Diversity MBA Magazine - April 2008 - (Page 35) COVER STORY • FEATURE Bamboo Ceiling There is some good news, however. In her book Breaking the Bamboo Ceiling, author Jane Hyun gives deep insights on how Asian-Americans can finally get the well-deserved spots in the corner offices. “The bamboo ceiling is clearly a nod to the term glass ceiling, a term that has historically been used to address barriers that women and multicultural professionals have faced in the workplace,” she says. “It is the combination of personal and organizational barriers that keep someone from advancing inside an organization. For organizations, it is both the lack of awareness about these differences and the resulting subtle biases that may occur. Another aspect of the bamboo ceiling is deeply imbedded cultural values and norms that impact Asian professionals’ interactions with others and cause others to make judgments about them.” In many Asian countries, too much eye contact is a sign of disrespect and can come off as rude. The lack of consistent eye contact and a firm handshake may be misunderstood by recruiters and hiring managers. Hyun suggests finding an experienced mentor. This cannot be stressed highly enough. Great mentors are very much linked to having a great network. As cliché as it sounds, in order to reach the top, it really does matter more who than what you know. Missing Out Hyun thinks corporate America is missing out if it doesn’t figure out how to work with Asians. “If there are Asians opting out of firms before they reach their full potential because of a bad manager, or other cultural workplace misunderstanding, we lose out because we miss out on the unrealized contributions they could have offered,” she says. “As more young Asian- Americans enter corporations, I’d like to see more Asians use their cultural attributes as assets in their leadership -- to be impacting their organizations positively with their skills, knowledge, and leadership capabilities.” Perhaps, the future generations of Asian-Americans will be able to leverage the best of both cultures embedded in their upbringing and America to give Asians a chance. You can’t change your skin color, but you can disprove any preconceived prejudices by outwardly living up to your full potential. Some pioneers are already leading the way. It is up to the upcoming generations to break the unkind cycle of the past. “The key to upward career mobility is self-awareness, recognizing what leadership gaps you need to fill in order to advance your career and taking the time to fill those gaps, and developing relationships with mentors who will help you navigate inside your organization,” says Hyun. ■ 35 Speak Your Way Up To win more clients, gain recognition, and be selected for more interesting topics, you must be constantly looking for ways to make your accomplishments known. This can be done by taking on high-visibility corporate tasks overseen by senior management or by speaking up in meetings to establish credibility and connect you with others in the company. Traditional Asian influences such as respect for authority (reluctance to question an expert), emphasis on harmony (backing down when challenged), can profoundly impact Asians’ effectiveness at work with co-workers, clients, managers, and subordinates. Asians need to ensure that their workplace behaviors aren’t being misinterpreted. For example, the Asian employee’s deep-rooted value of respect for authority may lead colleagues to view him as a “yes man.” While you don’t want to be known as the perpetual devil’s advocate either, you should be able to question someone’s decision without disrespecting his or her authority. If you know the meeting will be a difficult one, you should prepare double-time by checking your sources and prepping the key participants prior to the day of the meeting. M arch 2008 Top 5 0 Co m p ani e s
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