From Graduation to
Corporation
The Practical Guide to Climbing the Corporate Ladder One Rung at a
Time
Andy Teach
Author House
ISBN: 978-1-4389-3060-3 (sc)
288 pages
From Graduation to Corporation by Andy Teach
offers advice that only someone who has climbed the corporate ladder to
success could provide. I was impressed, not only by the array of
subjects covered, but by the honesty of the author when he listed a
summary of thirty-two things he did right and seventeen things he did
wrong so that readers could learn from both lists. His exit from a major
television and motion picture studio in Los Angeles, California was
premature and not something he wanted. He had worked in the same
department for twenty-three years and was proud of his accomplishments
and the opportunities he had been given. Though he had had several jobs
after college, only the last one did he considered a career. He was a
perfectionist who, among other things, had to make sacrifices, learn to
handle stress, and deal with the never-ending hard work; however, he
believed the rewards far outweighed the negatives. It wasn’t just the
material things he enjoyed, but he was passionate about making a
difference—being the best that he could be. I must emphasize that Mr.
Teach did not consult experts as resources for this book, but wrote it
from his own personal knowledge and insight when it comes to corporate
culture. The author covers fifteen rungs (or chapters) leading to the
top of the ladder, and readers would be well advised not to skip a rung
or they could eventually fall. The purpose of this book is to prevent
this from happening.
Mr. Teach stresses that college graduates need to
look for a career, not simply a job. They should strive to work in a
field that truly interests them so that their enthusiasm will be evident
and well spent. If an individual is not comfortable in the corporate
world, then he or she should look elsewhere. Quite often, throughout the
book, generational differences are discussed in regard to how they
affect relationships within the workplace. From work habits,
expectations, and dress code, these differences—as well as others—are
addressed so the gap can be narrowed.
The author does an excellent job in explaining to
graduates how to begin their search for a career, using personal
examples from his own search as well as his experience as an employer
who hired many employees. He emphasizes the importance of networking,
starting from the first day of kindergarten. Although he gives advice
on how to prepare a resume and present oneself, what makes the book so
unique are the extras—specialized tips that a person might not
ordinarily think about but will make a difference in the outcome of a
job search. And if individuals are offered a job, he tells them what to
consider before accepting it.
Once an individual has started his or her career,
the author again uses his own personal experiences with specific
recommendations on how to get through the first day and progressively
fit into the workplace environment. Much of this is accomplished by
using good common sense with issues such as being on time, having a
good attitude, cooperating with co-workers, continuing to learn,
accepting constructive criticism, going the extra mile, meeting
challenges, anticipating needs, showing initiative, cooperating with
workers in other departments, acting properly in meetings, being loyal,
and saying the words “hello” and “thank you.” He stresses the necessity
of achieving the right balance between work and family. I appreciated
the fact that the author even addressed personal hygiene and bathroom
etiquette.
This book covers everything from riding in an
elevator to cigarette smoking, drug and alcohol addiction, business
trips, filing accurate and truthful expense accounts on time, and
tolerating unfairness because of the role of politics in business. Of
course, there are also lessons on filing, prioritizing projects,
telephone etiquette, appropriate use of the Internet, and sending email
in a correct business format. He also discusses sick leave, vacations,
etc, using himself an example of someone who went to work with migraine
headaches and whiplash because of dedication to the job. His own
experience of dating someone in the workplace had negative consequences
so he says, “Don’t do it.” He also writes about sexual harassment—how
it means many things to many people. If an employee is sexually
harassed or discriminated against, the author states that such acts
should definitely be reported, but he also reminds readers that some
people use such issues to obtain money when the real problem is job
performance. Mr. Teach characterizes the different types of bosses and
tells workers when it is acceptable to stand up to a supervisor.
There are many other subjects covered in this book;
it is all-encompassing with each page yielding vital information. As I
climbed each rung of the ladder with the author, I realized that much of
the content was autobiographical in nature. Through the author’s
experiences, readers will learn more about climbing the corporate ladder
than they would in a classroom. If readers follow seventy-two
“Corporate Commandments” which appear toward the end of the book, they
will be on their way to winning the “Super Bowl” in the corporate
world.
I recommend this book as a “must read” for college
graduates as well as those who have been climbing the rungs of the
ladder to success but not yet made it to the top. Mr. Teach wants them
to avoid the mistakes that interrupted his own successful and exciting
career.
Bettie Corbin
Tucker
For Independent Book Reviewers
www.bookreviewers.org
March 18, 2009
