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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.
这些数字之间的差异更有可能是由无意识的偏见所导致的。比如，没有人敢断定身材髙大的人天生就比别人更擅长做领导。然而事实是，虽然身髙超过1米83的男性在美国男性人口中只占15%，但他们在美国公司首席执行官中却占了58%。同样，没有人会说亚裔不适合做领导。然而，在最近发表的一项心理学实验中，假设对同一个员工，相较于使用亚洲名字，当他使用白人名字时，受访者总是认定他更具有领导潜质。
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.
可能问题的根源在于亚裔在成长过程中所接受的传统教育。要想成为领导，你必须要有追随者。评价员工时，首先是依据他们完成指定工作的好坏来评判的。但是作为领导，则要求不同的技能组合。“让你获得今天地位的技能未必会帮你达到下一个层次，”多元化顾问简·玄说。她撰写了《打破“竹天花板”》一书。要想成为一名领导，需要发挥个人的创造力，需要思考一个机构可以如何改进，也需要编织人际网络，进行自我提升以及坚持己见。要说任何一个亚裔人士都不大可能具备创造力或冒险精神，那是种族主义。但是要说在教育上向来注重死记硬背和注重分数这样的一个群体不大可能造就许多乐于挑战权威或打破传统行事方式的人，那却是一种简易的文化评论。
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."
有志于担任领导的亚裔必须意识到“价值观、行为和看法之间的关系”。他举了个例子，谈到亚裔在开会时从不畅所欲言。“那么，假设我和你一起去参加一个会议，我注意到你什么也不说。于是我扪心自问，嗯，我想知道你为什么不发言。也许是因为你不知道我们在谈什么。那是一个不发言的好理由。或者，也许是因为你甚至对谈论的话题不感兴趣。或者，也许你不屑于这样的话题。因为你从不在会上发言，于是我就会想，你要么是个哑巴，对此漠不关心，要么太傲慢。但事实也许是，因为在你成长的过程中，有人教导你领导说话的时候你应该怎么做？倾听。”
How do you undo eighteen years of a Chinese upbringing?
你该如何拋开18年的中式教育呢？
