CHRIS SIMMONS — NOBODY TOLD YOU
I made it to the top.
Then decided who got there.
Now I'm telling you what other leaders never do about how it's done.
Chris Simmons, first Black PwC Governing Board member, doesn't repeat standard lines about success. From decades of executing and winning at the highest levels — and studying exactly what separated the people who rose from those who didn't — he gives you the “ Keepin It Real” blueprint- strategies and tactics that actually cause people to advance past others.
What Blacks, Asians and Latinos Must Know to Win at Work — plus bonus
tips for white males, white women, and LGBTQ+
"An amazingly practical, no-nonsense guide for navigating corporate careers. These lessons apply to everyone — not just women and underrepresented minorities."
— PROFESSOR JEFFREY PFEFFER, STANFORD MBA LEADERSHIP PROFESSOR & AUTHOR OF "POWER"
01
Who is Chris Simmons?
Chris Simmons rose to the top of corporate America through decades of strategy, tactics and studying what actually separates the people who rise from those who don't. Then he chaired the committee that decided who else got promoted to the highest levels. He didn't just navigate the system — he ran it.
02
What does he teach?
Not rules. Strategies and tactics drawn from decades of doing the work at the highest levels — including what effective political leaders know about influence and advancement that most professionals never learn.
03
Why does it matter now?
What people are told causes advancement often doesn't. The tactics that actually work are rarely taught — and when corporate America eliminated tailored training for minorities and women, the gap got wider. This book and this framework fill that gap.