by Race in the Workplace special correspondent Erica

Adding my opinion to the molehill - One Louder
A Microsoft staffing manager’s take on that guy who worked at Microsoft, then ended up at Google, then went back to Microsoft and posted an internal Microsoft email comparing the two workplaces on the internet.

Isaiah Washington’s Big Mistakes - On the Job
Anita Bruzzese reacts to Isaiah Washington’s appearance on Larry King Live. “I sat in awe as I watched this guy dig a hole so deep for himself he may never get out of it. In fact, he broke just about every rule you can regarding your work performance and a former employer.”

Cults and Cultures - Gautam Ghosh: Management Consultant
Gautam Gosh talks about the double-edged sword that is organizational culture.

Taking criticism gracefully - Ask a Manager
“If your manager takes the time to give you feedback, looking petulant and defensive and perhaps even outright pissed off — as someone did to me last week — isn’t going to help you. It’s not that you just have to sit back and take it if you disagree with the criticism you’re hearing; you can say that you have a different point of view. But it’s all in how you do it, and it’s especially in your tone.” My first reaction was to wonder if this is another one of those cases where your response as a minority might be under greater scrutiny than the responses of your non-minority co-workers.

Decisions to Promote - The Black Factor
“It reminds me of a Black coworker I worked with a few years ago. She resigned, in part, because she was assigned to report to a White manager whose credentials and education were nearly identical to hers. How did their backgrounds differ? The Black worker had an additional degree that her new supervisor didn’t possess. So, the reality was these two individuals were not only ‘not equals,’ but the White manager should have been reporting to the person that the company made her subordinate. And, this is exactly the type of incident that repeats itself over and over all across corporate America.”

Recommended Reading is a weekly feature where we link to some of our favorite workplace-related blog posts and articles. If you would like to suggest a link to Erica, please email tips@raceintheworkplace.com