It’s National Coming Out Day. Everyone deserves a chance to be heard and loved, and leaders in business have a unique role to play in creating inclusive, supportive environments where people can feel they belong.
Coming out is really powerful for two reasons: first, it’s a relief to step into your own life and to bring the best of yourself to work. Hiding behind a mask or a way of acting, limiting yourself and walling off parts of yourself take a huge amount of energy — that’s energy you’re not able to spend really listening to others and bringing the best of your ideas and problem-solving skills to work. Second, it’s a really powerful example for others. So many people in work environments take their cues from what they see leaders doing. If they observe leaders who feel confident and comfortable in their own skin, who are open about who they are it creates a kind of confidence that’s infectious.
We talk a lot about bringing your “authentic self” to work yet so much of our work cultures focus on conformity — to a certain way of doing things, or certain way of acting. Coming out, inclusion, it at the center of this tension between authenticity and conformity. Being authentic doesn’t mean sharing every intimate detail of your personal life at work, or standing out just to stand out. It really means simply being who you are — aligning your actions with your values, and working to create a space where others can feel included. Being conformist doesn’t mean hiding yourself, checking out, and fitting in. It means being a part of a broader whole, a broader community.
So many studies have shown that diversity is important — not only because it’s the right thing to do, but because it’s also good for business. Some forms of diversity are much more evident than others, and some more broadly understood than others. Coming out — whether as gay, bisexual, transgender — is still very hard for many. But those organizations that lead on creating inclusive environments where people can be open will be the most successful in the long run, because they will attract the best talent, and people will be far more motivated to do their best work.
It starts with managing your own biases — recognizing we all have them — and taking small steps that add up to a significant difference — in making sure all voices at work are heard, people feel they can be their own best selves at work, and calling out bad behavior when we see it.
Being gay, coming out, takes courage and bravery, and those of us at work — leaders — have a special role to play in helping create inclusive environments where people can come out if they choose.