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  • Message ID: #17
  • Subject: How do you measure your career success?
  • Date: 2007-04-05
  • This message is referenced by #28, #30, #31, 
    I am glad to see that there is finally a public forum to have an honest discourse on these issues but I am disappointed to hear that Mr. Woo is still spewing illogical thoughts and advocating divisive actions that ultimately will not result in increased opportunities for AsAms.  If Mr. Woo is going to be head of the Educational Foundation, he should take a moment to think about education and stop with his political crap.  The real focus should be on how we as a talented minority segment of the overall population, can leverage our skills and abilities, and our cultural roots to succeed in this environment.  We should be asking what skills are we lacking to get to where we want to go and how do we improve those skills, not bellyaching that AsAms aren't well represented in high political and academic positions.
    
 
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Subject: How do you measure your career success?

     
       This is my first communication with you as the President of 80-20 
    Educational Foundation.  I'm no longer the President of 80-20 PAC.  The 
    focus of my messages will shift from political actions to educational 
    endeavors.  However, the goal will be the same -- urging AsAms to strive 
    on and become an equal partner in the shaping of the American Dream. 
       See if you approve of my first attempt below.  Post your feedback by 
    visiting   http://www.80-20educationalfoundation.org/posterboard.html. 
    It will help me and be read by other 80-20 supporters. 
       For today, let's talk about "How Do You Measure Your Career Success?" 
       Most of us are smart, well educated, and have good work-ethics.  How 
    come statistically AsAms still face a very low glass ceiling at work?  So few 
    AsAm Federal and State judges?  Our kids face a higher admission bar? 
       The apparent reason is that we lack political maturity and unity.  The 
    real reason is that we use the WRONG STANDARD to measure our career 
    success.  Let me illustrate. 
       Something in our culture has induced most of us to measure our 
    career success by a RELATIVE STANDARD.  We compare our own 
    career achievement with those of our best friends, closest relatives, 
    classmates and colleagues.  With such a standard, when some of them are 
    more successful than us, we feel like failures in comparison.  With that 
    frame of mind, can we ever succeed in networking?  No way.  We will not 
    help "them," because we will be failures in comparison. Naturally then, 
    "they" will not help us. 
       Do you agree that climbing ladders in America depends heavily on net- 
    working?  Do you agree that the best persons to network with will be your 
    best friends, closest relatives, former classmates and former/current 
    colleagues? 
       We need to adopt an ABSOLUTE standard of measuring our career 
    success -- a standard adopted by most Americans of non-Asian extraction.  
       What is the absolute standard?  How would that help?  
       In an absolute standard of measuring career success, one sets a goal e.g. 
    "within x years I want to achieve a particular career goal."  One then 
    joins or establishes a network while sharing one's career ambition with 
    members of the network asking for help and helping back.  In such a 
    relationship, the successes of one's friends/relatives/colleagues become 
    one's own power base to achieve career goals.  The more successful they 
    are, the more they are in a position to help YOU succeed.  
       When AsAms switch from a relative to an absolute standard of 
    measuring career success, we, as AsAm individuals, will begin to work 
    together.  If AsAm organizations begin to set absolute standard for its 
    organizational achievement, AsAm organizations will begin to work 
    together, which will lead to unity within our community.  UNITY IS POWER.  
    Power is what we need to eliminate the glass ceiling and higher admission 
    bar. 
       Post your feedback & comments please.  It's time that Asian Americans 
    discuss openly our stupid relative standard of measuring success.  The 
    price for it is a splintered community, meekly and helplessly accepting a 
    low glass ceiling for ourselves and a higher admission standard for our 
    kids.  
       In addition, a relative standard is a self-imposed limitation on one's 
    own career.  An absolute standard frees you from that limitation and 
    the consuming jealousy. 
     : 
    PREVIEW for next email: "How to switch to an absolute standard & win." 
    ANNOUNCEMENT:  S. B. Woo will keynote an AAJA/NAAAP banquet on 
    May 19 in Philadelphia.  Topic: Group Political Clout.  Email 
     aajaphilly@yahoo.comfor more information.