How to Break the Glass Ceiling?
– Musings of Dr. Jamie Hsu, 2.19.2017
You must have heard the phrase “Glass Ceiling” – the invisible ceiling that stops you from reaching higher levels in your career. People who are in a minority based on categories such as race, gender, education, or political background, seem to bump into this invisible ceiling sooner than people in the majority.
We can argue about the existence and pervasiveness of such glass ceilings in various organizations and companies. But the more important question is how one might break through it.
One sure way to do it is to build yourself up like a pyramid. With a broad base and pointed tip, a pyramid can surely break the glass ceiling more readily than a slender pole. So, make yourself a well-rounded generalist with broad knowledge and a strong base by learning new skills. The broader your base, the higher you can build your pyramid to reach your goals. This is a lesson we can learn from the recent success of many Asian American entrepreneurs and CEOs in Silicon Valley.
Take a look at the broad and distinguished achievements of Leonardo da Vinci. Here was an individual who didn’t even have a college degree, yet he accomplished so much. He was a genius and more importantly, a perpetual learner and innovator. He was not bound by the definition of any special degree or profession. When something needed to be done and understood, he just rolled up his sleeves to learn, to try, to fail, and to break the glass ceilings of “unknown and unattainable.”
Let’s learn from da Vinci and not limit ourselves by our degrees, our professions or our fear. Learn new things every day, broaden your base and build your pyramid of accomplishments. Then, one day, you’ll wonder where the glass ceiling is.
如何突破那看不见的”玻璃天花板”
-作者 許俊宸博士
-中譯 薛乃綺
你一定有聽過”玻璃天花板”這個名詞─意思是指這個無形的天花板阻擋了職場上的升遷。又或者是指少數族群，在性別、教育或政治背景中，較為弱勢的一群人，他們相對容易遭遇到這樣無形的天花板限制，無法升遷。
我們可以針對這種普遍存在各種組織或公司的玻璃天花板作為議題来辯論，但更重要的是想出如何突破它。
一種比較明確的做法，就是把自己塑造成一個金字塔的樣子─擁有寬廣的基底、加上尖頭，这肯定可以比用細桿更容易打破玻璃天花板。因此，要透過新知識的學習，讓自己成為一位擁有廣泛知識與基礎的全面通才。一旦你的基礎變廣，你就能打造更高的金字塔來達成目標。我們可以從近期在矽谷許多亞裔美國企業家與CEO的成功案例中得到啟示。
看看達文西全面且傑出的成就。這個人甚至沒有大學學位，卻完成了許多驚人的成就。他是個天才，但更重要的，他還是一個永遠的學習者與創新者。他甚至不受到任何特定學業或專業定位的限制。當遇到需要理解、待完成的事情時，他就是捲起袖子來去學習、去嘗試、去失敗、去打破”未知”和無法看到的“天花板”。
讓我們從達文西身上去學習，不要讓自己受到學位、專長、恐懼的限制。每天去學習新事物、拓寬你的基盤、去成就屬於自己的金字塔。
然後有一天，你會不知道究竟天花板在什麼地方，你在不知不觉中已经用你的金字塔突破了它。
