Preface
My experience with the corporate world probably parallels that of many others
in organizations. The successes I've enjoyed are easily explained by ambitionand hard work. But I can also lay claim to a blockbuster defeat that transformed
me from an optimistic young executive to a disenchanted skeptic. This crisis
prompted my resignation from the IBM Corporation. This move subsequently
led to the formation of Coleman Management Consultants, Inc.
During the decade following my departure from big business, throughcountless seminars and speaking engagements, I heard thousands of stories
similar to my own.

Some employees are on an apparent fast track to thepresidency when suddenly, for no discernable reason, they find themselves
passed over for promotion. Of course, many people handle career defeats inways more creative than resigning. They may coast into retirement or hold daily
complaint sessions around the water cooler.
Tragically, these unhappy people are sending up a massive wail fromevery type of occupation, from the naval yards of Virginia to the vineyards ofCalifornia, from the boardrooms in Chicago to the drilling rigs in the Gulf. Askthem, and not one person can tell you how they wound up in their predicament,or how they will escape it.
This book is for the frustrated. It is for a nation of employees frozen inplace like so many victims of Pompeii. It is also for those who are currently
advancing their careers without recognizing defeat lurking ahead. Be careful.
Many are bumped from the ladder at the uppermost rungs; a phenomenon today
referred to as hitting the "Glass Ceiling."

Empowering Yourself
This book is for the soldier whose ultimate goal is the pentagon, the government
employee who wishes to rise high in the SES ranks, and the student who has agrasp of the technical challenge, but is unclear as to the application of "the softer
skills." From educator to administrator, anyone that has to maneuver through ahierarchy to achieve his or her ultimate goals, this book is for you.
This book is also for the wife or husband who sees uncomfortable activity
around the house, activity that requires their participation. If you're the spouse
who is asked to take up bridge or tennis, there just might be a legitimate reason
behind that request. I trust this book will help you understand what your partneris doing, though it may be a burden to understand and appreciate it fully.
And this book is even for the few happy souls among us, those who are
intuitively doing everything right. Curious about your charmed path to the top?
Want to know why your route to the presidency has been lined with rose petals
and admiring crowds?
Herein are chapters that suggest life is a game, not at all a trivial one, but
a game nonetheless. This is a game about people and their reactions. All else isjust the chatter of detail. Further, this game of life is governed by rules, with themost important rules being ones that are unwritten and apply to not only thebusiness culture, but almost every organizational culture as well.
My purpose in writing this book is to expose the rules of yourgame...whether you're in business, education, the military, civil service or a nonprofit organization. The rules apply to them all. Once we know the rules, life
then becomes a series of thoughtful moves and counter moves rather than aseries of bold reactions to haphazard bombshells lobbed our way.
When you know the rules, success comes to those most adept at playing.

Life's game is played out on a game board shaped like a pyramid.
1

999

1000
The Playing Field
Notice how it comes to a point at the top. The shape means anyone
entering at the bottom in a company of 1,000 employees, must out distance 999
others if their goal is to be CEO. Now, when every employee knows the secretof reaching that peak, the game shifts onto a more equitable playing field, one,which assures all candidates, an equal opportunity for promotion, based on their
quality of play.
When the rules of the game become common knowledge to everyone, thisis a rare business situation where everyone wins. Employees win because theyknow the choices they must make to have an opportunity to reach the top. Thus,
more employees will participate fully in their work when they understand how
promotions are made.

The company also wins when motivated employees

improve productivity and quality.

Choice? It's Your Move
Every game player understands the importance of choice. A series of wellplanned, well executed moves drives any player closer to success. But at thesame time, one serious miscalculation can sidetrack a career.
The organizational game involves a series of increasingly difficult
choices, which come in the form of trade-offs. These trade-offs help us choose
when and where to plateau our career. Many of us, for example, wouldn't want
to be President of the United States. The pressures, the lack of privacy, the lifeand-death decisions of the Commander in Chief, for many of us, these trade-offs
just isn’t worth the rewards. However, the choice of moves is always ours to
make.
For those who want to play hardball, for those who really want to reach that top
rung of the ladder, no sacrifice is too great. That's what makes the game so
fascinating. It's guided by rules, moves and counter-moves, and consists of aseries of trade-offs we choose to make or not to make.
If you're willing to play the game for upward mobility versus maintaining
current status and are willing to dedicate extra hours to improve the strategy andexecution of your game, the rewards are advancement within your chosen
career. However, you must develop your own game plan and execute that planin order to maximize wins and minimize losses. Along the way, you will findthat you are in total control of your own destiny. It is completely your choice.
The purpose of this book is to introduce you to the major elements of thegame.

