Over a decade ago, as a young queer professional, I covered.
I define covering as “downplaying, hiding or filtering parts of ourselves at work, with different social groups, at school or with family.”
I didn’t have the words for it back then, but that’s what it was. Facets of it are also called code-switching. To cover, my younger professional self wore button ups and wingtips rather than a dress and heels, less makeup, and kept my hair short. It was done out of self-protection and because of the explicit and implicit codes of conduct and cultural norms that were in place about what it meant to be a “professional” and a “man.”
It wasn’t until a few years ago that I came to terms with the impact covering had on me, including my health, relationships, and ability to lead, be creative and innovate. It also triggered coping mechanisms like drinking copious amounts of alcohol and brought me close to the edge of burnout. That’s when my journey to uncover and change how I showed up began as a queer nonprofit leader and entrepreneur.
In 2019 I read Deloitte’s Uncovering Talent Report, where more than 3,000 corporate professionals were surveyed. What I appreciated learning was that covering was taking place across groups for a variety of reasons. Deloitte’s report shows that 45% of straight white men, 67% of women of color, and 83% of queer respondents all said they covered in some form.
Since reading that report and reflecting on my experience, I’ve been curious about how covering has presented in other people’s lives. During a series of interviews I did as part of IDEAS xLab’s Uncovering Video Podcast, I asked professionals if they covered and what that looked like for them.
“I've always regarded it as more of a muting of pieces of me. I am very clear about the parts of me that may not be desirable in prevailingly white-dominated workplaces,” said Nikki Lanier, founder of Harper Slade. “Parts of my culture my banter, my cadence - the rhythm with which I speak and walk and talk. I’m very worried about colloquialisms that I might use at work to the extent to which that might render me subject to more stereotypes.”
Through other interviews and leading IDEA (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity & Accessibility) consulting and public speaking with my team member Hannah Drake with corporate teams and nonprofit boards, we’ve heard about covering related to age, race, gender, disability, and more. Like not mentioning that you spent the weekend with your grandkids to your colleagues or that you use hearing aids because of a disability. As trust was built and people worked through the activity and talked with their colleagues and peers about how covering was present in their lives, the environment changed, and so did the strength of their relationships and people's sense of belonging.
It makes me wonder –
Do you cover?
Did the past few years change how you show up and encourage you to uncover in specific ways?
If you’re willing to share your story, send me a message, add it in the comments, or email connect@joshmiller.ventures.
In the coming weeks, I’ll continue to delve into the intersection of covering, coping, burnout, and where we are today after multiple years of disruption from COVID-19 and the ever-evolving socio-political environment. The opportunity we have at this moment in time and the factors that hold the potential to shape how we move forward.
I also invite you to complete the Workforce Census on Creativity & Belonging, conducted by CU Denver's Imaginator Academy - where they are building an imagination engine to align culture change with innovation to support belonging at work, economic growth, and well-being.
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About: Josh Miller is a queer changemaker, public speaker, photographer, and outdoor explorer. He is the owner of Josh Miller Ventures and the co-founder + CEO of IDEAS xLab—an organization that uses the art of storytelling and community collaboration to impact public health. Miller’s work has been featured by The New York Times, the Aspen Institute, and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. He is a Soros Equality Fellow, received the 2022 Nonprofit Visionary Leader Award from Louisville Business First, and was selected for Business Equality Magazine’s Forty LGBTQ+ Leaders under 40 and Louisville Business First's Forty under 40. Miller is a two-time TEDx speaker and has been described as a "force in our community.” He holds an MBA from Indiana University and an undergraduate degree from Bellarmine University. Previously, he served as an advisor to the Derby Diversity & Business Summit and co-chair for the Louisville Health advisory board’s communications committee.