Let’s get one thing out of the way: leading inclusively is not about being nice. It’s not about fluffy feelings or hugging it out in a circle while holding hands. (Unless that’s your thing—in which case, I hope your workplace has hand sanitizer.) Inclusive leadership is about strategy. It’s about building environments where everyone, regardless of what makes them different, can thrive and contribute fully. And spoiler alert: when people thrive, organizations thrive.

You’ve got LGBTQIA+ people in your life—whether you realize it or not. They're in your workplace. They're on your team. They're in your meetings. They’re part of your customer base.

And here's the kicker: many of them don’t feel safe being out. Not at work. Not with their manager. Sometimes not even with their colleagues. And that silence? That fear? That closeting?

We’ve diluted the word ally into oblivion. It’s become a trendy label, like slapping “gluten-free” on something that never had wheat to begin with. Everyone wants the badge, but few want the responsibility. Because actual allyship—the kind that changes systems, not just profile pictures—is work. And surprise: it’s not about you.

Several years ago, I worked with a client who was very proud of their recruitment efforts, specifically in attracting people of color to their organization. Yet, upon investigation, we identified that more people of color were going out the back door than were coming in the front.

How much is one life worth? Have you ever considered the price you would put on a person’s life?

With Pride Month in the rear-view mirror, as LinkedIn logos are wiped clean of rainbows, it’s time to take stock of the current state of the #LGBTQ+ community.

Arguably the words "inclusion," "diversity," "equity" and "accessibility" (or "IDEA") have become part of the zeitgeist.

When I started working in diversity and inclusion (D&I) in 2006, only a handful of consultants worked in this area. Hardly any of the major consulting firms were playing in the space, and if they were, it was an afterthought that lived in the human capital practice.