Gay Executives Talk About the Importance of Being Out at Work

"(Bloomberg Businessweek) -- As the LGBTQ community this month celebrates the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall uprising that marked the beginning of the modern gay rights movement, nowhere has the landscape changed more than in business. Coming out used to be a career-ender at many companies; today, major corporations compete for bragging rights about their opportunities for gays and lesbians. That’s bringing a new type of diversity to executive suites..Jim FitterlingCEO, Dow Inc..Is there anything you wish you’d known about how the corporate world treated LGBTQ people when you started out?.I wish I had known earlier how well I would be accepted by my colleagues at Dow. I would have come out earlier, and my decision would have been far easier. I feared a lot of negativity that never came to fruition..Do you have a personal anecdote that taught them something important about being LGBT in the corporate world?.I got a lesson in simply treating people—all people—equally early in my career when I was in sales. I had an African American colleague who was being discriminated against by one of our customers who didn’t want to work with him. Even at the risk of losing a customer, Dow’s regional VP jumped in a car, drove with my colleague to the customer’s headquarters, and told them that this was our guy and if they wanted to work with Dow they’d work with him. That was over 30 years ago, and I still remember it as a pivotal moment in understanding how important it was to treat everyone with respect and what an impact that support can have for the individual and the entire company..What advice do you have for a young LGBTQ person entering business today?.I’d advise any young LGBTQ person to do two things. First, look for a company that mirrors your own beliefs. There are plenty of companies that live their values, that actively support minorities and LGBTQ individuals, and that will support you. Find them. Second, don’t be afraid to live your own life. I would never tell anyone to come out when they don’t feel comfortable, but I know from experience there is a toll you pay when you try to hide part of yourself, and that the perceived pain of coming out is often worse than the reality..Did you notice a difference in the way your colleagues or subordinates treated you, or responded to your sexuality, the higher you rose in corporate life? .I didn’t come out until I was fairly high in the organization. Part of the reason for coming out so late in my career was my fear—unwarranted fear, it turns out—of how I might be accepted. Then again, it’s easier today for younger LGBTQ employees to come out. There are exceptions everywhere, of course, and it’s critical we continue to push for inclusion and diversity. Discrimination and hatred still exist, but more and more individuals understand the importance of simply accepting other people as they are—accepting their whole selves. At the same time, they understand the tremendous upside to diversity in terms of making our communities and workplaces stronger and more resilient. —Interviewed by Jeff Green.Christopher BaileyFormer CEO and chief creative officer, Burberry Group.Has being LGBT affected your business life?.Fashion is an industry in which gay people are very visible. My sexuality is just one facet of who I am, and while I was comfortable being very honest about it, I never felt that I needed to be a cheerleader. When I took over the business side in 2014 [after previously being just creative director], I was surprised to find out I was the first openly gay CEO of a major company in Britain. I started coming into contact with more people from outside the fashion industry—like investors and fund managers. I remember one of the first times a big bank came in for meeting—some of these guys were being very macho. From their questions I quickly realized that these people had really misunderstood what kind of person I was, and what a creative person is..So fashion is different?.Fashion can be a very accepting industry. As I get older, I realize how fortunate I was. There’s been so much progress, but I can’t imagine how much harder it still can be in some other industries that aren’t so much based in the city centers. It can take a tremendous amount of inner strength..Still, there can be adjustments for an LGBT person ….When you’re starting out at work, it can feel like quite a gulp to correct someone—to say, actually I have a boyfriend. If you’re in a position of privilege and power, it’s so important that you encourage a good and tolerant culture. That’s the really hard work—building a good culture—much more so than the day-to-day operations. We do still need to talk about diversity and acceptance..Your final show [which combined Burberry’s classic check with rainbow stripes] was dedicated to LGBTQ youth ….When I was designing my last show for Burberry last year, I felt like the culture was heading into a period where you had some real extremes. I was looking at what was happening, not just with sexuality but with gender as well, and with the beginnings of the #MeToo movement. Before leaving this traditional British company that’s been around for 160 years, I felt it was important to take the chance to say in a strong way that tradition and diversity and acceptance really can live together—and they have to. —Interviewed by Robert Williams.Alan JoyceCEO, Qantas Airways Ltd..Is there anything you wish you had known about how the business world treats LGBTQ people when you started you career?.I wish I could have known just how welcoming and inclusive our workplaces would be one day. At the start of my career, I never hid who I was—but I wasn’t particularly open about it, either. Growing up as a gay man in Dublin, I never imagined I’d be the CEO of a globally recognized brand that would actively campaign to legalize same-sex marriage, and