Leading in Black and White: Working Across the Racial Divide in Corporate America - Hardcover

by Ancella Livers (Author), Keith Caver (Author)

Many blacks in the workplace face a set of dynamics unique to being African American in a traditionally white, male-dominated world. In this landmark book, authors Ancella Livers and Keith Caver-- co-facilitators of the Center for Creative Leadership's African-American Leadership Program for the past five years-- explain how the leadership experience for blacks is radically different from the experiences of their white colleagues. These differences, of which most white managers are unaware, can lead to miscues and distortions in communication and ultimately get in the way of effective performance and optimal productivity for organizations. In Leading in Black and White, the authors not only clearly explain how things go wrong, they also provide sensible solutions for both the white manager and the black manager on how to make them right.

Front Jacket

Many blacks in the workplace face a set of dynamics unique to being African American in a traditionally white, male-dominated world. In this landmark book, authors Ancella Livers and Keith Caver-- co-facilitators of the Center for Creative Leadership's African-American Leadership Program for the past five years-- explain how the leadership experience for blacks is radically different from the experiences of their white colleagues. These differences, of which most white managers are unaware, can lead to miscues and distortions in communication and ultimately get in the way of effective performance and optimal productivity for organizations. In Leading in Black and White, the authors not only clearly explain how things go wrong, they also provide sensible solutions for both the white manager and the black manager on how to make them right.
Drawing on research findings, personal experiences, and interviews, the authors have identified six significant areas (perceptions of identity, taking responsibility for other blacks, attention to race and gender, challenges in networking, greater need for mentoring, and approaches to office politics) in which black leaders interpret and interact in the workplace differently from others.
Leading in Black and White

• Uses real workplace situations and stories to explore the assumptions that cause miscues between black managers and those who work with them.
• Validates and organizes for black leaders what they always suspected was different about their perceptions and performance in the workplace.
• Provides specific recommendations for black leaders on how they can acknowledge, accept, and manage their differences.
• Provides specific advice for those who work with black leaders on how to recognize differences and use this information to enhance workplace relationships.

By making the invisible visible, this important book will go a long way to foster communication between black and white managers and create workplaces that can benefit from the unique talents of all members of the organization.

Back Jacket

Based on more than a thousand in-depth interviews with black executives as well as on the authors' own extensive experience in training leaders-- and as leaders themselves-- Leading in Black and White reveals the everyday reality for African American executives in the predominantly white world of American business, education, and government. Ancella Livers and Keith Caver-- from the highly acclaimed Center for Creative Leadership-- give a clear picture to all executives of the challenges black leaders face and offer solid recommendations to both white and black managers on how to work together more effectively.

Author Biography

Ancella B. Livers is a manager of Individual Leadership Development for
the Center for Creative Leadership (CCL). In this role, she manages and trains in several programs and designs and delivers custom programs for clients in public, private, and non-profit sectors. Livers, a former business journalist, is a certified executive coach and feedback specialist who has published and presented widely on the role of race in the workplace.

Keith A. Caver is the director of Client and Assessment Services for CCL, where he is responsible for client-management and assessment processing activities. Caver is a core trainer for several CCL programs, delivers numerous client-specific programs, and is a presenter on leadership issues ranging from diversity to change management. He is a former U.S. Air Force officer and a certified executive coach and feedback specialist.

The Center for Creative Leadership (CCLR) is an international, nonprofit educational institution whose mission is to advance the understanding, practice, and development of leadership for the benefit of society worldwide. Based in Greensboro, North Carolina, CCL conducts research, produces publications and assessment tools, and offers a variety of educational programs. For the second consecutive time, CCL was ranked number one for Leadership in the Executive Education Special Report in BusinessWeek magazine and was ranked seventh overall among the top international providers of non-degree executive education programs in the 2002 Financial Times survey. For more information, visit CCL's Web site at www.ccl.org.