The charts are designed to help you assess yourself and yourdevelopmental requirements as you create a personal game plan.

Reading theEnvironment
Successful play in any organization requires careful attention to the work
environment.

We find that the best players are those who work hard tofamiliarize themselves with the rules of the organizational structure and its
culture. They understand rules most of us have buried at the subconscious level,
and they eagerly adapt to changing requirements.
The Japanese are a good example in this area. About four decades ago,
they embarked on a farsighted mission to learn about the American businessculture. They enrolled in our finest universities, and hired our best consultants.
They studied, pondered and absorbed our business sense. Then they began to
manufacture shiploads of notoriously inferior consumer items.

They hadlearned our game, but were struggling desperately with quality.
For a full decade, at least, the “Made in Japan” label sold more extended
warranties than any salesman!

But somewhere along the way, sometime

between the Korean War and the Vietnam Conflict, they got the hang of it andhave subsequently built an international reputation as quality manufacturers.
The Japanese became experts in reading our business environment andconverting it to their advantage. They looked at our game board, adopted ourrules and then, some years later, beat us soundly at our own game.

Where Did It All Begin?
Every culture has a beginning. Once a custom or practice is repeated over andover again, it is eventually incorporated into the group’s value system andbecomes a standard or norm. These norms are not always written down andusually are passed to the next generation, either by role modeling or throughstories. Eventually these standards and norms make up what I call “Cardinal
Rules,” those rules that rarely, if ever, have exceptions.
To understand our current unwritten rules one must apply one of those
Cardinal Rules. The rule simply states, “Whoever is at the top of a pyramid, has
the right and the responsibility to make the rules.” Subsequently, with the riseof the British Empire to the top of the pyramid, (it was once said that “The Sun
never set on the British Empire”), they had the right to make the rules. It is no
accident that every Russian, German, Japanese, and American child learns
English in school. Why? England said the world would speak English, and it
does. It is no accident that if you wish to socialize at the top of the social
structure in any country, anywhere in the world, you will participate in four
activities: golf, yachting or sailing, tennis, and activities surrounding the horse(i.e., polo, fox hunting, racing). All of these activities were given to the world by
the British Empire. Interestingly, three years ago, upon contemplating a moreglobal environment, China built its first golf course. Russia, one of the newest
players in the world economy, opened the Moscow Country Club in October of
1994. Vietnam, about to enter the game, is currently building six golf courses.
Japan, a now veteran player, cannot get enough of golf.
You will rarely find an executive retreat that isn’t on a body of water ordoesn’t have a golf course and tennis courts. You will rarely find an executive
resort with a bowling alley. This merely suggests that there are standards of
behavior embraced by members of executive groups that go beyond corporate
and national boundaries.

Although Americans come from all over the world, England’s influenceon us and the rest of the world cannot be denied.
England has given the world many things. Among them are social
activities such as golf, polo, tennis, yachting and fox hunting; our justice systemof a trial by a jury of peers; representative democracy as a form of government;
and our government structure of two houses of the legislature based on theHouse of Commons and the House of Lords. One of the most significant
legacies the British empire has passed down is its social-economic classstructure. The foundation of this structure and the various levels within it are
built around the value system instilled in us by our parents. Remember that, inpart, culture is a set of values passed from generation to generation. Everyone
enters the game at the level of their parents at the time of his or her birth.
Therefore, WE ARE ALL BORN INTO A CLASS, and as a result pick up thevalues of our parents and the general community in which we are raised.

Culture Says It All
Every identifiable group has a culture. As an example the Irish have theirs, as
do Italians, Mexicans, Germans and African Americans. Within these groups
there are a number of subcultures such as women, the elderly, disabled, andyoung people.

Whenever a group can be found whose members share acommon set of beliefs, customs, values, language, and traditions that have been
passed from generation to generation, you have a culture.

Businessorganizations, the military, and the government, to name a few, all havecultures. These organizational cultures are responsible for shaping every rule
we must follow to be rewarded within these environments.

An appreciation of cultures, or groups, is vital to individual advancement.
If you were to invite a friend to a party, the friend, if very different from you(background, language,interests and positions, etc.) will be in an awkward environment as soon as heentered the room. He will not be comfortable, he doesn’t fit in, he is different
from the others in every regard, such as dress, speech, and conversation. He isfrom a different culture, and will not be totally accepted until he adapts to theculture of the group attending the party. He might not be invited again if he is
too much out of step with the cultural language, because people who disrupt theharmony of the group are usually excluded.
The culture of the work environment is similar to the social one, in thatthe ramifications of not “fitting in” are just as severe in a career as they are in asocial setting. The implementation of the business culture is so rigid, in fact,that whenever a person violates one of its rules, the offender’s career isjeopardized. Further advancement is then predicated on other personal strengths
and the weaknesses of their competitors.

