Black almost did. Fortunately, she had a mentor who spoke fluent Reality.

The blend of memoir, self-help guide and mentoring session in "Basic Black" has a powerful effect: It's impossible to read this book without entering into a conversation with it. Would you do what Black did? What would Black do in your situation? There's really no such thing as a virtual mentor. And self-help books can't really help you run your life better. But a book that presents situations and challenges you to second-guess the author's decisions --- that's a useful book.

If I were young and female and buffeted on all sides by gurus who promise the impossible, I'm sure I'd find "Basic Black" a comfort and a prod --- an intimate chat with a kindly aunt who tells you how she succeeded, then kicks your butt and tells you to strap on your Manolos, get out there and make something of yourself.

Yes, Ms. Black! Of course, Ms. Black! Right on it, Ms. Black!

And then, if her way works for you: Thank you, Ms. Black! Read more ›