Speeches by Secretary Elaine L. Chao

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Remarks Prepared for Delivery by
U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao
Sixth Annual Asian Pacific American
Federal Career Advancement Summit
Washington, D.C.
Thursday, May 3, 2007

Thank you, Shinae [Chun, Director of Women's Bureau].

And welcome, everyone, to the Sixth Annual Asian Pacific American Federal Career Advancement Summit!

My, how this Summit has grown over the years! There are nearly 1,300 attendees registered as of earlier this week. That is more attendees than ever before. For six years we have co-sponsored this event with the Office of Personnel Management, in conjunction with the Federal Asian Pacific American Council. We want to thank both organizations for co-sponsoring this Summit.

Let me also thank other Federal Government partners for their support, including the Departments of Agriculture, Defense, Education, Energy, Transportation, and Treasury, the White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, and the Social Security Administration.

The number of Asian Pacific Americans within the federal workforce continues to grow. There are now over 87,500 Asian Pacific Americans working in civilian federal government jobs. As you may already know, President George W. Bush has appointed more than 400 Asian Pacific Americans to the highest levels of the Federal government. His Cabinet included, for the first time in American history in 2001, two Asian Pacific Americans. And I'm especially proud that the U.S. Department of Labor has the highest number of Asian Pacific American appointees in the Federal government.

I would like to thank all the non-career appointees for being here today and the panelists who have given such useful information borne of their own experiences. I would also like to thank Karen Czarnecki, Director of the Office of the 21st Century Workforce at the Department, the Summit's Planning Committee and all the volunteers working here today.

Some of the new workshops this year include "Working with Difficult People," "The Social Security Administration's Perspective on Cultivating Talent and Diversity Recruitment," and "Understanding Generational Differences in the Workplace." If you missed one of these, you will be able to hear them on-line from the Summit website at www.apasummit.gov. And we again have the very popular Executive Coaching sessions. This year, there are 16 coaches participating. That's a record and we want to thank them.

These and other new panels were included because of your feedback. So please let us know what you think of this year's program, as well.

This Summit was established in 2002 with the purpose of providing training and networking opportunities for Asian Pacific Americans to help them advance and create a more diverse federal sector. And, there are great opportunities ahead. Of all the statistics about the Asian Pacific American community, one stands out: About 58 percent of working Asian Pacific Americans (age 25 and over) have a bachelor's degree or higher. That's a tremendous achievement. As a result, nearly one in three Asian Pacific Americans work in professional or related occupations.

In my job as Secretary of Labor, I have often spoken about the skills gap facing America. That's the mismatch between the skills required for the new jobs being created in our country, and the skills of the workforce. Asian Pacific Americans can help close this gap because our community reflects such a high rate of advanced education.

The percentage of Asian Pacific Americans working in the federal government increased from 4.5 percent in 2000 to 5.3 percent in 2006. In the GS 13-GS 15 cohort, the number of Asian Pacific Americans increased from 5.1 percent to 5.7 percent. And at the SES level the number of Asian Pacific Americans increased from 2.5 percent to 3.3 percent. While the numbers may seem relatively small, the gains are heading in the right direction.

And the gains can be even greater in the near future. The Federal government employs nearly 1.8 million people. It is the single largest employer in the entire United States. New job opportunities open up almost every single day. In fact, in the next 10 years, 60 percent of the Federal workforce will be eligible for retirement.

To help people maneuver through the federal bureaucracy, the Department of Labor released the Federal Career Guide. It is designed for Asian Pacific Americans who wish to enter and advance within Federal government service. There is a link to the Guide on-line at www.apasummit.gov.

The progress over the past six years and the record attendance demonstrate the need for this Career Advancement Summit. So let me elaborate on some of the points that have been mentioned, and add a few others.

As mentioned, this Summit is designed to help participants develop as leaders, so more can advance to the senior management ranks. This means empowering each person here with the information and inspiration to direct his or her own growth. Technical proficiency is the foundation for advancement. But that is only the beginning. Learning how to be a good leader is critical to career advancement in large, complex organizations like the federal government.

I will be the first to say that there are cultural differences to the art of leadership, borne out of our different cultural backgrounds.

Here are some of the nuances that have been mentioned in the popular press:

• In Asian culture, doing what is best for the group is stressed. In western society, individual achievement is prized, promoted and emphasized.
• Asian culture emphasizes self-effacement and sacrifice. In the west, self-promotion and self-publicizing are needed for advancement.
• Asian culture teaches harmony with the world. In western society, change for change's sake is often lauded.

You can see these trends in early action with little children. Youngsters in this society are taught, indeed encouraged, to speak up, make decisions and choices. Individualism is celebrated.

Another example: How many of you have heard the Japanese expression, growing up: "The high nail gets hammered down"? In American culture, one is supposed to be the high nail. So in the mainstream American workplace, it's OK to speak up and state an opinion. It is OK to take the lead. And it is OK to try new things if they advance the mission.