I never imagined the incredible amount of support we’d receive from our staff and our shareholders and our customers..Can you share a personal anecdote that taught you something important about being LGBTQ in the business world?.When I started in the airline industry, working for Aer Lingus in Dublin, homosexuality was still illegal in Ireland. The airline didn’t fly on Christmas Day, and bishops would bless new aircraft entering service. This wasn’t the 1960s; it was the 1990s. Progress on social issues has been hard-won, but it happened relatively quickly once it started. I’ve seen the damage it can do when people don’t feel that they can bring their whole self to work, and I’ve seen the benefit of diverse backgrounds around the management table..What advice would you give a young LGBTQ person entering the corporate world today?.Get involved with your business’s LGBTQ network. I’m a member of our LGBTQ network at Qantas, Illuminate. I attended the last Illuminate conference and sat in the audience, not on the stage, because I wanted to listen and learn from what others have experienced. It’s vital for us to get together and discuss what we’re doing well, and what we can do to help more people feel that they can be open about their identity. —Interviewed by Angus Whitley.Kim CulmoneSenior vice president, Mattel Inc..Is there anything you wish you would have known about business and how they treat the LGBTQ community when you started your career?.I wish I would have known the power of my different experience, than the majority of the population. In the beginning of my career it was a different time than it is now, and I may have had some of my own concerns about acceptance. I view it all so very differently now, and I find it encouraging for the next generation of leaders that it is a different landscape—not for everyone, but for many..Is there any anecdote from your career that shares something about LGBTQ life in the corporate world [across various jobs at Mattel shepherding the Barbie brand]?.I see it now as such an important part of the work that I do, because I know what it feels like to be “other-ized” in the world. Especially with the work that we do in developing toys that are diverse and inclusive, I draw on that experience of feeling different and use it to build even greater empathy for communities that I am not a part of. It’s an important part of the work that I do. It’s also important in team building, not just in the product that I make. I feel very committed to making diverse teams and making sure that people’s voices are heard. And that we just don’t build a diverse team, but that we make a safe space for everyone to bring their whole authentic selves to our creation process..Any advice for a young LGBTQ entering the corporate world today?.Even from the beginning of an interview process, ask about culture. To know who you are and know that you deserve to offer every unique and amazing talent that you have to an organization that appreciates you and values you for the whole person that you are..What should people look for?.Stated policy is really critical, but most interview processes today are panel interviews and really taking a look at the type of people who are in leadership and their comfort level within their workspace. If you go into a interview process and you are faced with a very homogenized panel of folks, that may give you a little bit of pause. Or you can flip it and say, perhaps if they do have policies in place that are welcoming, they could bring an individual from the LGBTQ community who could bring a perspective that’s needed within that organization..How much has changed since you started out to now?.Queer voices are louder within the landscape of media. It’s progress, not perfection. Societal acceptance is a big part of it. What I will say about my own personal experience is that from the moment I walked into Mattel, our design team was a beautiful rainbow of diversity of ethnicity and gender and sexual orientation. I recognize that I have been very lucky in the place that I landed, as far as from the very beginning feeling very welcomed and having a community of diverse people. But like any organization, the higher you go, the less diverse the space becomes, because there are fewer seats at the table. I personally feel an enormous sense of responsibility to take that empathy and the fight I got from growing up different from the majority of the population in the world and draw on that to make sure that every space I’m in, I’m bringing the voice of perhaps the marginalized or forgotten community into that room of influence and power. —Interviewed by Matthew Townsend.Roy HuntSenior Vice President, Gap Inc..Is there anything you wished you’d known about how the corporate world treated LGBTQ people when you started your career?.When I entered into a real professional role, to be quite honest it wasn’t heavily discussed, especially in the workforce. It was one of the things that was understood because of discrimination issues and things like that happening. The company I was with prior to the Gap, things with the LGBTQ community were somewhat of an unmentionable. It’s not something that you would talk about. It was because of the social stigmas that happened and the fact that it could be offensive to a large population of people at the same time, although it wasn’t discriminatory or anything like that. It just wasn’t something that was often talked about. It’s very different than it is here at Gap Inc. as we progressed in the last 10 or 15 years..Did you ever want to talk about it?.I came out very late in life. I came out at 35, and I was married and I had two children, so it was even more of a stigma to do what I had done. It was a very difficult thing for me to do. It made it even harder for me at the time to talk about, given where I was in my life..As I came out and I realized that this burden that I carried for such