developing talent is an important
responsibility for most people at a
mid-career perspective, the ability
to recruit and retain and develop
people is essential, and the more
you can develop those skills, it’s
very important. Inherent in that is
you’re building networks and relationships with people through the
recruiting process, whether that’s
internal or external. The more you
can source talent from different
channels, the greater ability you
have to be successful.
6. Be authentic—
even when it’s hard
STEPHEN CONNELLY
Partner, GLBT Partner Advisory
Board Chair
PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC),
No. 12 in The 2007 DiversityInc
Top 50 Companies for
Diversity list
I first came out to family and
friends when I was 21. “Don’t ask,
don’t tell” had a profound impact
on me and my peers as we were
developing. We were out in our
personal lives and out beyond our
what I did over the weekend.
Everyone else would be talking
about their weekend; I wouldn’t
say anything.
I was driving from a client
to the office with one partner I
worked for and I was telling him
about my vacation plans. I was
going away with a boyfriend, and
he was all nervous about asking
me, “Do you have someone special
you’re going with?” I said I was
going with “a friend.”
I didn’t feel I was completely
honest with him; I could have
been. He’s a mentor of mine
today, but I missed an opportunity to be myself and he missed
the opportunity to clearly ask the
question that he wanted to ask.
That disconnect in communication makes me feel uncomfortable
and not as fully engaged with my
work. If that goes on unchecked,
that could impact my career, and I
want to avoid that.
There was a point in the mid-to late ’90s when I came to the
conclusion that it was better to
be rejected for who I am than
accepted for something I’m not.
I came out in the office, came
out in the broader firm, began to
participate visibly in our GLBT
employee-resource groups at the
to being a doer, now I’m helping
ensure people have the resources
to implement our strategy. That’s
been a change for me, but [it’s]
something that’s important as
I move through the middle of
my career to be able to focus
on, because that’s where I can
add much more value and help
develop folks who are coming up
behind me.
I’ve been with the firm for 16
years but I’ve checked periodically
to see whether an outside opportunity would be better for me.
In the mid-90s, I was considering that. When I looked at other
companies, I didn’t see the things
professionally that I saw in PwC.
I knew I wanted to stay here, but
I wasn’t happy not being fully
myself. There was a realization
that if I’m happy here, I should try
to make this place as happy for
myself as I can.
Face your fears. They’ve
empowered me because I’ve
learned to be comfortable with
myself. No matter what I do in
life, I’m always going to have some
fear; that’s part of being a human
being. But how I address that fear
is really important—recognizing
it’s there, talking to people,
preparing myself.
“You have to define yourself in terms of your capabilities
and your value added.” TITO COLON, AETNA
9-to- 5, but we didn’t know how to
act in the workplace, and I don’t
think the people we worked with
knew how to act either. I struggled
with that.
I would come into the office on
a Monday morning and not share
local level, and I continue that
commitment today.
It’s a change in mindset. I’m
not doing a lot of the day-to-day
work around the implementation
of our strategy, and that’s where I
had a lot of comfort. As opposed
It’s not the cards you’re dealt.
It’s how you play your hand. It
comes from starting a dialogue
from a place of honesty from myself. When I do that, I find I usually get honesty and engagement
back and I’m being authentic.
