The courage to be unique

I had a fabulous deep tissue massage therapy yesterday.  It ended up being a deep dialog too as my massage therapist talked about his dream of one day owning his business.  He's so good at body work, that I asked him what's stopping him.  I gasped when he shared the challenges he faces as an African American male getting into the massage industry.  His family opposed to his career and the industry isn't kind to him.  He is another person who takes the courage to be unique to pursue one's passion.


And then I reflected on how I never thought about his challenges and strengths, even though I'm his repeat customer.  Shame on me because as an Asian female working in Silicon Valley, I face a good dose of stereotypes too.  When I go to technology industry events, I'm usually asked if I'm in sales or communication.  I was reminded that it's hard to see the world through someone else's lens without the same experience.  The best we can do is seek to understand and take steps to promote diversity.


So here's one perspective as an Asian female executive in Silicon Valley.  Breaking through stereotypes and pursing one's own career is hard enough in the U.S.  It's harder in other countries, which matters greatly because many of us work with global teams.  Over the years, many female engineers shared that I'm the only female leader they've ever had, and such opportunity doesn't exist in their country.   I'm impressed by the courage and strength these women have, for entering into a male dominated engineering field knowing their career advancement may be limited unless they really pushed to break through these barriers.  And pushing isn't easy.  When I asked one female engineer about an article I read, that 30% of the women are raped in her country, she responded "at least".  She educated me that there are too many undocumented incidents that don't show up in statistics.  I've had female engineers tell me that their female relatives were burned to death in 'kitchen accidents' for not following social obedience.  Pursuing careers can be a life or death decision for some of these women.


Regardless of gender, colour or national origin, it's these courageous people taking bold steps that get us towards diversity.  I have male colleagues who were refugees and female colleagues who risked their lives to be where they are today.  They bring great perspective in life and dedication to their work.  I truly believe that this type of diversity in the workplace reflects the true world we live in, make our products better and ultimately grow our business.


I hope this blog gives some perspective to people who may not have thought about the courage many people take to pursue their passion.  We don't want special treatment.  We just want to be treated equally.  And for those of us taking these bold steps, please keep going.  Know that you're not alone and that you're helping us get to a diverse workplace.


I look forward to a day when people ask me what I do instead of assuming what I do.  And for my massage therapist to have his own successful business.