First Gen Corporate

An empowering guide to strengthening corporate intelligence (CQ) for professionals navigating the workplace as the first in their families.

From jargon to dress codes, you know the corporate world can be a maze of unspoken rules and vague expectations. If you didn’t grow up with stories of workplace norms and office hierarchies shared at the dinner table, stepping into this environment for the first time can feel intimidating and overwhelming. So how can you thrive at work when everything feels like uncharted territory?

Now, corporate mentor and Dartmouth professor Gail Ayala Taylor gives you the steps to jump-start your career as the first in your family to do so. First Gen Corporate offers a new approach to navigating professional life and building up your corporate intelligence (CQ) so you can reach your goals and stand out in your first year of employment and beyond. Taylor introduces her RISE framework, including the four essential elements for early career success (relationships, inquiry, skills, and expectations), and reveals how you can use this to deepen your understanding of the workplace and take actionable steps to accelerate your career. Along the way, she shows how managers can help their employees close the gaps between their knowledge and reality and leverage the fresh perspectives First Gen Corporate employees bring to companies and teams.

Packed with inspiring stories from diverse voices and proven, practical tactics, First Gen Corporate is your guide to unleashing your potential with clarity and confidence.