Making the Invisible Visible: Understanding Leadership Contributions of Asian Minorities in the Workplace

When we think of the most visible person in the workplace, we typically think of those who are in the most senior leadership positions; the CEO, the president of the organization, the program manager. We assume that having visibility means leadership through "showing" others what it means to be a leader. Yet Tojo Thatchenkery and Keimei Sugiyama found different and more collectively focused themes for leadership. Making the Invisible Visible is a study of Asian Americans in the workplace and provides a framework through which to transform the same qualities that are contributing to this invisibility phenomenon into a positive leadership approach that provides a counterweight to balance the showmanship approach to leadership. Showmanship can lead to short term achievement; however, and environment full of only this kind of leadership does not provide the opportunity for long term sustainable performance. They also discuss strategies for Asian Americans in career management. The invisible leaders that are going unseen today can be the visible leaders of tomorrow.