Customer Reviews

Good Is Not Enough: And Other Unwritten Rules for Minority Professionals

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This is a book that provides great career advice for young business professionals given as an experienced and supportive mentor might provide. Keith Wyche (and Sonia Alleyne) have written this for minorities, but I think almost all of it is fabulous advice for anyone trying to build some steam in a business career. As a middle-aged white guy, I obviously have never been a gender or racial minority, so I cannot really address those issues from their perspective.

The book has twelve chapters besides its brief introduction. I think the first chapter on the importance of corporate culture is a great place to start. There are many companies you where you, as a person, will fit in and others where you won't. We all experience this. You also need to know if your goals can be met at a given company. For example, if it is a small family firm with family members in the leadership positions, don't expect that you are going to displace blood. Is it seniority based company or do they actually reward merit? You will want to know this before you invest a couple of years bringing in record sales and are told that you will have to wait your turn because there are people ahead of you in the line. If you want to be rewarded for excellent performance match yourself to a company that rewards based on actual performance. And always keep a your résumé shiny and developing possible next steps outside the company.

The other chapters advise you on the importance of managing how others see you. While you can't control it, how you present yourself and what you do have a big impact on it. You are also advised on how to properly make yourself visible, when to take a lateral promotion or not, when to leave your company for a new job or not, and warned about several career killers. Wyche points out that minorities don't often get second chances once a career gets derailed. So, this chapter can be critical advice.

The author also advises you to develop certain leadership skills so you can be seen as a leader. They are strategic visioning, execution, authentic leadership, flexibility and adaptability, awareness and political judgment, and personal accountability. I have seen many people of every background lack these qualities and misunderstand why they weren't given leadership positions. They blamed it on a lot of other factors other than their own lack of leadership qualities. Don't make that mistake.

Wyche also talks about the vital importance of being completely prepared, how to overcome gender bias, and the critical need to keep you skills fresh and up to date. The chapter on mentors and sponsors applies to everyone, but especially to minorities. This includes the importance of giving back and becoming a mentor and sponsor once you achieve success as a business professional. The last chapter advises you to never give up. The old saying is true; many battles are lost because one side gives up just before they might have won if they had pressed themselves a bit more. Tenacity is a wonderful quality in every part of life.

I like this book a great deal and can't imagine why anyone wouldn't want to read it, but I understand why he focused it for minorities and think it is a terrific resource for them. In my view, though, most of it (nearly all of it) is simply fabulous advice for the up and comer.

Reviewed by Craig Matteson, Ann Arbor, MI

I purchased Good Is Not Enough upon reading of its release. Inquisitive to read what the author had to say, I voraciously devoured the book within two days. Later, I read it again after Wyche accepted a guest invitation to my online talk radio show. Wyche expressly notes that the book is written for middle management minority professionals in corporate America and the coaching, guidance and counsel in the book is apropos...if your zeal to reach executive level status so compels you to jump through all the hoops. Wyche provides practical information for anyone in middle management (Sr. Mgr, Director and VP levels) yet drops golden nuggets that most minority professionals never build into their worklife planning. The material on perception, personal branding, networking, interpersonal relations, having a mentoring and minorities not getting a second chance is education you cannot buy in a classroom. Invaluable to professionals whether you desire to climb the corporate ranks or not. It's direction for merely knowing how to play in the corporate arena and thrive. Kudos!

I recently participated in a professional development workshop where Mr. Wyche was the keynote speaker. He delivered such a compelling and well developed presentation/speech on the topic of career advancement for minority professionals that I decided to purchase a copy of his book. The book contains a wealth of knowledge and advice that is effectively advanced by personal stories and illustrations offered by Mr. Wyche. For example, Mr. Wyche suggests that professionals should engage in proactive career management practices from the very beginning of their careers. The best practices offered are sensible and practical and can be easily navigated with additional effort and awareness by the individual. For example, Mr. Wyche suggests that professionals should engage in the following:

1) Writing short and long term career goals and revisiting them often in order to ensure timely execution.

