Basic Black by Cathie Black

Book Basics

Basic Black, by Cathie Black, is, in her words, “the essential guide for getting ahead at work, and in life” (Book Cover). Cathie Black is a graduate from Trinity College and began her career with Holiday Magazine. Now Cathie Black is the President of Hearst Magazines and this book is a guide to how she got to her position and lessons she learned along the way. It includes basic mistakes she made with her colleagues, bosses and business partners as well as the lessons she learned and the things she would have changed from those situations.

The book is presented with three threads; chapters, case studies, and black and white sections. The chapters are the main focus of the book providing the most important elements to getting ahead in the work place. The chapters include real life stories from Cathie Black and many of the people she has worked with since and including college. The case studies are an in depth look at some of the real life situations she was put in as well as a picture of how the corporate world works. Simply, the case studies show how business gets done. The black and white sections are generally practical tips that everyone should know, thing such as interview etiquette and how long to run meetings.

I chose this book to review because I am nearing the end of my college career and will soon be moving into the business world. As an Industrial Engineer and a woman, I have dreams of climbing the corporate ladder and believe I can learn a lot from the women that have already done so. This book is intended for women just starting out their careers as well as women who want to grow in their careers. I want both of those things. I enjoyed reading this book and I would recommend this book to any woman about to start a new career, change her career or is just looking for a refresher or the business basics.

Basic Lessons

Overall, I found the book to be very effective. Her use of experience was very helpful in getting her point across to the audience. Not only did she provide helpful tips, she provided examples of when she should or should not have done something and the consequences of her actions. I enjoyed reading this book because I felt like it was a simple helpful guide that would aid to my future success. It was fascinating to see all the mistakes she made and yet she still made it to the top. It’s comforting to know that these people on top are not perfect nor did they have a perfect ride to success.

I was fortunate to take away so much from this book. Basic lessons learned include; “go that extra mile, or even a mile and a half” (23), “it’s easier to ask for forgiveness than it is to get permission” (53), “power = knowing how to let things go” (148), “get out there and network” (217) and “orchestrate (and expect) your own success” (225). Most of these lessons have been told to me by teachers, speakers, parents, or peers. However, it is nice to read along with her real life experiences to see that in fact these words of wisdom should not be taken lightly. I also learned, confirmed, that success doesn’t come easy and the ride isn’t always fun.

Basic Black & Engineering Management

As I was reading, I found two chapters that directly relate to subjects learned in Engineering Management. Chapter three, People and chapter eight, Leadership have a strong relationship with much of the information covered in the text from class.

Chapter three, People, is an entire chapter on how to work with different types of people. A lesson pointed out on page 75 is that “different folks require different stroke.” Cathie Black is trying to emphasize that everyone handles tasks, stress, and criticism differently and in turn you must handle those people differently. She also addresses the fact that these differences can be positive for the overall outcome of the project:

The truth is, some degree of friction is inevitable in any workplace, especially one populated with ambitious, smart, aggressive people. Friction can be useful, boosting the energy in the office and stoking competition. In fact, it often helps to have flamethrowers and others who don’t quite fit in, as they bring a new dynamic to the office. So if you find yourself working on a team with someone like that, just stay focused on the end game. The reality is, if you’re producing the results that your job requires you to produce, whatever