While many asians may have these characteristics, it's not that it makes them unfit to lead it is more about the promoting managers looking for the wrong signals. We see similar trends with introverts and women, no? They don't fit the extroverted, authoritative, direct management style that is deemed "successful", but is often not optimal.
He mentioned a lot of really positive qualities (great at technical work), but his one criticism for me was that I could "show more leadership". He failed to expound on that when I asked him for examples. He was so uninvolved with our day to day, he was rarely present. Little did he know, I was the one working behind the scenes keeping his flailing team together. This struck me down pretty hard, it was my first known experience with racism in the American workplace. My confidence shattered, and I started doubting myself. I hope to put this experience behind me soon, but it left some serious doubts for me, and honestly, it made me reconsider my previously ambitious aspirations. After this experience, I started really emphasizing with the experiences of women in the workplace.