The below transcript is from an April 2012 interview with Nancy Di Dia, Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer at Boehringer Ingelheim. Interviewees for the series Out on Top: Executive Pride were asked for their personal opinions and not those reflective of their current or past employer. The views expressed are not necessarily those of any employer or this website.

Quick Question Links:
Personal History – Out at Work – Work Relationships – Productivity Impact – Work Not Place to Be Out – Inclusion Dividend – Executive Pride – Advice to Non-LGBT Inclusive Companies

Dagoba Group: Please provide us a brief overview of your work history and your current role.

I am the Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer for Boehringer-Ingelheim in the US. I have been with BI for 6 years. Before that, I was with a major financial services firm surviving 4 mergers over 20 years working in the areas of sales, marketing, ecommerce & HR. It was during this time, I came to understand many leaders in corporate America were not inclusive in their behavior. There was tolerance for language in the late 80’s which is not acceptable today.

Dagoba Group: Understanding coming out in one’s personal life is often different than the time one comes out publically at work. At what point in your career did you become public in work about your sexual orientation and why?

20 years ago I was in a town hall meeting with the CEO in attendance. I asked him when our firm would offer domestic partner coverage. Shortly afterwards, I received a call from HR saying they would will be offering coverage and they would like me to be part of their diversity council. It was actually at the first meeting during introductions, I came out publically to the group. The CEO and others were in attendance. This was in the mid-1990s. Half my career was living in the closet. This happened about 16 years ago.

Dagoba Group: Prior to you being out at work (which would have been prior to BI), how would you describe your conversations with other colleagues and supervisors? How would you describe your relationships?

Some were good and some were not as good as they could have been. It was really about me feeling comfortable being open with colleagues the way they are about their spouses and family. Financial services was really conservative at that point in time. Women were not even allowed to wear slacks or pant suits. I was not able to bring my whole self to work. Living behind smoke and mirrors impacted my ability to be the best I could be.

Discussion of personal life revolved around the use of the pronoun ‘we.’ Since I was divorced, it was not too uncommon for them to hear about me going away on vacations with girlfriends.

Dagoba Group: After you became public about your sexual orientation at work, how would you describe your conversations with other colleagues and supervisors? How would you describe the nature of your relationships?

The interaction was richer. People admired the courage to be open. Their willingness to become allies created a stronger rapport. Colleagues would open up about their family members who are gay. These are conversations and connections I would not have had previously. It was really a building of significant trust between colleagues.

Dagoba Group: We have found there is a certain amount of energy expended in hiding your real self. Was there a difference in levels of your productivity pre and post coming out at work?

Absolutely. It was clearly liberating. It was like a weight was lifted off my shoulders. I felt more energized and authentic. This energy was transferred to my work and relationships. It also created a stronger commitment to the organization.

Dagoba Group: Was there a time in which you pretended to be straight at work to protect or promote your career?

Yes, more to protect my career. I would invite my male friends to work events with me. It allowed me to assimilate with the group and not have to answer questions.

Dagoba Group: How do you respond when somebody says, “Work is not the place to be out.”?

Very simply, I would point out they are out about their family life every day. They have photos of your spouse on their desk, talk openly and often about their family life. They do not have an issue about being out about their personal life at work. Why shouldn’t everyone have the same opportunity?

Being out is about the personal family relationship. Straight people bring their whole self to work every day. In an inclusive environment, LGBT employees should be able to do the same.

Dagoba Group: What does it mean for the company itself to have an inclusive LGBT policy?

Exclusion has a negative impact on employee engagement, collaboration and innovation. An inclusive policy helps to create a foundation of trust and comfort. It allows individuals to focus all of their energy to building a stronger corporation. A culture of respect and inclusion is key to removing barriers to success.

Dagoba Group: We have been speaking about the internal impact. Let’s switch gears for a moment and focus on the external audience. In your opinion, does a company that expands its inclusive policy to include sexual orientation have a positive, negative or neutral effect on their client base?

Our patients represent every walk of life and the world’s population. Some groups have a higher prevalence for particular conditions over others. Having an inclusive employee culture allows our team to better relate to all of the different medical providers and their patients. Globally, we have a more poly-centric approach to our patient base which has had a huge positive impact on our innovation and approach.

Dagoba Group: As the CDO, you are involved in all of the Employee Resource Groups, ERGs, in one way or another. In your opinon, why do employees belong to the LGBT ERG? Or why not?

There are several divisions of membership or involvement. There are advocates who feel a strong need or passion to educating the company on issues such as benefits. There is the group of allies who want to help this group. There are also individuals who feel as though they do not want to be affiliated with the ERG because it may overshadow their personal brand or do not feel comfortable being associated with a LGBT label. This could be for LGBT or straight employees.

Dagoba Group: How important is it for a company’s inclusive environment to have executives like yourself or LGBT straight allies who are out?

It is critically important. It is a self-identifying difference which cannot be determined visually. Open LGBT executives and vocal straight ally executives truly create an inclusive tone for the company. For gender inclusion, it is very similar to having female executives and male executives being vocally supportive of women issues.

Dagoba Group: For those companies that do not currently have an inclusive policy that includes sexual orientation, what is your advice?

If I was in an elevator with a CEO thinking about this issue, I would say there is a tremendous opportunity for a segment of your population. The LGBT population has tremendous buying power and loyalty. More importantly, an inclusive policy will allow your LGBT employee population to be more connected, innovative and productive at work. Inclusion creates a dynamic culture which only helps to propel a company forward.