The business significance and rationale of Apple CEO Tim Cook’s public coming out as gay

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Over the past few years US pro football and basketball players have publicly come out as gay, dispelling some common gay stereotypes (link) and sending a signal to everyone that you can be true to yourself and excel in any field for which you have the talent and passion. Link to articles on basketball player Jason Collins coming out and on the value recently out football player Michael Sam brings to the table.

Tim Cook, Apple CEO

Tim Cook, Apple CEO


And now this past week another American milestone has been reached with Apple CEO Tim Cook publishing an essay declaring he is proud to be gay. (Link to article.) This makes our first publically out LGBT CEO in the Fortune 1000.

Interestingly enough, this led me to recall and revisit a blog I wrote two years ago in October 2012 for National Coming Out Day titled, “The Business Value of Coming Out for Executives and Senior Managers.” I now want to revisit those compelling reasons for senior business leaders to come out:

1. It benefits the company! In retaining sharp young talent and recruiting the very best, LGBT people and all others who value diversity want to see full diversity among the senior leaders. LGBT employees will want to see that people like them can reach the upper echelons based on business achievement and not be held back for being gay. If I were currently working at Apple I would be so stoked by Cook’s pronouncement!

2. You will come across as more authentic with coworkers. Appearing secretive or aloof could also lead to team members wondering if they can trust you with business matters. Being an open authentic person and bringing your full self to the workplace helps build trust and stronger working relationships.

3. You will not have to waste any energy keeping track of who knows and who doesn’t, and what you told to whom. Instead of those mental gyrations, you can spend your full intellectual and emotional capital achieving excellent results on the job. In fact, Tim Cook stated, “I’ve come to realize that my desire for personal privacy has been holding me back from doing something more important.”

4. Finally, it is liberating and freeing to live an open, honest life where you fully and publicly portray satisfaction with yourself as a person.

Feel free to call on me for my consulting services to either help you build a welcoming corporate culture that facilitates everyone bringing their full true selves to the workplace, or to assist and coach closeted executives on coming out. And take my 13 question GLBT diversity quiz to see how LGBT-inclusive your organization is.

The Growing Culture of Poverty in the USA

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Toward the end of last month, I published a blog (link) about my representing the North Carolina Council of Churches in a meeting of 13 American “faith leaders” with the United States Labor Secretary Thomas Perez to discuss providing greater economic opportunities for all, especially those living in poverty. I promised to write a follow up blog discussing the unfortunate growing culture of poverty in the United States and what business leaders can do to address it.

Sheila Forte-Trammell provided the inspiration and much of the information in this blog.

Sheila Forte-Trammell provided the inspiration and much of the information in this blog.


I thank my long time IBM colleague internationally respected diversity and workplace engagement leader and author Sheila Forte-Trammell for much of the inspiration and content for this short blog (see byline about Sheila at the bottom on the blog.)

An unfortunate cyclical circumstance within the US is a growing distinct culture of poverty, which tends to trap multiple generations from the same families and areas. Statistics show that the number of people officially living in poverty in the US continues to grow, even as we tout ourselves as “the land of plenty.” Some statistical facts:
• The 2010 US Census declared that 15.1% (over 46 million people!) of Americans were living in poverty.
• That Blacks and Hispanics were disproportionately represented in the poverty numbers (Over 28% of Blacks and 26% of Hispanics.)
• The poverty rate for women single head of households was 5 times the poverty rate of families with two parents.

Many people in poverty in the USA live on the streets or in their cars like this man in his 1998 station wagon.

Many people in poverty in the USA live on the streets or in their cars like this man in his 1998 station wagon.


Now add to that some sociological discussion:
• The cycle of poverty continues to perpetuate itself since children raised in poverty have less access to quality education.
• That growing up in poverty often leads to low self esteem, lack of role models, culture of crime, etc.
• That poverty often nurtures the mentality of immediate / short term gratification over delayed /long term gratification and investment in the future.

What are ways corporate America can help lower the poverty rate and help build a country where all citizens have better economic opportunity?
• Specifically open plants and facilities in high poverty areas where the jobs are needed most, keeping in mind that many in poverty do not have the transportation access to locations in the suburbs.
• Contribute corporate philanthropic money to initiatives that improves educational access to those living in poverty. This also helps build a national pipeline of better trained diverse talent.
• Educate your employees about the plights of poverty and what can be done. Perhaps offer opportunities for community service and mentoring programs on company time.

It is absolutely the right thing as a nation to not ignore the poverty here in “our land of plenty,” but instead take action to raise the living standards and occupational readiness of our entire nation.

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Much of the content of this blog was provided by Sheila Forte-Trammell, Total HR Services, LLC. Sheila was recognized in 2014 with a Triangle Business Journal “Leader in Diversity – Role Model” award (link) and has co-authored two books: “Agile Career Development: Lessons and Approached from IBM,” and “Intelligent Mentoring: How IBM Creates Value through People, Knowledge and Relationships.” Link to Sheila’s LinkedIn profile.