Tales My Grandma Told Me

Book Summary

Tales My Grandma Told Me - A Business Diversity Fable is the first book to tackle minority business development issues within the context of supplier diversity. The book is written in the tradition of several successful books, including Ken Blanchard's The One Minute Manager, Spencer Johnson's Who Moved My Cheese? and Patrick Lencioni's The Five Temptations of a CEO. These books teach business principles through fables involving made-up characters, companies and conflicts.

The first part of Tales My Grandma Told Me is the fictional account of Jack Gainey, an African-American corporate executive who inadvertently becomes an entrepreneur when he is suddenly laid off. Through events that flow from his loss of work Jack discovers that in order to succeed, he must quickly learn how to launch a company, build relationships, recruit talent and operate within the world of corporate supplier diversity programs. Throughout the book, Jack is guided by the voice of his deceased grandmother who overcame tremendous obstacles in her generation to become a successful business owner. Jack applies principles learned from “Grandma” to ultimately succeed in business.

Some of the lessons Jack learns is that minority business enterprises (MBEs) cannot depend solely upon supplier diversity programs to market and grow their businesses. Jack also learns that business building (minority or otherwise) does not require newfangled ideas or gimmicks. Rather, sustainable businesses are built upon fundamental principles such as selling a value proposition, developing advantageous business relationships, applying technological innovation, practicing integrity and good, old-fashioned grit.

Further, Jack discovers that supplier diversity programs are only as good as the commitment of the leadership within the corporations that run the programs. Jack must navigate this maze and learn the most valuable lesson of all: success is not dependent upon programs, nor is it ever purely dependent upon ethnicity. Success comes from within; from turning adversity into opportunity; from believing in oneself and never quitting. In short, success is born of the kind of advice our grandmothers gave us.

In the second part of the book, the author uses anecdotes from his personal experience to teach ten success principles for MBEs and ten success principles for corporations in the supplier diversity arena. Some of the MBE principles are: ethnic status is not enough to win and keep business contracts. MBEs must develop businesses of size and scale that offer real solutions to corporations. Conversely, corporations should respond to the business imperative for including diverse suppliers, demonstrate commitment within their programs and think creatively about minority supplier development, among other principles. He closes each set of principles with a challenge to MBEs and corporations alike to stay the course, to continually grow in commitment, know-how and execution of what it takes to make supplier diversity and inclusion a reality.