Longevity. Staying power. There are senior managers in corporate America who achieve these feats despite turns in the economy and regardless of what administration is in office. They embody a class that has demonstrated commitment to their professions and each among them has managed to climb steadily to the top and remain there. How do they endure? Their strategies have been chronicled in numerous resources. One is the book “Staying Power : 30 Secrets Invincible Executives Use for Getting to the Top – and Staying There” by Thomas A. Schweich. He bases the book on interviews with more than 35 successful top executives, including Earl G. Graves, J.W. “Bill” Marriott, Jr., Janet Reno and a host of others. He cleverly recaps 30 “rules” associated with “The Invincible Career Path,” “The Invincible Personality,” and “The Invincible Management Style.” Here are a few samples:

• Discover your talents early, and discard your fantasies immediately
• When you suffer a set-back, come clean and bounce back
• Work is a member of the family
• Find a job that you look forward to every day
• Harness your fear to sharpen your professional judgment
• Value loyalty, but do not depend on it
• Wield a spiritual shield, but not a spiritual sword
• Take the high ground and never give it up
• Intimidation chases away talent, opportunity, and creativity
• Spend more time on information inflow than information outflow
• Wring the emotion out of risk analysis

Do these rules resonate with African-American executives? In talking to three senior careerists, it appears that there is some common ground between philosophies. William McKnight Farrow, III, Joleen Spencer, and Moses Brewer personify staying power within their industries. Farrow is the chief information officer for the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT). Spencer is senior vice president of marketing with Shore Bank. Brewer leads marketing and sales for Coors Brewing Company. Read the full story