When I started my first corporate job on January 11, 1982, I was on probation for the first 16 weeks. I was told that I could be terminated for any reason during this timeframe, so it still stuns me to think that I decided to come out as a gay man in the first few weeks of having the job.
I came out to my colleagues without any clear intention or plan for doing so, which still surprises me when I think back on how I just matter of factly blurted it out. I asked them if they had any questions for me and they did not.
That will always be the first time that I came out in my corporate career. What I did next was lost on me at the moment, I went to the manager’s office and told her that I had just come out to some colleagues and expected her to terminate me. This was the second time I came out in my corporate career.
She told me that she was not going to terminate me for that and I was the best student in the training class and showed great potential.
I don’t have the same recall for the third time that I came out in my corporate career. I have lost count of how many times I have come out over the past 40 years while in my corporate career.
Over the next 18 years with that company, I Came Out to countless people who I worked with.
The act of Coming Out led to the three-part of living in integrity during my career.
1. Coming Out: I Came Out every time I met someone I was working with or when I was being recruited by a company and being considered for employment.
2. Being Out: I modeled what Being Out was by speaking about my partner and having a photo of us on my desk.
3. Staying Out: I did not work anywhere during my corporate career where I was not out as a gay man.
I had no idea when I Came Out all of those years ago that I had made an unspoken promise to myself. I set in motion a habit that has supported me for all of these years. The unconscious habit of living honestly no matter the perceived risks or unknown consequences.
I believe that keeping a promise is a way of showing love and respect, and it seems that I have given that to myself throughout my career. As a result, I have been accepted, respected, and loved by more people in my career than I can count-I have been very fortunate to have the support of a massive global network!!!
I know today that sharing my Coming Out, Being Out, and Staying Out story is an integral part of my overall career journey, and leaving it out would diminish my achievements and worse yet, keep others from hearing what is possible when they act bravely and courageously in sharing who they are authentic with others.
Making and keeping a promise to myself or anyone else for that matter for 40 years is a herculean feat and one I gladly celebrate by sharing my story. Acting from a place of being consistently in alignment with my values and beliefs for my entire career lets me know that I have made a difference not only in my life but also in the lives of others who might have found inspiration or motivation in my experiences.
What promise have you made to yourself and kept long-term?
What values or beliefs have guided how you show up in your career?
Has someone modeled a habit you wish you had for yourself?
With much gratitude..
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This post is republished on Medium.
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Photo courtesy of author