Eat or Be Eaten!: Jungle Warfare for the Corporate Master Politician

It often seems as if people hoping for a promotion lose out to someone less deserving who ""knows someone who knows someone"" or is otherwise connected to a company's ruling ranks. Unfortunately, moving up the corporate ladder is not simply a matter of accomplishments or hard work. Successful corporate executives are not necessarily the smartest or the most experienced people in a business, according to Porter, who has worked for such companies as McDonnell Douglas and General Dynamics. Instead, those who succeed have often mastered survival skills that anyone can learn. Among Porter's recommendations: ""Hiring people who are as good or better than you are is wise both for you and your organization""; ""Do what you have to to win. If you don't the other guy will, and you'll wind up working for him."" Readers will easily recognize different office personality types from Porter's descriptions. He urges everyone to develop nonwork affiliations--such as coaching Little League, joining a community organization or volunteering for a charity--because connections formed from these activities almost always help in the workplace. His irreverent, macho tone and anecdotal advice make this book lively, although more earnest readers may put off by Porter's two-fisted tactics and the occasionally lengthy anecdotes that surround his kernels of advice. (June)