The Unfair Disadvantage of Black-Owned Businesses

Black bookstores and Black-owned bookstores struggle, like many other small businesses, but also in different ways. In a new book, "Black-Owned," Char Adams walks us through the decades and hints a bit at the morphing edge of future outlook for these businesses in his book. (Black bookstores are not only Black-owned but also focus on works about Black culture, roots, history, systemic racism and the like.) The book clearly gives you a sense of the bookstores, the owners, their dreams, visions for their businesses and the neighborhoods they inhabited and served. Some were rallying points and educational centers for their communities. Some got more involved in movements towards more equity, liberation (freedom from oppression and prejudice—my definition). 

So, we learn that in the 1940s through and into the 1980s, as Black bookstores tried to counter prevailing dominant culture thinking, law enforcement often got nervous and took actions that created hindrances for profitable operations. It’s hard enough to operate a small business, watching costs, trying to increase sales through marketing in a broad sense, as well as having dependable, good employees. Black-owned bookstores also had to deal with a lack of culturally relevant product. The author documents the paucity and then the growth in published works and printing houses. And the continued struggle even into the 2020s from the business-operations standpoint. There is no immunity to the retail trends in the last two decades. But there have been some successes.

This is not just story-telling about people and places. There are some statistics, though the author acknowledges (frequently) that there is no single database to determine how many bookstores, when they were launched and when they ceased operating. But you still get a good feel that, relative to the larger publishing and selling industry, there are many but still a sliver of the overall pie.

This book is not a recitation of all the systemic obstacles. There are other books that would describe the environment in which these bookstores operated. The same cultural inertia that affects all Black businesses and Black life are documented very well in other books. Adams spends some time noting that Black-owned bookstores are susceptible to the same apathy and antagonism that infuses the dominant culture.

But here in this book: Come meet the movers and shakers in this business sector. Cheer them on. Empathize with their business struggle. Moan as cultural warfare tries to just ignore the racial issues and flow around these businesses isolating them like islands in a retail river. But most of all try to pay attention to what has worked and what hasn’t as the decades go on. There are lessons here for entrepreneurs and activists. 

I'm appreciative of the publisher for providing an advanced copy.

High Road Leaders = Givers, Level 5 Leaders

 John Maxwell has kept us on the high road for most of his leadership coaching and teaching career. But I’m not sure why he wrote his latest book, “High Road Leadership” except out of frustration for the divisiveness and conflict happening in the world, particularly the US, today. 

The Middle Road is traveled by Adam Grant’s Matchers: those operating from quid pro quo. I’ll scratch your back, if you scratch mine.

The Low Road travelers are only in it for themselves. Low Road Leader: ‘What have you done for me today?” They don’t care about how well the team does or the organization as long as they look good. Low Road leaders move from company to company trying to get better deals and often leaving behind a mess.

High Road leaders act in a way that ensures the team succeeds. They’ll take the blame and give the credit to others. They are the Givers in Adam Grant’s lingo. They are Level 5 leaders in Jim Collins’ “Good to Great.” They are servant leaders. They are ALLY leaders (Stephanie Chung). They are Multipliers (Weisman). They have the highest level of engagement because they provide choice (autonomy), content (mastery) and collaboration (purpose) in Kohn’s “Punished by Rewards” (and Daniel Pink’s “Drive”).

Maxwell frames his leadership challenge in ways to build trust, paying attention to different aspects of trust: vulnerability (openness), acceptance, authenticity, integrity… And courage and accountability/responsibility (including admitting your own mistakes), perseverance. And keeping the team aligned and focused on the goal. 

The book is focused on self-help for leaders. A check for whether you have the emotional stamina, empathy and confidence to release your own agenda and empower others to do their best, make appropriate decisions and receive recognition for their own excellence. This may be the best reason to breeze through the book.

Grant’s research has shown that Givers (High Road Leaders) succeed more than Matchers or Takers. In fact, if Takers are promoted into top positions, they don’t last long. Other Takers try to sabotage them. Also, Matchers…because there’s no quid for the quo coming back from the Takers. So if you need more encouragement to be a High Road Leader, understand Adam Grant’s take on this as well.