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From the Outside In: Seven Strategies for Success When You're Not a Member of the Dominant Group in Your Workplace

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Here is a brief excerpt from the Introduction: "A special caveat: In the book we describe group tendencies. But, as we all know, not all members of a group share the same beliefs, values, and behaviors. Moreover, this book is not intended to be a definitive study of every group discussed. Instead, it makes use of some distinctive tendencies in each group to demonstrate how these tendencies may affect personal interaction, teamwork, and promotional opportunities in the workplace." As the subtitle correctly suggests, the authors suggest seven strategies for success "when you're not a member of the dominant group in your workplace." That is, when you are outside and determined to get inside. Here are the strategies: 1. Check Your Baggage, 2. Call Out the Cavalry, 3. Accentuate the Positive, 4. Blow Your Horn, 5. Buy In, Don't Sell Out, 6. Know Your Rights, and 7. Have a Vision. Each of these seven strategies is carefully explained and then illustrated. The material is based on real-world experiences, strategies, and tactics recommended by real people. If you are (or feel that you are) excluded from the dominant group in your own workplace, I urge you to obtain a copy of this book and read it with appropriate care. Moreover, I presume to share a few personal caveats of my own. First, not all "in" groups are worthy of joining. Also, those who are "in" today may be "out" tomorrow and then "gone" soon thereafter. Finally, the strengths you now possess (ie what you have inside of yourself) such as intelligence, integrity, and passion are far more important than acceptance by a group whose members may lack them. Shakespeare's Polonius was right: "To thine ownself be true."

The strength of this book is in its nuanced case studies, which show the real-life dilemmas of those who may be subject to bias -- minorities, women, the disabled, gay workers, etc. The case studies not only sketch out the situation but include follow-up analyses, labeled "what should "x" have done?", that model how to cope with difficult situations. Suppose you're a woman at an investment bank with a Ph.D in economics and a great record attracting clients, and your boss has you stereotyped as a research beetle? What if you're a secretary with a very popular boss, but his compliments about your dress and appearance make you uncomfortable? Or a Pakistani software engineer whose colleagues joke that you must be sympathetic to terrorists? Or a black sales manager whose subordinates go over your head to complain about your aggressive management style -- and your own boss passes on the complaints without checking into their validity or encouraging the complainers to confront you directly? The book shows how to educate colleagues and bosses in situations like these without alienating them. While some of the advice about corporate "get-ahead" behavior is a little generic, the case studies make the book as a whole practical, practical, practical. Those who feel like "outsiders" in their workplace and are looking for ways to form good relationships and have their skills recognized will find it truly useful.