By Catie George, Director, Communications & Storytelling
Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month is an opportunity to celebrate the histories, contributions, and cultures of the AAPI community. For The Rewired CEO’s Anne Chow, May is just the start of celebrating different cultures.
“These cultural heritage months as well as holidays and other notable days of the year are important because we all came from somewhere – and we each have an origin story that helps shape who we are,” said Chow. “Who we are helps guide how we contribute – to our businesses, organizations, and society as a whole.”
Chow served as the CEO of AT&T Business until 2022, and she culminated her 32-year corporate career there as the first woman of color CEO in the company’s more than 140-year history. She went on to become the Founder & CEO of The Rewired CEO, serves as an independent director on three corporate boards, teaches at a top business school, and published her first solo-authored book, “Lead Bigger: The Transformative Power of Inclusion,” last fall.
“As I continue to go through my journey, I’m mindful of the incredible opportunities that I’ve earned and been given whether it be in the classroom, executive suite, or board room,” said Chow. “I’ve rarely been bounded by the fact that ‘no one like me’ has done it before – and I hope that my legacy serves as an example to the next generation of leaders that you can, in fact, forge a path that is uniquely yours.”
Throughout her career, Chow has worked to cultivate the celebration of differences within the workplace.
“There is no job, no work, no goal that can be achieved without the collaboration and involvement of others. Our individual journeys are made richer for sharing them,” she said. “Business leaders can better support and uplift AAPI professionals in corporate spaces, especially those whose voices may not typically be heard, by intentionally choosing to widen their perspectives – to move beyond tolerance through understanding through empathy to caring. This enables a path towards inclusive leadership which harnesses the power of human connection.”
As a speaker who discusses topics such as courageous leadership, leading authentically, and maximizing impact, Chow’s own leadership journey began with her parents.
“It started with my origin story and importantly the foundation that my parents instilled in me – they were first generation Americans having immigrated to the United States from Taiwan,” she shared. “Much of this family foundation has helped shape me as a leader… By the time I reached my first large managerial leadership assignment when I was in my mid-20s, I already knew that my role was to serve people – whether they be on my team, my customers, partners, or otherwise.”
As a servant leader, Chow knows that in order for workers to perform at their best, they must be enabled to be their best.
“We must not only acknowledge but embrace our responsibility of creating an exceptional environment where our people can become exceptional and thrive not only as individuals but also as teams,” she said. “By definition this exceptional environment is one that embodies respect, values, integrity, trust, and collaboration… It also requires that leaders commit to creating safe spaces where people can be themselves, feeling free to speak up and take risks to advance the business – to elevate innovation and collective performance in fresh and exciting ways.”