a long part of my life was being lifted off my back, I also realized that I became a much better leader and better person and it just changed everything, quite honestly. And that’s when I had the courage to talk about it when it wasn’t being talked about..Can you share a personal anecdote from after you came out that taught you something important about being a gay man in the corporate world?.As I was going through this major life change, I had a lot of people who had been a part of my life for a very long time. Some of them were leaders that I reported to, some of them were peers that I worked with, and there were people who worked for me at the same time. I remember the first conversation that I had with somebody that I had worked for and confiding in her and letting her know the transition I was going [through], and her openness and her support was unbelievably meaningful. It really was one of those things that allowed me to not only get through it because of my sexuality and the changes I was making, but because she was such an important leader in the organization and she was so supportive of me. It was a really important part of my professional development at the same time..What was it like to come out at 35 years old at work?.This was the year 2000 when I came out. I came out because I had met another man, and he was also married, and when I made that decision to be who I was and love the person, the conversations I had to have were not only about me just coming out, but honestly I had to explain to people what took me so long and why it had been so hard. For many people at my age, it was perceived as a bit odd that I would wait so long to come out..Why was it so important to tell colleagues?.In a professional setting, especially when you’re a senior leader in a company, you end up spending more time with people at work oftentimes than you spend with your own family. I realized at that point I had to be true to everyone, and I had to be true to certainly my family and the people that I loved. But I had to be true to myself, and that meant also having those honest conversations with the people that I worked with..How do you feel like your identity has helped you in your career? .I’m the senior vice president of strategic alliances and global franchise. For me there’s two things: I’m responsible for a large percentage of our international business. I travel to places all around the world and I get to see firsthand the inequality out there in terms of how people are treated. You have the extremes: In some areas of the world it’s just a violation of the law, and in other places it’s embraced. I’ve had the opportunity to see the world, and at the same time, I’m the executive sponsor of GEAR, which is our internal gay alliance at the organization that supports our gay and LGBTQ community here at Gap. It’s given me an opportunity in my mind to have an impact on both the people that I work with and then upholding the values of our company when I’m working around the world because Gap is a company that very much believes in equality for all. I feel like I’m obligated to reflect that. —Interviewed by Jordyn Holman.Sue BainesDirector of debit card optimization-U.K., Barclays; co-chair of Spectrum, the bank’s LGBT+ employee network.Is there anything you wish you’d known about how the corporate world treated LGBTQ people when you started your career?.When I started work, being LGBT was not spoken about so much. We didn’t have the same equality legislation we have today. The World Health Organization, the year I started with Barclays, had only just in that year passed a motion to say that being LGBT was not a mental health disorder. And since that time we’ve come on an extraordinary journey, certainly in the U.K. in terms of changes in law, creating the same basic rights for people who identify as LGBT as those who are hetero. The working environment has changed as well, and the understanding of what it means to be LGBT, and therefore changes, I guess, in the firm have altered as the fabric of society has altered..Any personal work anecdote that taught something important about being LGBT in the corporate world?.In 2011 I popped along to a Spectrum event. It was an event hosted by Amy Stanning, talking about her personal journey and the fact that the bank had supported her in changing genders and helping her coming out to her colleagues in a very safe, very reassuring, very affirmative way. In hearing Amy’s story, that was very transformational for me. It made me realize it was a company I wanted to work for. It was a call for me to be more proactive..Is it easier or harder for LGBTQ persons who work inside financial-services companies to be out?.Is it better in financial services? Yes. That’s because financial services in general invested a lot of time and effort in things like unconscious bias training, in getting people to talk about diversity and inclusion and the importance of having a diverse and inclusive workplace. It’s important on many levels to attract and retain talent. We’re all fighting for the top talent. If you’re not a diverse and inclusive firm, you’re restricting access to that top talent. It’s a great way of retaining positive, loyal, motivated colleagues. I’m extremely loyal as a consequence of the opportunities I’ve had and the support I’ve had as a visible and senior out lesbian. —Interviewed by Will Mathis.Sander van ’t NoordendeGroup chief executive, Accenture Plc’s products operating group.Anything you wish you’d known about how business or the corporate world treated LGBTQ people when you started your career with Accenture in the Netherlands in 1987?.All I got about Accenture in those days was a 10-page brochure from a campus recruiter, and that was pretty much all I knew going into the interviews. There was nothing about diversity or anything like that in the brochure. Then I had two interviews, where of course maybe I was too shy to