Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month; Women Transforming Tech

Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month is a necessary time to celebrate the accomplishments and contributions of people from the expansive AAPI community and identify and recognize barriers still facing AAPI professionals. This post will offer concrete strategies for members of our community and our allies to advance AAPI professionals. 

You might ask, “Why look at barriers during AAPI Heritage Month?” As many scholars have written, the “myth of Asian success” can obscure our view, preventing us from seeing hurdles on the pathway to leadership. Yet, according to the analysis of workplace data, while Asian Americans have strong representation in professional work, they are the least likely group in the U.S. to be promoted to management. And while the pay gap is small when you look at the entire AAPI community, if you dig deeper and differentiate between East Asians (e.g., ethnic Chinese), Southeast Asians (e.g., ethnic Vietnamese), and South Asians (e.g., ethnic Indians), you can see that while South Asians started with the highest salaries of all ethnicities, East/Southeast Asians were near the bottom.  

So what does that mean? First, to truly recognize the contributions of AAPI professionals, we must look beyond the myth of Asian success and identify new strategies to level the playing field and craft new pathways to success. 

In my LinkedIn Learning Course, Women Transforming Tech: Tips for Career Success, we share insights for women in tech to advance their careers. 

Here I offer three strategies from the video with new insights for the AAPI community and our allies. 

Build and nurture a board of directors. 

As a member of LinkedIn’s AAPI Advisory Board, I encourage folks to build mentoring relationships with advisors who can help them grow. To build productive and meaningful relationships, consider ways to make them mutually beneficial, where both parties gain insights and connections for their advancement. So, think about what you bring to the conversation and what you want to achieve. In my discussion with my advisors, for example, they might ask for suggestions from speakers to get into their work, while I might brainstorm with their ideas to solve a problem I’m working on. 

Look outside your group or organization. Look to people who can help you bring new ideas to your work and can help you build your networks. 

Consider people inside and beyond the AAPI community. If you are an ally, look to see if you are mentoring AAPI professionals. If not, look to see who might be in your organization or beyond and set up a coffee or Zoom meet-and-greet. Remember, the key is to build both advocacy and relational authenticity.  

Take a heads-up approach. 

Often we hang onto what “got us here” instead of looking at what will “get us there.” In the course, I talked about what I learned; instead of hanging on to the work I had learned to do well, I had to share the work with others to take on the next stretch opportunity to help me grow. 

This is especially important for AAPI professionals who face stereotypes that we are good at technical skills but not at management or leadership. We may get feedback that we don’t speak up or are not strategic or visionary, thus limiting our career advancement. To develop yourself, seek opportunities that stretch your skills, are visible to key decision-makers, and are aligned with company priorities such as profit and loss delivery, innovation, and revenue generation.   

Test hypotheses. 

Our families may advise us to keep our heads down and work hard, suggesting that achievement alone will lead to success. Yet this playbook, as Professor Margaret Chin calls it, must be revised to succeed. You also need to build your network and build a reputation.   

Similarly, you may hear about workplace norms that don’t work for you. In those instances, you can reach out to your board of advisors or try a step in a different direction that feels better for you. You may indeed discover that there is no one recipe for success, and finding a pathway that works for you may be the actual secret sauce of career satisfaction.   

Now is the time to engage in new actions to advance AAPI professionals. For your own career, this can include a heads-up strategy to build your reputation and bring new ideas to your team. Try making your board of advisors. As an ally, block stereotypes that AAPI professionals are not strategic or managerial. Invite a colleague to coffee to get to know them—and their career aspirations—better so you can advocate for their success.  

While there is much to celebrate during AAPI Heritage Month, we can do much to create more equitable pathways to success. So take new actions to advance AAPI professionals this month; it’s a great way to create more inclusive workplaces today and always. 

Continue learning by watching the course, Women Transforming Tech: Tips for Career Success - free through May 31st. It features the strategies I shared, along with great insights from Syamla Bandla, Megan Holston-Alexander, Rashim Mogha, and Nitya Narasimhan. 

Plus, in honor of AAPI Heritage Month, I encourage you to check out the courses Speaking Up for Yourself and Underrepresented Groups with Jessica Chen and Uncovering Your Authentic Self at Work with Kenji Yoshino - free through May 31st.