Twenty years ago, Jane Hyun published Breaking the Bamboo Ceiling, exposing the invisible barriers that prevent Asians in leadership from reaching their career goals. Yet, despite growing DEI efforts in workplace advancement, those barriers remain. Asian Americans currently comprise 13% of the U.S. professional workforce, but only 6% of them hold executive positions, according to a 2020 LEAP report.
Hyun’s latest book, Leadership Toolkit for Asians: The Definitive Resource Guide for Breaking the Bamboo Ceiling, responds to these ongoing barriers by offering practical strategies to decrease the leadership gap for Asian professionals.
Hyun is a renowned leadership coach and diversity strategist, working with global organizations on DEI initiatives. In a conversation with Cold Tea Collective, Hyun reflects on the ongoing challenges Asians face in breaking through leadership barriers and the need to support a more multicultural leadership.
Closing the Workforce Gap for Asians
When Hyun first wrote Breaking the Bamboo Ceiling, she observed that DEI initiatives in the corporate world often overlooked Asian Americans in their diversity programs. “They were counting us as a minority group, but we weren’t part of any initiatives these organizations offered,” Hyun explained. “Asian Americans need help too — they need assistance, mentorship, and guidance.”
This gap in support — coupled with the onslaught of Asian hate at the peak of the pandemic — inspired Hyun to channel her experience into Leadership Toolkit. “The global pandemic reminded us that we are still considered outsiders,” said Hyun. “I realized I needed to share the story of everything I’ve been working on, including the challenges we continue to face.”
Cultural Awareness Among Asian Leaders
When Hyun reflected on her years of coaching, she found that many of her clients struggled to understand how their cultural upbringing could actually…
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