Languages…And Their Impact
on Advancement
When we speak of a person’s organizational language, we are referring too
much more than work usage. Organizational language is total communication,encompassing both verbal and non-verbal behaviors.

It includes verbal

interplay, manner of dress, attitude, non-verbal cues and the full gamut ofcommunications skills which, when combined, determine the impact of personal
interaction and perceptions.

For example, everyone in business speaks some form of the businesslanguage. The language you display is directly related to success both insideand outside your corporation. Neither your manager nor your clients will trust
you if they don’t understand or respect the language you are speaking.
One of the interesting facts I have learned over the years is that every job
in every sizable organization can be placed into one of seven levels or leagues.
For instance, the people who work for the typical corporation can be categorized
as follows.

CEO&
Board Members
Senior&
General Management
Middle Management
Entry Level Management
Exempt - Salaried
Non-Exempt - Full Time
Non-Exempt - Part Time

Not Employed

The player designations or titles in these seven levels can change but theorganization game is always played on the same pyramid shaped game board. It
doesn’t matter what the organization does, the fundamental seven level
hierarchy applies to all organizations even educational institutions and the armed
forces. Each of these seven levels or leagues has its own distinct language, its
own unique verbal and non-verbal ways of communicating. As individuals move

up the career ladder they have to discard some communication elements fromthe previous league and add some communication elements from the newleague. Those who cannot adopt to the language of the new league will stand out
like sore thumbs, like your friends at that cocktail party and they will be rejectedby their would be peers. There are many things that separate the different
languages within groups. They involve such things as educational backgroundsocial activities, cultural interest, dress and work values. Each of them must be
overcome if the next position is to be reached.

P.I.E. – A Formula for Success
There are three elements important to players who want to fine tune their skills
and move up in their profession. They must:• Perform exceptionally well.
• Cultivate the proper image.
• Manage their exposure so the right people will know them.
These three basic elements of the business language, Performance, Image, andExposure, (P.I.E.), are woven into every job category, into every advancement
opportunity, and into every management decision in which promotions are
considered.
Each of the three P.I.E. elements carries a different weight in upward
mobility. All three are essential to promotion but they have different roles andweights relative to their impact on long-term success. The breakdown is asfollows.
• Performance=10%• Image=30%• Exposure=60%

Shocking? It was for me! That is until I examined the rationale for theweightings.
The first thing to consider is how our system rewards performance.
Organization’s pay for performance but tend to promote based on potential.

Performance . . .
The Entry Ticket
So the first element of the P.I.E. formula begins with a slight irony. Though its
weight accounts for only 10% of the overall importance in a promotion, it's theticket into the stadium. Without it, you won't even be admitted to the playing
field.

You're Important, But . . .
If you look around your company, you can find others who could be considered
your competition. This is no accident. The replacement tables, which mostcompanies have adopted, are designed to develop a pool of candidates who canfill any vacancy, which is sobering, for it means we can all be replaced within
24 hours!
In fact, no one is irreplaceable. We might look at certain executives andthink of them as being necessary to the survival of the company, but I assure youthat many of these so-called "critical players" have left companies, sometimes at
the worst possible moment, and still the stock held its value, the business
continued, and the payroll was met.

ImageFrom the moment you step out of your car and cross the parking lot eachmorning, you are a visible expression of where you are in the business culture,
and where you expect to go.
Image is an important tiebreaker when senior management reaches into
the pool of excellent performers to promote the next candidate. A good image
accounts for 30% of the weight given to a promotion, triple the attention
afforded performance. Above all else, we must keep in mind the powerful
impact visual communication plays in this people game.
Image includes many areas of personal expression, the way you walk, theway you sit, the clothes you wear, your pleasant (or foul) demeanor. Everything
about a person, from dress to speech and attitude, sends a strong message tobusiness associates. Image says, "I'm ready," or "I'm not ready," to play thegame seriously at the next level.
Periodically, we should take a moment to review the signals we aresending. Our foremost question, "What messages am I sending, and are they themessages that will move me in the direction I have chosen?" If we don't
occasionally spend some time in this candid assessment, then we're probably notplaying the game very well.

DressYour business wardrobe is extremely important to your career. Serious players
dress at least one level above their present position on the pyramid. Dress is abadge in business, which states emphatically: "I want you to consider myfluency at the next level." Dressing in that special business outfit at interview
time is saying, "I fit here and I'm serious about business, hire me."Because your clothing will have a greater impact on more people thananything else you normally do in your work day, your most important businessdecision may be made before you leave the house.

