In “The Way Up: Climbing the Corporate Mountain as a Professional of Color” accomplished executive and professor Dr. Errol L. Pierre addresses the realities Black and Hispanic people face in today’s workplace and delivers a pragmatic and actionable guide to help underrepresented individuals from all ethnic backgrounds uncover their passion to achieve their professional goals and elevate their careers. The book is co-authored by award-winning writer Jim Jermanok and published by Wiley. Currently available for preorder, The Way Up will be published December 13 and will be available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble and wherever books and eBooks are sold.

The Way Up is an intensely personal narrative profiling Pierre’s own journey from working in a beauty salon warehouse to COO for Empire BlueCross BlueShield and offers career-transforming lessons learned along the way. The book also offers guidance from prominent executives of color and takes a step-by-step approach to understanding the skills and strategies required to move from entry-level and middle management roles to the executive ranks.

Deeply inspirational, the book includes how to harness identity-defining moments and provides a perspective about career advancement that Pierre believes is particularly relevant to people of color: the path is not a corporate ladder, but a mountain that sometimes requires lateral moves and different prep to make it to the top.

Themes include:

• Key to success: aligning your passion with your purpose.
• Diverse companies perform better: what CEOs need to know and how to tell them.
• How to build a personal board of directors and overcome entry-level blues through mentors, champions, and networks.
• Speaking truth to power: great risk can result in great reward.
• How to handle hostile or biased bosses.
• Imposter syndrome and knowing who you are.
• Job interviews happen every day: the little things matter.
• The future of work: challenges & opportunities for people of color.

Pierre writes: “Diversity at the top has largely remained unchanged for decades. I’ve encountered hundreds of people of color who are stuck in their careers, and I want to empower them with tools for success. In the face of adversity, wherever you are in your organization, there are ways to advance the ball in your own way.”