Sharon E. Jones - Mastering the Game: Strategies for Career Success

MASTERING THE GAME

Strategies for Career Success

SHARON E. JONES

WITH SUDHEER R. POLURU

MASTERING THE GAME

2018 Sharon E. Jones

All rights reserved.

ISBN-13: 9780999879207

ISBN-10: 0999879200

Library of Congress Control Number: 2018901832

Drum Major Press, Chicago, IL

CONTENTS

O ne day, I sat down to play a game with Liz, my nine-year-old niece. I wasnt familiar with the game since it was one she and her friends at school had created. She quickly explained some of the rules to me, and we began to play Lizs game. Every time I thought I had won the game, Liz would explain a new rule to me that she had neglected to explain at the outset. Based on that new rule, I didnt win the game. So we continued to play, and each time I thought I was winning, Liz shared a new rule. Finally, I realized that I could never win this game because I didnt understand the rules. Not knowing the rules put me at a severe disadvantage because I was never able to develop a good strategy to win.

This story is a good example of what it is like to work in most Fortune 500 corporations, U.S. government offices, and professional services firms. These organizations were created by White men and are still dominated by White men. Its no surprise that the cultural rules of these workplaces are based on the cultural norms of the dominant group that created them. Consequently, women and people of color have little chance of success without a clear understanding of the rules that govern these organizations. Just as with Lizs game, its hard to win when you dont know all the rules.

This book is designed to level the playing field for diverse professionals. Throughout this book, I use diverse to refer to women and people of color. By standing out from the majority (White males), these groups face additional challenges in navigating the workplace culture in a variety of professional fields. These groups are not mutually exclusive, meaning that individuals can belong to more than one of them (e.g., a woman of color). Intersectionality is the idea that an individuals identity is best understood as a complex, interwoven relationship among all the groups to which they belong. The more aspects of your identity that stand out from the majority (White heterosexual able male), the more challenging your path will be.

This book provides the foundational rules for these organizations and gives you operational strategies for successfully playing the game at any job. Remember, the rules are the same regardless of where you work. They are the same because they are based on White male cultural norms, and those norms are carried with White males wherever they have dominated the culture. Since White males have been the dominant group creating cultural norms in the United States, these rules are at play in most sectors in the country.

I learned the rules the hard waythrough trial and error and from several White male bosses who were the Masters of the Game. I moved from job to job looking for a better workplace where the rules didnt apply. Finally, after going from law firms to government to corporate offices to not-for-profit organizations, I realized that although the substantive work varies, the rules are the same. Once I figured that out, I began to play the game by these rules to achieve the professional success I wanted. By getting a firm grasp of these unwritten rules, you will create a strong foundation for professional success. And once you master the game, you can be successful wherever you choose to work.

So where did I get these strategies for career success? They are based on my experience working in a variety of professional settings: both small and large law firms, Fortune 500 corporations, and the federal government. They are also based on research that addresses the challenges women and minorities face in ascending to leadership roles in organizations created and dominated by White males. Finally, they are based on conversations with a number of diverse and highly successful people.

One cautionary note that I want to give you is to be certain, as you move into senior leadership roles, that you do not internalize these rules. My ultimate goal is to get more diverse people in leadership roles and to transform workplace cultures to be more diverse and inclusive. The only way that will happen is to get more diverse leaders who are willing to be change agents as they move into senior leadership roles. Remember not to replicate the White maledominated cultural norms as you move into leadership positions with the power and influence to change the rules.

The second cautionary note deals with being your authentic self. Each of you must determine what aspects of your identity and personality are essential for you to share with your coworkers in order to feel that you are authentic. You will never bring 100 percent of your identity to the office, but a significant percentage of your authentic self needs to be there in order for you to feel included and engaged. By setting forth these dominant cultural norms, it is my intention that you will understand these unwritten rules and consciously decide whether to follow them or notrecognizing that consequences will flow from each rule you decide not to follow. Only you can decide how important a particular aspect of your authentic self is to you. If your current workplace cannot accommodate your authenticity, then it isnt the best place for you. This book is useful for people who feel stuck but dont know why they are stuck.

The next chapter lays out the playing field so you will have some information about the diversity of the employers for which you may work. It also discusses a couple of psychological arguments that people often assert to hold women and other diverse professionals back: tokenism and stigma. Then it discusses how unconscious bias affects the careers of women and racial and ethnic minorities. Finally, the book sets forth 10 rules and countless strategies for career success. You can read the rules out of order, or you can go through them sequentially. There are operational strategies throughout each section and additional resources for further study. The end of the book summarizes the strategies for ease of use.

This book is for anyone who has ever felt marginalized in his or her organization for any reason. This book is for anyone who has felt unappreciated or undervalued in the workplace. And this book is for anyone who has settled for less because he or she didnt believe his or her dreams were possible. Given all the noisy signals in life, you may have lost touch with some fundamental truths. You matter. You are a value-added player. And you can achieve anything that you can dream.

So as I learned from playing with Liz, its hard to win if you dont know the rules in advance. This book tells you the rules. Now, lets start playing to win!

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As used throughout, the term people of color refers to members of racial and ethnic minority groups.

There are many dimensions of diversity. Diversity used in a broad sense refers to race, ethnicity, national origin, gender, gender identity, gender expression, religion, sexual orientation, age and/or disability. In this book, as used throughout, the term diverse is used to refer to women and racial and ethnic minorities.