Black Faces in White Places - by Randal D Pinkett & Jeffrey A Robinson & Philana Patterson (Paperback)

About the Book

How African-American professionals can combine their personal strengths with the wisdom of others and plant the seeds of a positive and lasting legacy in the workplace.

Book Synopsis

Discover how African-American professionals can combine their personal strengths with the wisdom of others to plant the seeds of a positive, lasting legacy in the workplace.

Randal Pinkett was the first African-American winner on The Apprentice. When he won, he also became the only contestant to be asked to share his victory with a white woman.

For generations, African-Americans have been told that they need to work twice as hard as everyone else to succeed. However, as millions of black Americans were reminded by Pinkett's experience, sometimes hard work is not enough.

Black Faces in White Places is about "the game", the competitive world in which we all live and work. The book offers 10 revolutionary strategies for playing, mastering, and changing the game for the current generation, while undertaking a wholesale redefinition of the rules for those who will follow.

In this book, you will:

• Expand yourself beyond your comfort zone
• Recognize and demonstrate the four facets of excellence
• Build beneficial relationships and powerful networks
• Identify different mentors and learn from others' experiences
• Discover ways of working with others to facilitate collective action

Based on the authors' considerable experiences in business, in the public eye, and in the minority, the book shows how African-American professionals can (and must) think and act both entrepreneurially and "intrapreneurially".

Black Faces in White Places not only explains shattering the old "glass ceiling" and changing the concept of success, but also examines the four dimensions of the contemporary black experience: identity, society, meritocracy, and opportunity.

From the Back Cover

Advance Praise for Black Faces in White Places

"Randal Pinkett and Jeffrey Robinson's book has much to say about solutions to our challenges in the Age of Obama. Don't miss it!" -- Cornel West, Princeton University

"There are three types of people in this world: those who make the rules, those who follow the rules, and those who redefine the rules. Drs. Pinkett and Robinson have given us a revolutionary roadmap for people of color to accomplish the latter, and to do so in a way that benefits everyone." -- William H. Cosby, Jr., Ed.D., and Camille O. Cosby, Ed.D.

"An intriguing exploration into the personal, professional, and spiritual dimensions of being Black in 21st century America. If you care deeply about the future of our communities and our country, you should care about this book."-- Benjamin Todd Jealous, President and CEO, NAACP

"This book is a 'must read' to fully understand the Black experience in any professional setting. Black Faces in White Places takes a look at race and professional accomplishment in post-Obama America. Drs. Pinkett and Robinson interview entrepreneurs, corporate execs, educators, religious and community leaders to identify 10 clear strategies to be successful oneself-and to help others as well." -- Soledad O'Brien, Anchor and Special Correspondent, CNN

"The '10 Game-Changing Strategies' in Black Faces in White Places are so powerful, so compelling, and so simple, it made me wonder why someone didn't think of them sooner! Thank you, Dr. Pinkett and Dr. Robinson."-- Judge Glenda Hatchett

"Pinkett and Robinson's '10 Game-Changing Strategies' should be for people of color what Stephen Covey's '7 Habits' were for highly effective people." -- Roland S. Martin, Analyst, CNN Host, Managing Editor, Washington Watch, TV One Cable Network Senior Analyst, The Tom Joyner Morning Show

"At last, a one-stop resource that addresses the particular issues associated with being a minority within a majority culture. This book could not have come at a better time. Thank you, Drs. Pinkett and Robinson!"-- Stephen R. Covey, Bestselling Author of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People and The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Families

"At last, a book that isn't narrowly focused on how to become 'successful.' Black Faces in White Places challenges each of us to look beyond our individual agendas and chart a course for 'greatness' - a collective agenda of helping others, thus creating a ripple effect that is felt for generations and generations to come." -- Marc H. Morial, President and CEO, National Urban League

Review Quotes

..".a trailblazing path for leveraging ethnic and cultural assets....[the authors] inspire and empower every Black man and woman." -- Career News Service

..".important and groundbreaking book...provides the tools necessary for African Americans and members of other minorities, to achieve success and respect on their own terms." --BlogBusinessWorld

..".Pinkett and Rutgers Business School Professor Jeffrey Robinson present a trailblazing path for leveraging ethnic and cultural assets to not only win the game of success in any arena, but to reshape America and leave a powerful legacy for generations to come.... They show how to achieve professional and personal success while affirming and amplifying racial pride by learning, mastering, and ultimately redefining 'the ever-changing game' - their new metaphor for our competitive world of work and life. Building on the four dimensions of the contemporary Black experience - identity, society, meritocracy, and opportunity their book provides a strategic roadmap to keep African Americans moving forward in their journey toward not simply equal treatment but equal respect for their diversity and uniqueness. Covering ten groundbreaking strategies, they inspire and empower every Black man and woman." -- Career News Service

"Black Faces in White Places is the perfect book for any Black job hunter who seeks a real career....[a] thoughtful, helpful book." - The Chicago Crusader

"A helpful handbook designed for the average African-American armed with credentials yet in a quandary about how to flourish in the midst of a corporate culture tainted by intolerance in terms of skin color." -- Caribbean Life

About the Author

RANDAL PINKETT, PH.D. is the co-founder, chairman and CEO of BCT Partners, an information technology and management consulting firm. He was the season four winner of "The Apprentice."

JEFFREY ROBINSON, PH.D. is a leading business scholar at Rutgers Business School.

PHILANA PATTERSON is a business news editor for the Associated Press.