Business stonewall

The 1960s saw the twilight of the west’s postwar growth boom but also the birth of an era of astonishing social progress. In 50 years, legal and social discrimination has receded to an extent few thought possible then. As John Browne, former head of BP, highlighted this week in a speech on sexuality in the workplace, the same development has affected business.

Lord Browne, who came out as gay only a few years ago when a newspaper published details of his private life, was addressing a gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender network at Arup, the global engineering group. That itself is proof of Lord Browne’s point that “we have made remarkable strides” since he as a young man was “terrified of being found out”.

In many countries, legal discrimination has been defeated, but not everywhere. To take one example, in the US gay partners lack the immigration rights of heterosexual spouses. Informal intolerance can lead people to hide their sexuality or miss out on advancement.

Lord Browne’s most important message is that inclusiveness is a task not just for human resources departments but for top leaders. It is they who steer an organisation’s culture, and they must focus it on merit, not sexual orientation. Leaders who are themselves gay can make the greatest contribution if they do not hide what they are – as Lord Browne did for so long.

Not every gay leader would want to come out. But for those that do, it could help them to lead well.