Characteristics of Career Achievement: Perceptions of African‐American Corporate Executives

African American corporate business executives employed in black owned and operated businesses were studied with the purpose of developing profiles and identifying their perceptions of the importance of professional characteristics and career activities to their career achievement.The typical African American corporate executive in this study held the position of chief executive officer or vice president, was male, had a mother as a female primary care giver, had a father as a male primary care giver, had primary care givers who were very supportive of career decisions and goals, had earned a bachelor’s degree, and had a male mentor.With regard to perceptions, the typical African American corporate executive believed that communicating in writing and speaking was “crucial” to his/her career achievement; believed that setting goals was “crucial” to his/her career achievement; believed that adjusting to new situations was “crucial” to his/her career achievement; and believed that developing and strengthening self‐confidence were “crucial” to his/her career achievement.