Corporate Confidential

Corporate Confidential is THE definitive course on office politics as far as I'm concerned. It's a really, really great book that promotes the concept of achieving of success through changing your mindset from one of entitlement to one of service. Simply put, decrease your sense of entitlement and increase your commitment to serving those around you. Doing so puts you in control of career and forces you to take ownership of your life. It also accelerates your ascent up the corporate ladder and keeps you from falling back down to the bottom. If things aren't happening the way you want, it's not the company's job to bend to your will; it's your job to figure out how you can adapt to your company and provide them with the best service possible. You work for them, they don't work for you. Once you're in a position of power, THEN you can change things from the top down. You have to play the long game. Of course this philosophy isn't applicable in all areas of life. Sometimes a revolution from the bottom up is necessary. In your office however, chances are there are no crimes against humanity being committed so just suck it up and do what your boss tells you to do until you've earned the right to have a voice. Like it or not, this is the way the corporate world works. Don't like it? Good. Neither do most of us who have to start at the bottom. Use the rules in this book to get to the top, change the system, and make the world better a better place. Speaking of which, the last chapter of the book is all about leadership. This chapter alone is worth the price of the book. There is so much wisdom packed into these pages, you may find yourself referencing this book for the rest of your prosperous and illustrious career :)

Loved Cynthia Shapiro's brilliant perspective, much of which as I look back at my corporate career, rings very true, as it unfolds the mysteries of why I was getting passed over for that promotion. Sigh! A little too late but it's great to know what went wrong in the past... I bought this book because I am in deep research mode as I create my product on cracking the code to get promoted in the corporate world and wanted to read references on the topic. It was hugely helpful and taught me much I did not know and affirmed a lot of what I knew. I was at a Fortune 500 for 11 years before I resigned to start my own company and while I would never go back for millions of dollars, and never ever give up my freedom and happiness as an entrepreneur, I am determined to help those well-intentioned employees who feel so trapped in their jobs because the stuff. Cynthia writes this book from the perspective of HR and it gives it a really interesting angle. Her no-nonsense, no-fluff approach to what you need to know, and what nobody teaches you, is something that you need to grab and listen to with vigilance. This is the stuff that can make or break your career and you don't want to be one of those employees who has nothing to show for years and years of hard work except bitterness at an "unfair" system. Just learn how the system works and you will have a different story to tell. Thank you Cynthia for deciding to write this book. I will now do my part on helping this information spread and reach the right eyes and ears.

While you may not always like what you read in this book, nearly all of the advice is on target based on my 19 years of experience in the corporate world. The contents ranges from the fairly obvious(don't make your boss look bad)to the more subtle landmines that should be avoided at all costs. This book will be especially valuable to someone at an earlier stage in their career as experienced folks may have learned many of these lessons through the school of hard knocks. Even though much of the content did not come as a surprise to me personally, I still found valuable tips, a few new insights, and if nothing else the book provided a clear and concise reinforcement of career learnings that I've gained up to this point. The book is a relatively brief read and I would recommend it to anyone seeking to earn a living in a corporate environment.

DO NOT ASSUME YOU UNDERSTAND CORPORATE POLITICS AND HR POLICIES UNTIL YOU READ THIS BOOK. This book is by far the best book I have read on the subject and I have read many. The book specifies that the company draws a clear distinction, without telling you, whether you are someone the company wants to keep or get rid of. To make matters worse, in this highly litigious society, companies cannot and does not tell you which side you belong. If a company thinks you are an unwanted employee, the last thing they tell you is say exactly that in fear of getting sued. Rather, they use various tactics such as giving you too much work, giving you the most stressful projects, and just making life difficult for you as possible so you will leave voluntarily. If you are one of the unwanted employees, it is best to leave. What is the litmus test? If the employer doesn't give you a counteroffer or show strong regret that you are leaving, then they wanted to get rid of you anyway and you made the right choice. If you are one of the high performers who the company wants to keep, they make it as clear as possible. After all, no one gets sued for promoting an employee. The fact is companies identify employees who will never be downsized because they are indispensable. In effect, they are "Made" and they cannot be touched unless they really screw up their good standing with the corporation. If you want to move up the corporate ladder, not only must you show competence, but you must show loyalty. You must prove yourself as someone the company can trust with their business, money, and personnel. How can you prove yourself as someone trustworthy? Here are few pointers outlined in the book: 1)Don't threaten the company or your boss. Don't go to HR with complaints (deal with issues privately). Don't make trouble, otherwise you are seen as a potential risk for lawsuits. 2)Watch what you say. Do not be negative, and support the corporate policies and procedures. Do not gossip and speak out against the authorities. 3)Cultivate good relationship with your boss. Do not fight your boss, you will never win. 4)Keep personal life personal and do not bring it to work. 5)Mingle with the right crowd. Do not mingle with the "downsizers" who will be axed the next time the company wants to cut people. 6)Being promoted often means you have shown you are fully capable of being successful in the next job. Just being successful in your present one does not suffice.

Ms. Shapiro does a great job of debunking all those "fair play" rules that we just assume businesses follow and all those situations where companies are giving the answer they know they are supposed to give while the reality is that their behavior is far from the given answers. It is a very practical and eye opening book. All people in their first few years of work should read it. It will save you from making mistakes. While her advice is generally sound and based on her experience, this book is not based on verifiable studies. Instead, most of it seems based on anecdotal evidence. Also, she makes some broad statements that are not supportable. On p. 159, it states that in order to be a manager and do it right a "full 75% of your thoughts, actions and life will be for or about the company." The 75% is clearly an invented number. On p. 128, it states that you should carry around a planner because it will make you seem more important. Maybe back in 1985 that was sometimes true, but it was not always true even then and is absolutely incorrect as of 2005, the copyright date of her book.

Mostly good information that a lot of people might not know. It's blunt and unapologetic, which is a bit refreshing given the duplicitous and passive-aggressive communications of the modern corporation. However, in her attempt to be blunt, the author makes more than a few prescriptions for behavior that are far from universal. Case in point? Dress codes. They tend to vary widely, even within a single company. Certain groups are given more latitude than others--the lower level you are, the more freedom you get, but the closer you are to the customer, the more you have to "dress for success." If you're in sales, grab the tie. If you're in engineering, wear jeans. Standing out is the more general "sin." The book is US-centric, with the notable exception of the west coast (CA, OR, WA, and maybe NV). Her treatment of sexual harassment nauseated me. TL;DR: suck it up, princess. And if you follow it, it may work, but ONLY if you are a psychopath or a Vulcan. For many, it's a recipe that will set them up for even MORE abuse. Skip these sections unless you are hunting for triggers or train wrecks. Quite a lot of her advice is contradictory. This isn't entirely without reason: the workplace is downright schizophrenic because it's not a single entity. But it would be nice to have this called out and examined (or at least the paradox pointed out). Her conflict deescalation technique was spot on, both directly usable and definitely works. But despite the tell-all nature of the book, it's quite clear the author is a True Believer regarding the corporate environment. More than a bit of time is spent explaining to employees why they should be "thinking like an owner." The "good of the corporation" is presented as some moral imperative, which the self-serving should be in service of. The why it is or even how the hell it gets defined or arises are not questions contemplated. Informative, but not transformative. Notable omission? "Flexible" schedules aren't and when you come to work matters. Almost no ink spilled on this and yet it's a MAAAAJOR trip up for a lot of people (including myself). Perhaps this is just a hidden expectation on the author's part, one that isn't "secret" and so isn't in the theme of the book. But it's important and fits in quite well with the impression-management strategy advocated.

This book tells you what they won't tell you at work. It's a must read for everyone in corporate America. I've had a sense of the fake and phony way people at work act and also how employees are marginalized and sidelined-- now you will know why and how!! I read this book in two days. Yeah, it's that good! This book changed my view of corporate culture and I will definitely use the advice in the future. Some big takeaways: - human resources is not your friend - your boss has more control over your career than you may think - how to tell if you're on the chopping block at work and the ways they plan to fire people The advice on how to be an indispensable employee is probably the most valuable! If you think working hard and doing your best will get you a promotion, think again. You will learn to think like an employer, and protect yourself as an employee. Get this book. If you've ever been confused as to what was said and what was really meant, this book will clear it up for you. Also, take some of her advice with a grain of salt - we all know someone in our office who is making one of these career killing mistake things and yet still is the favored employee. But now you find out why they are favored...it makes sense!

I am a big fan of the Macload Hierarcy which describes the three major players who make up most business environments. And while i've had a long and successful career, as a Corporate Clueless, I thought I was really politically savvy but reading this book has been a real education as I learned a lot of new things about corporate politics. Cynthia provides important context and clarifies the business perspective. I found this insightful and I think other readers will as well. She provides sound advice about how to play the game with authenticity and integrity. I think business-savvy people will know and understand most of what is covered, even if only intuitively. This book really brings it all together. Highly recommended.

Already started to read and very interesting to find out what's happening behind the curtain. It's unfortunate that there are "heartless, selfish" entities that do not care about people that have families, kids that they need to bring on the table the bread to feed their families and employees working years and years doing great job and advancing the companies interests where they work and all of a sudden they get told the bad news. The selfishness of those entitites brings to the following: "what goes around, comes around" one day against them...to those entities that took the decision to end someone's years of dedication to their workplace. I encourage highly to buy this book as it opens the eyes and you will be more careful how to deal with bad situations. Good luck!

Very good explanations

This book is a gold mine when you're looking for how your boss might evaluate you. The whole concept revolves around the fact that an employee might be considered a threat or a gift to the company according to his behavior. Those 50 secrets are not only helpful but also easy to read and understand the logic behind them.

Full of information you won't find anywhere else, and shattering misconceptions, this book is a must read. Thanks Cynthia for writing it.

nice book