Speeches by Secretary Elaine L. Chao

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Remarks by
U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao
Asian American Government Executives Network
Washington, DC
Thursday, July 12, 2007

Thank you, Sharon [Sharon Wong, AAGEN chair].

Congratulations on this program! As many of you know, last May the Department of Labor's held its sixth annual Asian Pacific American Federal Career Summit. And just last month two AAGEN leaders, Dr. Carson Eoyang and Dr. Sumiye Okubo conducted a well-attended seminar for the Department of Labor's Asian Pacific American Council. These training opportunities benefit both the Asian Pacific American community and the federal government. You have so much talent to give in service to your country!

When talking about opportunities for career advancement, it is important to recognize that even though there are still challenges, much progress has been made. There is much more help available today to Asian Pacific American professionals, than when I started my career in Washington. As our country grows more diverse, managers are recognizing the need for diverse leadership in the workplace. So the opportunities are there. And we are seeing results.

First, there are more Asian Pacific Americans in government today. Over 87,500 Asian Pacific Americans work in civilian federal government jobs. 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 to 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.

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. And at the beginning of this Administration's first term, for the first time in American history, two Asian Pacific Americans served together in the cabinet. In addition, the U.S. Department of Labor has the highest number of Asian Pacific American appointees in the Federal government.

Second, today there are more resources to aid those who want to take charge of their careers in government. The Department of Labor devotes a website, a booklet, and numerous conferences to this purpose. Let me encourage you to check out the APA Summit website, www.apasummit.gov, for more information. There's a link to the APA Federal Career Guide and videos of past Summits, which you may find helpful.

I know that many here today are interested in advancing from the GS ranks to the Senior Executive Service. I have surveyed senior career professionals for their advice on the best practices for advancement. Permit me to share some of those observations with you.

Obviously superlative performance is a must. After that, it is important to focus on which positions are most appropriate for your skill sets. The competition is stiff for top slots. So a candidate may need to apply for many different positions and needs to be constantly checking for these opportunities. A strong, clear, well-written resume is also a must. It is helpful to list training courses, including this one and the Labor Department's APA Summit. And career professionals also mention how important it is to carefully read the announcement of any position vacancy. The application essay should be responsive to every point and nuance in that position announcement. It is often said that searching for a job is a full-time job. And it is true that looking for a job requires a lot of hard work. In fact, it is a standard maxim that the higher the salary and the more prestigious the job, the more work will be required to secure it.

Technical proficiency is, of course, 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. Leadership requires a quantum leap in the ability to communicate effectively and persuade others.

Leadership is not collecting credentials. Too many people make this mistake-- believing that a certain amount of higher education or training qualifies them for leadership positions. But often, a candidate's ability to demonstrate that he or she can achieve results is the most important qualification of all. This means the ability to formulate a vision or plan of action, and convince others to follow it. Fortunately, like any other skill, leadership can be learned and practiced. But there are cultural differences in leadership styles. And Asian Pacific Americans need to be aware of the cultural differences that may impact the way in which they practice leadership in this society.

Let me give you an example. This goes way back to classroom days. Remember the class participation part of grading? Now, sometimes students were silent because they were not articulate. Or they were shy and reserved, despite knowing the assignment. Their grades may have suffered for their silence. Yet, some students who always had their hands up and said the silliest things were praised and rewarded.

In traditional Asian American communities, children are discouraged from speaking unless they have something to say. But in American culture, expressing one's opinion is encouraged and rewarded. And this makes sense in this society. 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. And they cannot be afraid of opposing viewpoints. The most effective leaders learn how to disagree with others and get their point across in a non-threatening way.

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

But most Asians are taught that it is rude to speak out of turn or to interrupt others. It is proper to defer to others. America, however, is a place where everybody speaks their mind. In America's democracy, ideas are meant to be debated. So if you do not speak up, you can be ignored or worse. This was true when I was in business. It was twice as true when I entered the world of government and politics. I had to learn to overcome my cultural reticence about speaking up. This is especially important in government, which has so many different stakeholders. Often, senior managers in government are called upon to go up to Capitol Hill and explain a program or testify before Congress. So again, the ability to communicate effectively orally and in writing is critical.

So it helps to practice speaking up, but in an appropriate and non-threatening way. And permit me to offer some other ways to practice that skill and develop your leadership ability:

First, network. Meet new people and learn new things. Second, volunteer. Devote time to your church or to a community organization. It may offer opportunities to practice leadership. Third, keep learning, whether through formal course work or through new challenges. And fourth, be flexible and ready to adapt to new circumstances.

Let me conclude by repeating something that the Department's former CFO, Sam Mok, says so often: Time is the most precious workplace commodity. Save it, and help others save it. That will gain you the respect that is the basis of leadership.

I hope you find these thoughts helpful. Thank you for inviting me! And enjoy the rest of your conference!

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