What do you think?
Rate this book
Auténtico: The Definitive Guide to Latino Success
America has an urgent need for Latino and Latina executives. 'AUTÉNTICO' identifies a path to uplift and amplify their representation in leadership.
Latinos and Latinas will account for a third of our workforce by 2050 - yet they make up only 5 percent of senior roles in corporate America. Dr. Robert Rodriguez and Andrés T. Tapia call this low percentage of Latino and Latina corporate executives today the "5 percent Shame."
Inspired by Price M. Cobbs's seminal work on the secrets of successful Black leaders, this book seeks to understand the impact on Latinos and Latinas of the external forces of conscious and unconscious biases and of the internal forces of whether to assimilate or double down on their cultural identities in their quest to get ahead.
The second edition features a new foreword by Henry Cisneros, former secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development, as well as updated statistics and graphs to represent how America's career landscape for Latinos has and has not changed and how to ensure Latinos can rise to their fullest potential.
Using insights from in-depth interviews with twenty highly successful boomer Latino and Latina executives and focus groups with dozens of Gen X and millennial leaders, the authors have captured lessons about how these individuals chose their career paths, addressed challenges, and seized opportunities. The discussions are interpreted through the lenses of the authors' different personal experiences as Latino leaders in corporate America and synthesized as a guide for future leaders.
Latinos and Latinas will account for a third of our workforce by 2050 - yet they make up only 5 percent of senior roles in corporate America. Dr. Robert Rodriguez and Andrés T. Tapia call this low percentage of Latino and Latina corporate executives today the "5 percent Shame."
Inspired by Price M. Cobbs's seminal work on the secrets of successful Black leaders, this book seeks to understand the impact on Latinos and Latinas of the external forces of conscious and unconscious biases and of the internal forces of whether to assimilate or double down on their cultural identities in their quest to get ahead.
The second edition features a new foreword by Henry Cisneros, former secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development, as well as updated statistics and graphs to represent how America's career landscape for Latinos has and has not changed and how to ensure Latinos can rise to their fullest potential.
Using insights from in-depth interviews with twenty highly successful boomer Latino and Latina executives and focus groups with dozens of Gen X and millennial leaders, the authors have captured lessons about how these individuals chose their career paths, addressed challenges, and seized opportunities. The discussions are interpreted through the lenses of the authors' different personal experiences as Latino leaders in corporate America and synthesized as a guide for future leaders.
256 pages, Paperback
First published October 10, 2017
18 people are currently reading
61 people want to read
About the author
Robert Rodríguez
113 books75 followersRobert Anthony Rodriguez is an American director, writer, producer, cinematographer, editor and musician perhaps best known for making profitable, crowd-pleasing independent and studio films with fairly low budgets and fast schedules by Hollywood standards. He shoots and produces many of his films in Texas and Mexico.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
July 4, 2021
The second edition of Auténtico is a must-read for current and aspiring leader/executives who wish to tap into the unique strengths that bicultural Latinos bring to the workplace and society. The authors' advice to double down on our Latinx identities could not come at a more opportune time for me personally, as I am right now in the process of defining the next steps in my career (and identity work) moving forward. I will be referencing this book for years to come.
I found the following message and call to action to be especially inspiring:
"Youth have spoken. They are ready to stand on the shoulders of the pioneering Latino and Latina executives who broke new ground and paved the way. But are the entities around them—the government, the schools, the not-for-profits, the corporations—ready to fully capitalize on this rising Latino talent force? We worry that they are not."
Following the ten-point Latino Executive Manifesto presented in Auténtico will help "channel the energy, ambition, and vision of Latnix professionals to seek rightful place as leaders in their organization and society."
May we continue to follow our hearts and dream big, but also find ways to work together. To all aspiring leaders working to find the right balance, paciencia y fé.
With kind regards,
Victor
I found the following message and call to action to be especially inspiring:
"Youth have spoken. They are ready to stand on the shoulders of the pioneering Latino and Latina executives who broke new ground and paved the way. But are the entities around them—the government, the schools, the not-for-profits, the corporations—ready to fully capitalize on this rising Latino talent force? We worry that they are not."
Following the ten-point Latino Executive Manifesto presented in Auténtico will help "channel the energy, ambition, and vision of Latnix professionals to seek rightful place as leaders in their organization and society."
May we continue to follow our hearts and dream big, but also find ways to work together. To all aspiring leaders working to find the right balance, paciencia y fé.
With kind regards,
Victor
August 17, 2025
La primera parte me pareció fácil de leer y valiosa: es un libro que te hace consciente de las cualidades que tenemos como latinos y de cómo podemos usarlas a nuestro favor en el mundo corporativo estadounidense. También me gustó que resalta la diversidad dentro de la comunidad latina en USA, recordándonos que cada quien vive su cultura y su conexión con las raíces de manera distinta.
Si bien este libro no es un manual paso a paso para subir la escalera corporativa, sí ofrece muchos insights útiles y reflexiones relevantes.
Sin embargo, la segunda mitad se me hizo más difícil de leer. La sentí desorganizada, con bastante “paja”, aunque entre todo eso también encontré puntos importantes y dignos de reflexión. Aunque actualizaron el libro buscabdo incluir a los latinos millennials, me pareció que se queda muy superficial. Creo que valdría la pena una versión dedicada a cómo las nuevas generaciones latinas están viviendo el proceso de adaptación al famoso "corporate American".
Si bien este libro no es un manual paso a paso para subir la escalera corporativa, sí ofrece muchos insights útiles y reflexiones relevantes.
Sin embargo, la segunda mitad se me hizo más difícil de leer. La sentí desorganizada, con bastante “paja”, aunque entre todo eso también encontré puntos importantes y dignos de reflexión. Aunque actualizaron el libro buscabdo incluir a los latinos millennials, me pareció que se queda muy superficial. Creo que valdría la pena una versión dedicada a cómo las nuevas generaciones latinas están viviendo el proceso de adaptación al famoso "corporate American".
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews