The Journey To The Top Of The Ladder
How do we climb the ranks of the coveted corporate ladder? For OpenTable CEO Debby Soo, becoming comfortable in her own skin and overcoming corporate stereotypes was key to her success in jobs and in life. Debby understands that life isn’t fair as an Asian woman in the workplace, and that excelling beyond the ‘mid-tier’ role in the corporate ladder handcrafted for Asian leaders would take a certain sense of initiation beyond what one might expect.
In the beginnings of her career, Debby found that becoming a ‘chameleon’ and adapting to any environment through remaining quiet was a competitive advantage that gave her opportunities to move up the ladder. She first encountered this consciously during her first year at The Nueva School, where she was placed among worldly students that she didn’t fit in with. Even as just a 6th grader, Debby asked herself, “How do I mold myself to speak, and to act … the way that they do?”
Taking this way of life as a winning formula all the way to her first major job application, Debby invested her time into fitting in by subscribing to an English newspaper and even learning poker to interact with the many caucasian men who dominated the workplace. At the start of her career, blending into the exact people she would be working with got her to new heights, but she soon found out otherwise.
Over time Debby noticed that the winning formula she relied on wasn’t getting her past a certain point, and that finding her true self and an environment where she could be comfortable was key to setting herself apart. She was ready to become loud about being asian, something that we are able to celebrate easily today, but wasn’t as common just a few short decades ago. Then, Debby had just started a job at Kayak, where there was a company culture that appreciated Debby for her efficient work ethic and set an accepting environment for her to feel comfortable being her true self. From there, she embraced the idea of being uniquely asian with her fellow asian coworkers, highlighting their proud asian heritage and going so bold as to eat yogurt with chopsticks.
“I brought attention to the fact that there weren’t that many of us [asian americans] … but I built my confidence that way, and so I was very comfortable expressing parts of my identity that I normally probably would have kept more under wraps,” says Debby, reflecting on her time at Kayak.
Having a work environment that accepts us for who we are helps us learn ways to build executive presence and make our way to the top, unlocking coveted roles at the top of the corporate ecosystem. Debby has mastered the skill of staying unique and true to herself while remaining adaptable and molding to whatever life throws at her in ways that add to, not limit her success. Blending in is not what made Debby successful. In fact, it’s embracing her Asian heritage, and all the life lessons that come along with it, that brought her to be the CEO of a multi-billion dollar company. We should all take a close look at Debby Soo’s relatable and inspiring journey to find a community that accepts her. If we all find a workplace that accepts us for who we are, the top of the 21st-century corporate ladder would be a much more diverse and colorful place.