What's Next?

2011 NAAAP Seattle Board members: (l to r) Sherwin Tsao (Technology) Julie Pham (PR/Marketing) Claire Ding (Secretary) Michael Okimura (Professional Development) Amy Duong (Student Relations) and Hang Chen (National Rep.)

Seattle, Wa - As the NAAAP Seattle Board met for its mid-year retreat this past Sunday at Nikkei Concerns, a leading provider of health services in the Pacific Northwest, we stood in what's next? and a theme of revolutionary change giving us a platform for a day long discussion to take NAAAP Seattle to a higher level.

Our primary concern, which is not specific to our organization, was succession planning and retention. Since our board committments are two years in length and about fifty percent of our board will have their terms expiring this year, our challenge is to retain current board members through re-election and recruit new board members. As board members this challenge gives us an opportunity to set policies and structures for our current environment not to say the least of retaining and recruiting the leadership of NAAAP Seattle.

That said, we had a lively discussion with both positive and negative inputs from all board members. Overall, it gave us all the needed inspiration for what's to come. As we've learned, this is a process and every consideration needs to be put on the table for either adoption or elimination. Stay tuned!

(l to r) Marian Liu (VP External Affairs) Jeffrey Hattori (Chief Executive Officer, Nikkei Concerns ) Judy Yu (Past NAAAP Seattle President and Faciliator) Albert Shen (Past NAAAP National President) Rick Takeuchi (Human Resources Director, Nikkei Concerns) and Barry Mar (Consultant)

If you have any questions about the NAAAP Board or want to know about the roles and responsibilities of being on the NAAAP Seattle Board, please visit our Board page.

Regards,
NAAAP Seattle Board

Other resources:

• February 2011 Board Retreat
• Nikkei Concerns
• About us
• NAAAP Board Committees

Pathways to Leadership

Most people would agree that a path is always almost easier to follow when it's lighted. When it comes to your career, how do you know how to get to where you want to go and what skills you will need?  When it comes to the National Association of Asian American Professionals (NAAAP), how does it deliver on its mission to build leaders in the community or its organization?

If you're in a career already, many companies have clear pathways to various job roles and responsibilities and specific requirements for each; for example, there are clear pathways for becoming a manager, paths for becoming a general manager, or paths for becoming the Chief Executive Officer. Similarly for NAAAP, there are also clear pathways from an event or committee volunteer to a committee chair; and pathways from a committee chair to a postion on the Board of Directors; and pathways from a Board of Directors position to a National position and onto the President of the organization.

Let me remind you that each pathway will require a set of skills and identify areas for further training and development.

What are these skills? 
Well, to name a few: written communication, understanding others, time management, intellectual horsepower, building effective teams, process management, problem solving, presentation skills, integrity, authenticity, patience, dealing with ambiguity, negotiations, managing and measuring, priority setting, results driven, managing up, composure, creativity, customer focus, timely decision-making, delegation, developing direct reports, action oriented, approachability, business acumen, self awareness, risk-taking, comfort around top management, compassion, conflict management, diversity, hiring and staffing, humor, reporting, trust, and listening.

These skills often show up on the job or as part of a specific training and development experience. With regards to NAAAP Seattle, we provide many opportunities in which to gain these skills. Beyond volunteering, leading a committee or sitting on the Board of Directors will offer opportunities to gain mastery of the skills that will lead to bigger challenges and opportunities leading you further down your chosen pathway.  

If you are interested in these learning opportunities and gain valuable experience, please visit our website.

Regards,
Gil Gido
NAAAP Seattle
President