ask. Today you can go on the website of Accenture and you’ll find an LGBT network, and you type in “diversity” or “belonging” and you’ll find an explanation of how Accenture looks at those topics, and you’ll see people marching in pride marches in pictures and meeting in a network. You’ll see people like yourself. Whereas in the brochure there were pretty much white males with white shirts and red ties..Can you share a personal anecdote from your career that taught you something important about being a gay man in the corporate world?.I joined Accenture on Oct. 15, and someone said, “on Nov. 11 we have the office party, are you coming?” I had to decide if I was going to bring my partner at the time to come to the party and effectively come out in front of everyone, which I then did, and it worked out fine for me. That’s the kind of steps that people have to take when they are gay and when they are in corporate life. You take a risk because you don’t know what the response will be..What advice would you give a young LGBTQ entering business or a corporate job today?.I would say be out and network. Be out and then, when you grow your confidence, help progress the networks and help progress the LGBT agenda in your company. Be out, be visible, network with other peers and people and leaders in your company, and then once you gain more confidence, help progress the agenda for and with the company and eventually with its clients..I always say to people at Accenture, “You don’t have to sit everybody down and say, ‘Listen, I want to tell you something.’ ” People figure it out. If you’re by the water cooler and you say what you’ve been doing over the weekend with your wife, husband, or whatever, they will figure it out. It’s not like you have to make it a moment..Be out and be natural about it, because ultimately people will figure it out and it’s OK. It’s nothing to be ashamed of. It doesn’t have to be presented as big news..You’ve been more public about your orientation?.When I moved to the U.S. [in 2010] and I saw what was going on here, I said to myself, I need to be more out there, I need to be a more visible role model, I need to be a more visible leader. So I’ve done quite a few activities at Accenture, but also externally with the World Economic Forum, and I’m on the board of Out & Equal, because role models matter. I always say everybody is a role model. The young professional that is out is also a role model, so being visible and a role model matters. That shows the way for others. —Interviewed by Jordyn Holman.Dax DasilvaCEO and founder, software company Lightspeed.Is the tech industry tough for LGBT individuals?.Tech has traditionally been dominated by men. Tech cannot fall in the same pattern as finance and other male-dominated industries. We really have the opportunity to bring diversity as a strength. Tech leaders have to take on that responsibility. Tech leaders have to feel responsible that when you do an interview process, you expand your circle of interviewees to represent society as it is. We must actively create seats at the table for diverse viewpoints, knowing that difference is a teacher. The solutions for the future come out of diverse perspectives..How do you make sure there’s diversity within your own company?.Since Lightspeed’s inception, we’ve fostered an environment of inclusion and diversity. In fact, the original members of the Lightspeed team were all from the LGBTQ community. I strongly believe this core group set the foundation for Lightspeed’s corporate culture that brings together and celebrates different viewpoints and voices..How do you associate with the LGBTQ community?.In Amsterdam, the annual pride parade takes place on the famous canals, and each company or institution has a boat. We’re excited to be part of the festivities this year. Our boat will fit 100 people, and we’ll use the messaging as a platform to showcase diversity and inclusion within our corporate culture. We’ll also be walking in the pride parade in Montreal (where our headquarters are located) for the second year in a row..Do you have an anecdote that shows something of how your LGBT status affected you in the business world?.After seven years of bootstrapping the company, we started to attract investors. This was the first time where we wondered if our identify would cost us our big chance. But it quickly became clear that our authenticity was a key ingredient in our unique culture. —Interviewed by Sandrine Rastello.Inga BealeEx-CEO, Lloyd’s of London.What do you wish you’d known about how the business world treated LGBTQ people when you started your career?.If I had realized that it was safe to be out, I would have done things completely differently. Especially when I moved to the U.S. with my company and I moved to a state where they didn’t acknowledge same-sex relationships. So my partner went in secret with me. I think it would have made a huge difference to me if I felt it was safe to be out and that my company would have fully supported me and my partner in our move there together. That made it very difficult..Do you have an anecdote concerning when you learned something important about being LGBTQ in the corporate world?.It was during a job interview with the CEO of Zurich [Insurance Group] when I decided to come out, and it was partly because of the way that no fuss was made about it. I was just accepted and it became, “Well yes, that’s fine.” They said you must bring her along to any functions we have where partners are invited, and that was very comforting to me. And then I just thought why did I stay quiet about it for so long, when actually people are very, very accepting..What advice would you give a young LGBTQ person entering a business or corporate job today?.I would say be yourself; bring your whole self to work. Please don’t go back into the closet—because you will be the one who fundamentally suffers for it. And if you’re out at