2) Being flexible and open to change (e.g. lateral moves, pursuing additional education, volunteering for projects, etc).

3) Verbalizing career goals and aspirations to individuals of influence (e.g. mentors, managers, career coach, etc).

4) Securing and investing in mentoring relationships both within the organization and externally.

5) Creating and maintaining a solid personal and professional brand. What are people saying about you when you are not present?

6) Ensuring that someone of influence is always "wearing your shirt" or advocating for you.

While the book is positioned for minority professionals wishing to pursue executive level positions, the coaching tips and content are appropriate and applicable for any minority and non-minority business professional wanting to advance their career. This is a must read!!

Good Is Not Enough, by Keith R. Wyche, is not the typical this-is-what-you-should-do-with-your-career book. It calls for the target audience (primarily minorities) to earnestly review their professional strengths, weaknesses, wants and needs under an overlay of the honest review of their professional opportunities. It flushes out some of the all important unwritten dos and don'ts of corporate maneuvering; especially helpful for those who don't have a history of corporate presence in their family's background. What I found especially enlightening was the advice about lateral corporate movement and working for a company that fits you. As it happens, I'd just completed my first so-called lateral company move when I stumbled across this book. And I couldn't agree more with his advice. Although I took hellacious pay cut, it was well worth it. The move allowed me to attend company educational programs, work with some very talented operators in my field, meet the executive members of my company, find a mentor (a huge career improvement), fortify, improve and enhance my leadership skills, hone my management skills (through mentoring, I evolved from supervising - doing things right, to managing - doing the right things), and most importantly, recharge my spiritual batteries. It was, without a doubt, my best career move to date. According to Andrew S. Grove, Only the Paranoid Survive, "Your career is literally your business. You own it as a sole proprietor. You have one employee: yourself. You are in competition with millions of similar businesses: millions of other employees all over the world. You need to accept ownership of your career, your skills and the timing of your moves. It is your responsibility to protect this personal business of yours from harm and to position it to benefit from the changes in the environment. Nobody else can do that for you." Talk about truer words! Taking stock in your career requires all kinds of help and guidance. The only way to ensure that you get that guidance is to work for a company that embraces you and employs people willing to mentor your progression. It makes all the difference in the world. Minority or not, Good Is Not Enough, is definitely one to add to your library because if you're really interested in managing a well groomed career, you'll find yourself referring to this book often.

I'd planned on attending a speaking engagement that Keith Wyche was the keynote speaker, so I decided to read the book prior to the event. Needless to say I was unable to put the book down and finished it in about 3 days. This book provides excellent and practical guidance for maneuvering thru corp America with grace and success. I highly recommend it and plan on using many of the tips and points provided to help me as I move up thru my corporate career. Also, if given the opportunity to hear Keith speak I recommend that anyone attend at whatever the cost may be, you will not be disappointed.

This is an excellent book for People of Color and non-People of Color. It is well written, concise and informative. The materials are applicable to all types of organizational cultures.

This book was just what I needed! As a young minority professional who was perplexed by corporate culture, this book answered many of my questions and provided me with the knowledge needed to keep on trucking despite obstacles encountered in the workplace.

I gave this book as a gift. The recipient was elated during and after reading the book. He has been able to apply many of the concepts discussed and was truly thankful.

THIS IS A GOOD BOOK FOR AFRICAN AMERICANS IN CORPORATE AMERICA.
A LITTLE BIT LENGHTY BUT HE MAKES A LOT OF SENSE AND A WORTHY READ...
I READ IT IN A TWO WEEKS.
IF YOU NEED A BIT OF ADVICE IN HOW TO NAVIGATE THE WOODS OF CORPORATE AMERICA.PICK UP THIS BOOK.
IT IS ESPECIALLY GOOD FOR THOSE STARTING OUT ON THIER FIRST JOB.
GOOD LUCK ALL

I take this book with me everywhere I go!!! It is such a good read and such realistic advice. I read chapters over and over again. My go-to book for suceeding in Corporate America