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More likdy, the discrepancy in these numbers is a matter of unconscious bias. Nobody would affirm the proposition that tall men are intrinsically bettej leaders, for instance. And yet while only 15 percent of the male population is at least six feet tall, 58 percent of all corporate CEOs are. Similarly, nobody would say that Asian people are unfit to be leaders. But subjects in a recently published psychological experiment consistently rated hypothetical employees with Caucasian-sounding names higher in leadership potential than identical ones with Asian names.
這些數字之間的差異更有可能是由無意識的偏見所導致的。比如，沒有人敢斷定身材髙大的人天生就比別人更擅長做領導。然而事實是，雖然身髙超過1米83的男性在美國男性人口中只占15%，但他們在美國公司首席執行官中卻占了58%。同樣，沒有人會說亞裔不適合做領導。然而，在最近發表的一項心理學實驗中，假設對同一個員工，相較于使用亞洲名字，當他使用白人名字時，受訪者總是認定他更具有領導潛質。
Maybe a traditionally Asian upbringing is the problem. In order to be a leader, you must have followers. Associates are initially judged on how well they do the work they are assigned. But being a leader requires different skill sets. "The traits that got you to where you are won't necessarily take you to the next level," says the diversity consultant Jane Hyun, who wrote a book called Breaking the Bamboo Ceiling. To become a leader requires taking personal initiative and thinking about how an organization can work differently. It also requires networking, self-promotion, and self-assertion. It's racist to think that any given Asian individual is unlikely to be creative or risk-taking. It's simple cultural observation to say that a group whose education has historically focused on rote memorization is, on aggregate, unlikely to yield many people inclined to challenge authority or break with inherited ways of doing things.
可能問題的根源在于亞裔在成長過程中所接受的傳統教育。要想成為領導，你必須要有追隨者。評價員工時，首先是依據他們完成指定工作的好壞來評判的。但是作為領導，則要求不同的技能組合。“讓你獲得今天地位的技能未必會幫你達到下一個層次，”多元化顧問簡·玄說。她撰寫了《打破“竹天花板”》一書。要想成為一名領導，需要發揮個人的創造力，需要思考一個機構可以如何改進，也需要編織人際網絡，進行自我提升以及堅持己見。要說任何一個亞裔人士都不大可能具備創造力或冒險精神，那是種族主義。但是要說在教育上向來注重死記硬背和注重分數這樣的一個群體不大可能造就許多樂于挑戰權威或打破傳統行事方式的人，那卻是一種簡易的文化評論。
Aspiring Asian leaders had to become aware of "the relationship between values, behaviors, and perceptions." He offered the example of Asians who don't speak up at meetings. "So let's say I go to meetings with you and I notice you never say anything. And I wonder why. Maybe it's because you don't know what we're talking about. Or maybe it's because you're not even interested in the subject matter. Or maybe you think the conversation is beneath you. So here I'm thinking, because you never say anything at meetings, you're either dumb, or you don't care, or you're arrogant, when maybe it's because you were taught when you were growing up that when the boss is talking, what are you supposed to be doing? Listening."
有志于擔任領導的亞裔必須意識到“價值觀、行為和看法之間的關系”。他舉了個例子，談到亞裔在開會時從不暢所欲言。“那么，假設我和你一起去參加一個會議，我注意到你什么也不說。于是我捫心自問，嗯，我想知道你為什么不發言。也許是因為你不知道我們在談什么。那是一個不發言的好理由。或者，也許是因為你甚至對談論的話題不感興趣。或者，也許你不屑于這樣的話題。因為你從不在會上發言，于是我就會想，你要么是個啞巴，對此漠不關心，要么太傲慢。但事實也許是，因為在你成長的過程中，有人教導你領導說話的時候你應該怎么做？傾聽。”
How do you undo eighteen years of a Chinese upbringing?
你該如何拋開18年的中式教育呢？