work, you and your business will benefit..I definitely, definitely regret not coming out earlier. I look back on it with horror, really, on how I behaved, particularly towards my partner at the time. Keeping our relationship all a secret. I remember moving to Kansas City, and my work colleagues all thought I had moved there on my own. I was invited to a party when we first got there, and I left my girlfriend of the time at home on her own. I look back at that, and it was just such an awful thing to do. But that was how I felt I had to be..Is it easier or harder for an LGBTQ woman to be accepted within an organization than a gay male?.My take is that men seem to do the networking much better, therefore they have a better support system. And I think therefore a lot of the women tend to be more in the closet, because naturally we’re not so out and so good at this networking and support system. I think that’s one of the differences. So we have now started a professional lesbian and bisexual women’s network in the U.K. It’s very, very new, and it seems amazing that it would have taken so long to form that. I just think it’s because lesbians and bisexual women haven’t been operating as well as men do in their networks. So you don’t have that support mechanism. Men do tend to be more overt about it, maybe, whereas women still wouldn’t often mention it. We tend to just be a bit quieter about it, not talk about it in the same way. —Interviewed by Gavin Finch.Matt RyanChief marketing officer, Starbucks Corp..What do young LGBT people starting out in business need to know?.I learned early on that it’s important to bring your whole self to work. When I came out publicly in the workplace, I was able not to have to worry about hiding part of me. I could stand up, be my whole self, and not focus on worrying about would somebody find out. You can make a difference by simply being out and by making it clear that you can bring things to the table regardless of who you are..How important is inclusion in the workplace?.At a lot of companies it’s sort of a side topic [but] at Starbucks, inclusion and diversity are at the heart of what we’re all about. The heritage of supporting LGBTQ is long-standing. It’s one of the reasons why I joined the company [after 15 years at Walt Disney]. Starbucks supports inclusion and diversity because it’s the right thing to do, but there’s also a business benefit: You tend to attract the very best people to the company when inclusion is not an issue. —Interviewed by Leslie Patton.Gigi ChaoVice chairman, Cheuk Nang Holdings Ltd., a luxury property developer, and co-founder, Hong Kong Marriage Equality.What do you wish you’d known about how the business world treats LGBT people when you started out?.As a young graduate embarking on job searching, I wish I had the understanding of the importance of diversity and access to LGBTI-friendly rankings across the whole spectrum of industries. Of course when we enter the workplace at the bottom of the food chain, especially during a downturn in the economy with not much work experience, one may say we were lucky to find a job at all. But in fact, especially for young people, knowing that a potential employer is friendly to the community and stands for equality is an important motivator in making a person loyal and proud of the company she works for. And being able to bring our full selves to work takes away the pretense and fear..Any instances in your work life that taught you something important about being LGBT in business?.When I became a very visible lesbian in Hong Kong years ago, unlikely supporters came from all directions. Especially when one works in conservative industries such as property, I did not expect longtime suppliers and engineers to voice their support. And while I had assumed the older generation would probably take a more conservative stance, there were many older men in their 70s and 80s who have been kind enough to tell me they were proud of what I am. Today same-sex marriage is now recognized in 26 or 27 countries worldwide. In many regions where the LGBTI are still marginalized, discrimination to the point of being put to physical danger is a very real threat. Hence, if we are to stand for equality, it is important that in spaces of relative physical safety—if not perceived social risk—we must strive to keep pushing the envelope of acceptance and pride..What advice would you give a young LGBT person entering the business world today?.The traditionally prudent thing to do is to just keep our head down and stay closeted in fear of offending the tastes of more senior colleagues. That would be a mistake. This would offend the objectives of visibility and detract from the full experience of life. A better approach may be to find opportunities to let colleagues know one’s stand on LGBTIQ issues, and always seek to find allies to support. No matter how conservative a workplace, I’ve found that most people are willing to voice their support once someone else takes the first step. Do not be afraid to encounter people that have different opinions and worldviews, as this is precisely the basis of dialogue. It’s important for the community that we find as many opportunities as possible to engage in constructive conversations about LGBTIQ acceptance. —Interviewed by Bruce Einhorn.To contact the editor responsible for this story: James Ellis at jellis27@bloomberg.net.©2019 Bloomberg L.P..With assistance from Bloomberg"

Gay Executives Talk About the Importance of Being Out at Work

Now, companies compete for bragging rights about their opportunities for gays —bringing a new diversity to executive suites.

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Gay Executives Talk About the Importance of Being Out at Work

Now, companies compete for bragging rights about their opportunities for gays —bringing a new diversity to executive suites.

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