In one newspaper article several years ago in the Wall Street Journal, Asian and Western students were shown a picture of a frog sitting on the banks of a running stream. The Western students saw only the frog, which was the focal point, and tended not to notice the other elements in the picture. The Asian students saw the frog, but also noticed and remembered many of the background elements in the scene: that the frog was sitting on a rock, which was on a grassy bank by a running stream with a forest of trees behind the frog.

This article summed up these differences by saying that the western students paid attention primarily to the focal point or object, not its surroundings. While the Asian students paid as much attention to the broader context in which the focal point was placed and the relationship between different objects in the picture.

Neither way of looking at the world is better than the other. Each has its own unique advantages in a globalized economy and a more diverse America. So cultural diversity in the workplace is an asset, offering more thinking styles with which to approach a problem and solve it.

Another example: this one comes from the classroom, which is also a good place to study the different cultural approaches to leadership issues. Remember the class participation part of grading? A student may have done well on all the assignments, but not on class participation. And some students who always had their hands up and said the silliest things were praised. Now, sometimes students hold back because they are not articulate. Or they are shy and reserved. But the way students are graded in mainstream American institutions shows how highly verbal communication skills are valued.

Executive roles require leaders to be major discussion participants and discussion leaders. Leaders advance and defend the interests of their organization and their colleagues. So executives need to be articulate, both in written and in oral presentations. That's why skillful communication is absolutely essential to career advancement and becoming a leader.

Of course, Americans of Asian descent are NOT Asians. We are Americans. And we are the positive blend of the best of East and West. Many of these leadership lessons are applicable to people of all cultural backgrounds.

These different ways of looking at the world are not necessarily obstacles to advancement in mainstream American culture. But it is helpful to understand cultural factors that have an impact on one's own management style and to learn how to work with them. That's true not only for Asian Pacific Americans who want to advance, but for all managers who must work and lead an increasingly diverse workforce.

One of the wonders of the human spirit is the ability to learn and to adapt. The American version of the human spirit holds that our differences, once blended, contribute to our country's collective strength. That has been true throughout American history.

Asian Pacific Americans are the beneficiaries of two cultures. These qualities are a strong foundation upon which to build a career path — no matter what direction your path may take you.

I don't believe it is necessary for Asian Pacific Americans to sublimate their heritage in order to succeed in mainstream America. The rough and tumble and strong emphasis on individuality in mainstream American culture is just another set of circumstances to understand and new skills to be mastered.

Your presence here today speaks volumes about your desire to be a better leader. Leadership is not collecting credentials. It is not an accumulation of degrees and awards. It is an activity that achieves results. And like any other skill, leadership can be learned and practiced. If I could, please let me offer some thoughts on leadership that I've observed:

First, successful leaders need to communicate clearly and persuasively - both verbally and in writing. Most successful leaders are able to communicate their vision clearly and persuade their team to follow.

Second, successful leadership is not just about one person. To be a leader means to work effectively with a team. And in Western organizations, leaders must gain the respect of their peers and persuade them to follow. It requires building trust and the ability to motivate and inspire others. Leadership is not simply giving orders. It is especially important to learn how to disagree with grace and tact, without threatening others.

Third, successful leaders need to understand the internal and external environment in which the organization operates. That's relevant in the federal government, which serves many different stakeholders. Effective leaders in the federal government understand how current political, economic, and social events affect what their organization does.

And fourth, successful leaders make ethics a core value. Regardless of whether they are in the public, private or non-profit sectors, successful leaders are expected to maintain the highest standards of ethical conduct. Today, more than ever before, transparency and accountability are the foundations of public trust. Once earned, that trust gives leaders the moral authority to accomplish great things. But once lost, it is very, very difficult to recover.

And finally — the good news — everyone can become a better leader through practice. There are many ways and places to acquire leadership skills. One of the most low risk ways to practice leadership is volunteering in your community. Volunteer activities are a good way to practice communication and leadership skills and do some good at the same time.

I've said this many times — learning how to be an effective leader is not easy. In fact, it's one of the hardest things I've had to learn in life. And, it's a never ending process.

We Americans of Asian descent have much to be proud of — our cultural heritage has given us so much. And, we should feel confident of ourselves as we take on leadership roles.

For other participants here who are of other cultural backgrounds, as you work with a more diverse workforce, it is helpful to understand the different cultures of your workforce. Thank you for coming and investing in yourself as well.

When I first came to America over 40 years ago, my family and I were the only Asian Pacific American family in town. We were often the only Asian Pacific Americans in whatever we did. But, today, America's workforce is much more diverse. Our country is becoming more and more diverse. America is increasingly part of a competitive worldwide economy. Americans of different cultural backgrounds help to make our country the unique place it is. They help others understand other cultures, which helps our country maintain and enhance its economic competitiveness in the world as well.

It has been great being with you again this year! I hope you find this Summit engaging, educational and empowering. Have a great conference!

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