Stanford’s Graduate School of Business recently published an article on a webinar from J.D. Schramm, a lecturer in organizational behavior, about the professional impact of LGBTQ leaders staying in the closet. As part of the webinar, Schramm—a Stanford GSB alumnus, MBA ’78—shared “communication strategies” to “lead out loud.”
“Every LGBTQ person has one thing in common with every other LGBTQ person, and that is the journey that we’ve all gone on in order to be ready to communicate who we are,” Schramm writes. “You can lead from any box but you can lead stronger if you lead out loud, which means leading from the top right quadrant.”
Schramm articulated that LGBTQ leaders can “control their stories” in a multitude of ways—“private at work but out among friends” is one common method. Others use their high-profile professional positions to develop LGBTQ-friendly media and content, such as Stanford alum, former Google employee and one of Forbes’ 2016 30 Under 30 All-Stars Raymond Braun, who helped develop Youtube’s LGBTQ strategy.
Schramm advises people to understand how their employer “works with its LGBTQ employees” before deciding to come out. He also made the following helpful checklist of suggestions:
- Consider where you live, where you work, and your industry.
- Privately share with a smaller group of key colleagues to gauge reactions.
- Look for your best allies in the straight world.
- Consider more indirect ways to come out, such as demonstrating an affinity with LGBT groups on your LinkedIn profile or resume.
- Bring your significant other to a work event where spouses/partners are invited.
- Add a line about your spouse and family to your company bio.
- If single, find simple ways to share stories about your life. For example, “When I was a leader in the undergrad gay pride group…”
- Seek out gay leaders in senior management who have a transparent presence.