At a time of unprecedented economic uncertainty and as millions around the world stand together demanding justice, there have been many calls for business leaders to take action against systemic discrimination of all kinds, starting in their own workplaces.
“I firmly believe that the only way we will achieve full equality in the world is through the power of business,” he says. “It’s incredibly important that anyone that has a position of privilege or power leverage that power, in my personal opinion, to change the world in some way in which they have access.”Fuller and Sears faced a different world of norms and expectations when they began their careers.
“The environment where you feel like you — and everyone else — can rise is just the environment where you feel like you’re able to innovate,” says Fuller. “Feeling safe is a huge cultural marker of being able to question things, and being able to not conform and to bring alternative points of view into the workplace.”
After leaving behind that homophobic boss, Sears recognized at his next gig that he could step up as a leader, and as a member of the LGBT community, to speak directly to an underserved audience. He wound up making history by creating one of the first teams on Wall Street to advocate for LGBT equality.