Book Review: "The Glass Closet: Why Coming Out is Good for Business" By John Browne

Anyone connected to me on LinkedIn knows I have a long history with the oil company BP and because of that, I was interested to read “The Glass Closet” by (Lord) John Browne, the former CEO of BP. You may know that he resigned from BP in a blaze of publicity after being publicly outed as a homosexual. The manner of his departure was very sad to see given his impact on the organization as a visionary leader and one who had transformed the company into a global powerhouse.

His latest book is a fascinating insight, from him directly as well as many others, into what life is like when you’re among a minority in business. I found many parallels in the issues and challenges he described and those felt by women in business.

In one story about a writer at a media company, the writer said in regard to the views of some colleagues, “They have a preconceived notion that gay people are fluffy and look for evidence, perhaps unknowingly, to confirm their bias. How can you advance when people aren’t judging you by your actual work?” In my view, this sentence can be applied to women too. Replace “gay people” with “women” and you have a description that many women in business can relate to.

As the book outlines, the cost of keeping your true authentic self hidden can be incredibly high, not just to you but also to the business you are contributing to. I highly recommend this book if you’re at all interested in broadening your understanding of what it takes to create a truly inclusive workplace.