Exposure
The Game Begins
Exposure is the element of the P. I. E. formula that has the greatest impact on
your career. This is the area of the game where all of our choices are played out
and experienced. These experiences allow us to evaluate if we are content at ourcurrent level or to determine the choices we must make to change our current
level, up or down. Most of all, exposure introduces one of the most powerfulfacts in the game of life, you can't do it alone! The "it" in this case is
everything outside of our internal thought processes. It covers all of the areas
and events where we must have help. Think about the raise you want. Can you
give it to yourself? Of course not. How about the promotion you seek? Can
you make that decision on your own? Sometimes we wish we could, but thereality is this: We always need other people to help accomplish any goal wewant to obtain.
It is extremely important to gain, maintain and enhance personal visibility
and exposure.

The Game Board
In chapter five we used symbols (X, O,3, *) to represent various leagues on thegame board. In this chapter we now want to replace those symbols with some ofthe specific lifestyle elements, which define the culture at each level. It is
important to remember this information is to serve as a model or guide and is,therefore, not all-inclusive. Activities and elements may differ community tocommunity. Also note that many of your personal activities extend over several
different leagues. This is not unusual. Take a close look at the league, that
holds some of the newer activities in which you are engaged because this may
suggest a personal transition for you. All pyramids do not apply to everyone,
but over all, you should be able to determine your current level. Let's look at theseven leagues of the game board and their major elements.
The dynamics of the pyramid indicate that those at the top make the rules.
However, it is important to recognize that there are pyramids within pyramids
within pyramids:
7

6

5

4

If this is the case and I am at the top of the pyramid “4”, I can set therules over the smaller pyramid “4” as long as those rules do not conflict withany of the rules established by pyramid “5”.

This hierarchical structure

continues until we reach pyramid “7” which sets the rules for the entire
structure. In government, this hierarchy is called the federal system, with thefederal government being able to overrule any state law if it is in conflict withfederal law.

The same is true with corporate, military and even religious

institutions. Even though the parish priest operates autonomously, it is the
Vatican that sets the ultimate direction for the Catholic Church.

Who's At The Top?
Because there are many different pyramids in the system, many different
communities have an influence in making the rules by which we live. The
ultimate rule maker in our lives is the federal government.

Although theAmerican government allows other entities to freely exist, everyone understands
that when any interest is in conflict with the well being of the whole society, thegovernment will prevail. The government takeover of industry during WorldWar II is a good example. Since most of our waking hours are spent at work,
the majority of the rules we live by in our system comes from four entities:• Government (federal, state and/or local);• Board of Directors (private or public);• Commission (i.e., SEC, FCC);• Agency (i.e., FAA, EPA).

In reality a person cannot drive a city block, plug in a toaster or work in a
profession without some law or regulation affecting their activity.
To define what level in which you might be or the level to which you
might want to advance, we must look at the lifestyle displayed at each level.
Even though very few will do all things at any given level, many individuals
will be connected with enough activities to eventually be associated withbelonging to that level.
So what? Why do these things matter? Well, if one is to advance in theorganization, especially towards the top of the pyramid verses horizontal
movement, one is expected to function at that level in many aspects on one’s
life. All of us want our executives to promote the organization within thecommunity. We expect them, by their positive association with other corporate
executives, to at least give our company an opportunity for additional businessand a more enhanced reputation.
People usually do business with people they like or at least with whomthey are comfortable. This is why top executives tend to live in the same areas,
congregate at the same social organizations and clubs, and promote the samecharitable activities.
So you can see that there is a great deal more to being an executive then simply
excelling in your chosen profession. The intrusion into one’s time and privacy
is offensive to many and is undoubtedly the reason many plateau at a lower levelin the organization.
Still, for those who are willing to pay the price for corporate success,knowledge of the game (and understanding the price) is invaluable. In thischapter we will review the following in detail:

•
•
•
•

Occupation
Where People Live
Location of HomeEntertaining in theHome• Money•••••

Leisure Activities
Fine Arts
Cars
Vacation Choices
Committees & Boards

As mentioned earlier, this information is not all-inclusive, but should give
you a clear idea of many of the elements within each league or level. Ultimately,
it is our individual responsibility to make our own charts and choices.
This excerpt is just the tip of the iceberg. For a full understanding of “TheGame,” be sure to order “Empowering Yourself…The Organizational Game
Revealed.”
To order for $24.95 plus sales tax and shipping and handling, please call
1-800-228-0810 and refer to this ISBN #0-7872-1386-1.
Kendall-Hunt Publishing
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