At the 10th Annual Meeting of the Society of Asian Academic Surgeons (SAAS), attendees had the opportunity to hear the Kuo Family Lectureship delivered by Jackie Wong of McKinsey & Company. His lecture, “Inclusive Leadership in the Workplace,” provided a data-driven and pragmatic examination of how inclusion—or the lack thereof—shapes workplace experience and leadership advancement across industries, with clear relevance to academic medicine and healthcare. Drawing on more than a decade of workplace research, Wong emphasized that diversity efforts often fall short not at recruitment, but at advancement. Across industries, Asian professionals are frequently well represented at entry-level positions, yet representation declines sharply at senior leadership levels. This pattern, he noted, reflects systemic barriers rather than individual performance or ambition.
One of the most striking portions of the lecture focused on the disconnect between diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives and frontline workers. Data presented demonstrated that while senior leaders and corporate employees are significantly more likely to view DEI policies and programs as effective, frontline workers—particularly hourly employees—report substantially lower perceived benefit and access. Notably, frontline workers were also far less likely to feel they could safely use DEI-related policies without fear of jeopardizing their jobs. These gaps highlight how well-intentioned initiatives often fail to reach those with the least schedule flexibility and the greatest exposure to workplace stress. This finding resonated strongly with healthcare audiences, particularly in the context of residents, fellows, nurses, and other frontline clinical staff. Wong underscored that inclusion cannot be assumed to “trickle down.” Effective inclusion requires intentional design, resource allocation, and leadership engagement tailored to the realities of frontline roles.
A central theme of the lecture was the critical distinction between mentorship and sponsorship. While mentorship provides advice and guidance, sponsorship involves active advocacy—creating visibility, opening doors, and using one’s influence to advance another’s career. Wong highlighted that many professionals from underrepresented backgrounds receive mentorship but remain under-sponsored at pivotal transition points, particularly at the mid-career to senior leadership level. This sponsorship gap helps explain why advancement stalls even when talent and preparation are present. Wong also cautioned against superficial approaches to DEI that focus primarily on numerical representation. Following heightened attention to diversity initiatives in recent years, many organizations expanded hiring or promotion targets without building the foundational infrastructure—training, reinforcement mechanisms, role modeling, and accountability—needed to support long-term success. Without these foundations, individuals may be placed into leadership roles without adequate preparation or support, ultimately undermining both individual outcomes and organizational trust. For professional societies such as SAAS, Wong emphasized the unique role of cross-institutional communities in addressing gaps in access, information, and sponsorship. Organizations that extend beyond a single institution can help demystify leadership pathways, normalize ambition, and provide mentorship and sponsorship when local systems fall short. Succession planning, he stressed, is not optional—it is a responsibility of leadership and a key driver of sustainable progress.
The Kuo Family Lectureship generated thoughtful discussion among attendees about how these principles apply within academic surgery, particularly as leadership pipelines narrow at more senior ranks. Wong’s message was clear and forward-looking: inclusive leadership is not about symbolic gestures, but about understanding baseline realities, identifying meaningful gaps, and committing to sustained, intentional action. The session was a timely and impactful contribution to SAAS’s 10th Annual Meeting and reinforced the organization’s ongoing mission to advance leadership development, mentorship, and sponsorship across the full spectrum of academic surgeons.