A few months ago, I met Professor Sonia Kang when we were teaching together in an executive education program at the University of Toronto. We hit it off right away, and I knew immediately I had to get her on the podcast.
I am so glad I did!
Sonia is one of the most thoughtful researchers I have met on the topic of identity at work. Our conversation covered everything from authenticity and transparency to her fascinating research on resume whitening to the leadership tightrope that ambitious women face.
In almost every single answer she shared, Sonia highlighted specific ways that the system needs to change – all based on research. So whether you’re leading a diverse group or whether you yourself face discrimination, there’s value for you here.
Here are 3 ideas that stood out for me from our conversation:
- Bringing your whole self to work is an aspirational goal, but it is not equally safe or realistic for everyone.
- Resume whitening reveals a system problem, not an individual one.
- Ambiguity is where bias thrives.
1️⃣ ‘Bringing Your Whole Self to Work’ is an aspirational goal, but it is not equally safe or realistic for everyone.
“Bring your whole self to work” sounds like excellent advice, doesn’t it?
Sonia challenges us to think more critically.
If you belong to a group that has historically experienced discrimination, strategically downplaying parts of your identity may actually be the smarter move.
The aspiration is valid. The responsibility to make it possible belongs to organizations, not individuals.
A few years ago, a young Asian woman in a workshop I was coaching said out loud: “I have so many things going against me right now, and I feel like I need to misrepresent myself.”
She was not wrong to feel that way.
What I said to her then, and what Sonia’s research reinforces: the goal is not to pretend. It is to find the environments that see your full value, and eventually to build those environments for others.
Her response? “Yes, that is the plan.”
In my coaching practice, I often remind clients that none of us brings our entire selves to work. Instead, we filter. We all make choices about what to share and when. The goal is not complete transparency. The goal is creating environments where people can safely decide for themselves what to share.
2️⃣ Resume whitening reveals a system problem, not an individual one.
Sonia’s research on resume whitening is both fascinating and sobering. Resume whitening is the practice of concealing or downplaying cues on a resume that might signal an applicant is not white. Consider these examples:
- using an initial instead of a culturally linked first name
- deleting or modifying titles associated with a particular racial, ethnic, religious, or cultural community
- removing a prestigious scholarship awarded specifically to Black students. (ugh.)
In Sonia’s audit studies, Black applicants were 2 to 2 1/2 times less likely to receive a callback than white applicants with equivalent resumes. When those racial cues were removed, the gap disappeared.
Here is what hit me hardest: companies with diversity statements were no less likely to discriminate. Applicants trusted those statements, showed up more authentically, and experienced more bias as a result.
Sonia does not tell people whether or not they should whiten their resumes. She hates that people have to ask the question at all.
Again, the real problem is not individual choices. It is processes that allow bias to operate unchecked.
3️⃣ Ambiguity is where bias thrives.
Write that one down. I did, the moment Sonia said it.
Whenever a process is vague, whether it is an interview, a performance review, or a promotion decision, there is room for subjective judgment. And subjective judgment is where bias quietly slips in. 
I saw this early in my own career. In a final round interview, a senior vice president looked at me and asked, “On Friday nights when we all go out for drinks, are you going to join us?”
It sounded casual. It was not.
He was asking me to prove I would “fit.” That is not a criterion. That is bias costumed as social invitation.
Sonia’s fix is structural: get specific about what you are actually assessing. The more objective your criteria, the less room bias has to operate. This applies whether you are hiring, reviewing performance, or deciding who gets a high-visibility project.
I hope you will carve out some time this week to listen to this conversation. It is one of those episodes you will still be turning over in your mind days later.
I invite you to listen to the episode on Spotify, Apple, YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts. Whatever platform you’re on, don’t forget to subscribe, and please leave us a review. This helps us get found by more people.
Thank you and have a great week.
“TALK” soon,
Dr. Andrea Wojnicki Executive Communication Coach – Talk About Talk
