Honoring Lesbian Day of Visibility: Supporting our next generation of leaders through visible leadership

As we mark this year’s Lesbian Day of Visibility, I find myself reflecting on the word “visibility.” To be visible is to be seen.

I’m fortunate to work each day at a company that values ensuring every one of our 530,000+ employees can bring their full selves to work. We are seen, heard, and valued, which helps us grow and thrive along with our business. I’m also continually energized by the work of our 100,000+ global Pride at Accenture community that provides specialized training, networking support, and mentoring for our LGBTI people to help create a workplace where everyone can feel like they belong and thrive.

But while we know the benefits of a culture of inclusion – thriving people, business growth, and innovation – sometimes we forget that to be seen requires two people: one person seeing and the other person taking the brave step of revealing who they are.

Revealing who we are

I know from personal experience the freedom and benefit of taking the leap and revealing who you are.

I spent the first years of my career being bold, being vocal, and claiming a seat at the table – I had the privilege of never feeling that being a woman held me back. But my outward confidence masked the extreme effort it took to hide the fact that I was gay.

While I racked up achievements, the burden of hiding weighed on me until I burned out. I had worked so hard in every way to compensate for the feeling that if I were known and seen, I would be rejected. Finally, I reached a point where I simply had to be who I truly was every day. Fortunately, I found a culture where that was possible.

I wish I could say that my story is an artifact of a bygone era, but I can’t claim that, not yet. For many LGBTI employees, being visible remains unattainable for many reasons. Recent research from Accenture on how LGBTI people are faring in the workplace found that only 31% of LGBTI employees are fully open about their gender identity/expression or sexual orientation at work. This figure drops to 21% among those in senior leadership positions.  

While some people may truly prefer separating their personal and professional lives, my heart aches for those who want to be seen and cannot.

Research has been done about the negative impacts of hiding parts of your identity – or covering – to be accepted at work. We’ve found that even for those who do choose to be seen - more than half believe that their gender identity/expression or their sexual orientation has slowed their progress at work.

The power of authentic leadership

While I’ve been fortunate to work in corporate cultures that accepted and embraced me, I’ve discovered that being authentic has benefited my colleagues as well. I’ve found that the more visible and authentic I am about myself, the more it encourages others to be the same.

Although we can’t know why some LGBTI employees may not choose to be fully open at work, we know that when leaders are out and proud and coworkers are loud in their support, we set LGBTI employees up for success.

Our research shows that more than two-thirds (71%) of LGBTI employees say “seeing people like me” in senior leadership positions is important to helping them thrive. The same percentage (71%) say that the support of non-LGBTI colleagues – allies – is important to their ability to enjoy being at work.

Supporting the next generation of leaders

Now, I’m focused on doing all I can to support our next generation of leaders and culture makers. Before I stepped foot in a corporate office, I learned my first leadership lessons as a professional athlete. These experiences convinced me of the immutable power of working together.

To continue to build a culture where more LGBTI leaders can be visible, we must all be rowing in the same direction. That means dropping many old business formalities and being vulnerable to support everyone to be visible. 

As U.S. Women’s Soccer star Abby Wambach aptly said, “The old way is to lead with invulnerability and enlist followers. The new way is to lead with full humanity and cultivate a team of leaders.”

In my own journey in becoming a more visible leader, I have found that a few simple actions can be big steps toward change:

Share your true self: Share your story with all its history, high points, and low moments. By opening up, you encourage employees to share their own authentic stories. 

Get curious: Ask questions to truly get to know your teams (i.e., getting to know who they are, not what they do). But don’t let this be a one-and-done conversation. This is something that must come from your genuine interest in getting to know them personally, which will make them feel seen and understood.

Show your support: Consistently share with colleagues that you have their back and authentically advocate for them. This consistent reinforcement is critical in supporting psychological safety for LGBTI employees.

For me and so many others, this Lesbian Day of Visibility provides an opportunity not only to reflect on the journey to being “seen” and to celebrate progress but also to recognize the hard work ahead. I’m proud of my team and fellow leaders who dedicate themselves to creating a more authentic and inclusive workplace every day. 

 I see you. I hear you. I value you. And I’m with you.