New Book "The Way Up" Offers People of Color Actionable Guide to Workplace Success

NEW YORK, Dec. 6, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- 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."

Errol Pierre (New York, NY; healthfirst.org) is currently the Senior Vice President of State Programs at Healthfirst Inc., the largest not-for-profit health plan in New York. He manages their Medicaid and Long-Term Care business unit and close to 500 people and operations at more than 24 community offices across New York City, Long Island, and the Hudson Valley region. Pierre was previously COO at Empire BlueCross BlueShield. He is an in-demand speaker on leadership, diversity, and healthcare and has addressed hundreds of audiences including the National Urban League for Young Professionals, 100 Black Men, and Fordham University.

Media Contact: Molly Boyle, [email protected], 202-777-3668

SOURCE Errol Pierre