This is pride month, so what better way to go back to writing posts on LinkedIn than talking about what it means to be a proud member of the LGBT+ community in the corporate world.
There are lots of articles out there about the lavender or rainbow ceiling that impact several members of the LGBT+ community. Ceilings are not exclusive to our community, all minorities experience it in some shape or form. Having a ceiling (call it lavender or rainbow, your choice, personally I prefer rainbow) means that we reach a certain level in corporations and for whatever reason experience limits in our career and rarely break into C-level positions. Research shows that less than 1% of Fortune 500 CEOs publicly identify as LGBT+ and if you expand to board members of US public companies you get a similar figure. Do you see the pattern?
Why is that? I have been sitting with this question for a while, reflecting about my own experience and discussing with colleagues that took positions of power. Maybe one day, I would be able to interview Tim Cook and ask him directly how he made it. If we start with the premise that we are competent for the job, why aren’t we progressing at the same rate?
We cannot control external factors including how other people perceive us, but we can certainly work on how we see ourselves. One of the internal factors I identified is shame. This insidious emotion holds us back and makes us refrain from pushing our careers forward. I know it did for me for many years, it was as if the companies I was working for were doing me a favour by just letting me be there. Crazy, right?!
I have also witnessed a tendency to accept that it is okay when your manager says you are not ready for the bigger job and you look around and see other people less qualified than you getting promoted right, left and centre. Now is the time to change this cycle and it starts with self-reflection on what is preventing you to embody your self-confidence and self-esteem in order to achieve what you deserve in the work environment. To put it bluntly, this ceiling is real and is a persistent impediment that LGBT+ people face in the workplace. It is important to address this barrier in order to create a more inclusive and equitable workplace for all.
I would love to hear your opinion about it, allies included. Do you see and/or experience the same? DM me, if you prefer. This is so top of mind for me that in the coming weeks (watch this space), I will be launching a working group to help members to explore the behaviours we can change in ourselves in order to accomplish our professional goals.
Pride
