Dr. Robert Rodriguez - Auténtico: The Definitive Guide to Latino Career Success

Autntico, Second Edition

Copyright 2017, 2021 by Dr. Robert Rodriguez and Andrs T. Tapia

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Second Edition

Paperback print edition ISBN 978-1-5230-9304-5

PDF e-book ISBN 978-1-5230-9305-2

IDPF e-book ISBN 978-1-5230-9306-9

Digital audio ISBN 978-1-5230-9307-6

2021-1

Book design & production: Seventeenth Street Studios; Cover designer: Alvaro Villanueva

The information in this book is furnished for informational use only, is subject to change without notice, and should not be construed as a commitment by Latinx Institute. Latinx Institute assumes no responsibility for any errors or inaccuracies that may appear in this book. The views expressed in this book do not necessarily reflect those of any agency or institution.

You make the path as you walk it.

Antonio Machado

Andrs:

A mi pap, who was that Latino executive who role-modeled thought leadership, relentlessness, risk-taking, and giving back.

A mi To Douglas, who through passionate Sporting Cristal soccer weekends at el Estadio Nacional, shared his love for me.

To Lori, who from the beginning saw and loved the Peruano in me.

A mhija Marisela quien vive el espritu Latinx con toda pasin.

Robert:

To Mom and Dad: Thanks for all the sacrifices you made to help give me more opportunity and a better life. This book extends your legacy of always giving back to the community. All my love.

To Bailey and Benjamin: I can have no better ambition in life than to be the best father I can be for you both. Hope you see this book as a gift as it relates to your Latino identity. Love you.

To Sofia: I feel so fortunate to be the subject of your grace and favor. Thank you for helping me connect with my inner Latino self. Te amo.

by Henry Cisneros

PART 1
Outer Forces: The Challenge of Being Latino in Corporate America

CHAPTER 1
The Myths of Meritocracy and Color-Blind Corporate Cultures

CHAPTER 2
Identity Crisis: Assimilate, Opt Out, or Double Down?

CHAPTER 3
Intra-Latino Divides: Truth or Consequences

CHAPTER 4
Culture Clash: Can Corporate and Latino Cultures Be Reconciled?

PART 2
Inner Forces: Successful Strategies of Latino Executives

CHAPTER 5
Reaching Outward: Education at All Costs

CHAPTER 6
How to Be: Three Key Traits of Transformational Leaders

CHAPTER 7
What to Do: Three Key Competencies of Transformational Leaders

CHAPTER 8
Power Ambivalence: The Achilles Heel

CHAPTER 9
The Next Generation of Latino Leaders: Latinx Learns, Challenges, and Rises

CONCLUSION
Without More Latino Leaders, Companies Will Suffer

By Henry Cisneros

I n order for our country to be strong and prosperous through the decades of this century, it is imperative that the American Latinos community succeed in every realm of American life. Latinos today are about sixty million people in a nation of 320 million, roughly 19 percent of the U.S. population. By 2050 demographers estimate that Latinos, the fastest-growing segment of the national population, will be about one hundred million people when the nation reaches four hundred million residents, constituting 25 percent of the nations population. A quick calculation tells us that the increase of forty million Latinos over that time will be one-half of the nations net addition of eighty million people: that is, Latinos will account for fully half of the nations total growth.

It is clear that the Latino dynamic will be one of the most important forces shaping the future of the United States. Because the Latino population is on average younger than the national average, those growth numbers mean that in all the critical dimensions of our nations social and economic advancementchildren in school, access to higher education, workforce composition, household formations, consumer spending, home and auto expenditures, and leadership developmentLatinos will be an immense force for progress.

Because of the outsize proportion of Latino growth, in virtually every aspect of American well-being, Latinos will move the needle, for better or for worse. The mathematical principles of larger numbers dictate that Latinos will be key determinants of national progress in the most important dimensions of American economic, social, and educational attainment. In short, American progress will depend in great measure on American Latino progress.

As at every point in American history and as with every emergent group in American society, Latino progress will be driven by improvements in Latino economic well-being based on steady increases in income and wealth. There are many levers to accelerate incomes and wealth:

Investments in human capital through education and training

Small business formations

Wage and earnings increases

Advances in net worth and ownership levels

Participation in retirement and pension plans

Career advancement in corporate structures

Dr. Robert Rodriguez and Andrs Tapia have updated Autntico, a book that integrates all these elements of how Latinos and our nation can ensure an upward trajectory in the years ahead. The first edition was widely influential both as a guide for individuals in their personal quest to reach their potential and as an outline for how our economy can tap the unprecedented Latino reservoir of talent and determination. The second edition provides support for these concepts with current data and examples.