Why we designed the LGBTQ+ leadership training programme this way
Breaking Barriers, our new LGBTQ+ leadership programme started with evidence.
Our Pride in Leadership research into barriers to career development for LGBTQ+ people shows a clear and troubling pattern. Capability and ambition are not the problem. What gets in the way is confidence erosion, lack of visibility, exclusion from networks, and progression systems that are not neutral.
The data speaks for itself. 70% of respondents cited a lack of LGBTQ+ representation in leadership, making it harder to imagine progression as realistic or safe. 27% reported discrimination or bias in promotion or assignment decisions, while many more believed bias played a role even when it was difficult to evidence. Decisions about whether to be out at work, combined with experiences of uncomfortable or hostile environments, had a cumulative impact on confidence and career choices. Crucially, 82% of respondents had never received any training specifically designed to help them overcome barriers to career progression, leaving people to navigate these challenges alone.
Access to networks and sponsorship was a recurring theme. Many respondents described being outside the informal spaces where opportunity, advocacy and progression are shaped, often as a direct consequence of managing identity at work. One participant described this starkly:
“Spending the first few years in the closet made me not want to draw any unnecessary attention to myself and ‘keep my head down’; the lack of my participation in networking events etc had a negative effect on my building those strong professional relationships.”
This context matters, because it explains why generic leadership development often fails to shift outcomes. When visibility feels risky, playing safe becomes rational. Careers stall not because people lack potential, but because experience teaches them to lower their sights.
The LGBTQ+ leadership programme was designed to interrupt that pattern. Each element responds directly to barriers identified in the research, focusing on confidence, ambition, connection and influence.
Overcoming barriers to career progression creates space to understand how identity, lived experience and workplace dynamics shape confidence, courage and self-belief. It helps participants recognise where caution has replaced ambition, and how to rebuild self-trust without ignoring the realities they face at work.
How to strive for greatness and avoid mediocrity responds to the tendency, identified in the research, for LGBTQ+ professionals to choose safety over stretch. It invites participants to raise their sights, reconnect with purpose, and build leadership habits rooted in clarity, accountability and excellence.
Building healthy work connections tackles the exclusion from informal networks that so many respondents described. It focuses on creating professional relationships that support visibility, advocacy and opportunity, recognising that networks are not optional extras but a core driver of progression.
Becoming a powerful LGBTQ+ person of influence responds to the lack of visible LGBTQ+ leadership and the tendency for LGBTQ+ voices to be underestimated or overlooked. It supports participants to recognise their power, strengthen communication and influence authentically, without masking who they are.
Finally, the programme is designed to connect directly into the Pride in Leadership Mentoring platform. The research identified mentoring with other LGBTQ+ leaders as a critical missing piece, yet few workplaces provide it. Mentoring builds confidence, career clarity and leadership readiness, but only if people feel able to access it well. The programme helps participants enter mentoring relationships with confidence, clear goals and a stronger sense of their own leadership identity.
Why this programme is open
We have been running in-company LGBTQ+ leadership and development programmes for larger organisations for several years, typically where employers can send cohorts of 20 or more colleagues. These programmes have been delivered to great acclaim and are a core part of how some organisations support LGBTQ+ progression and leadership readiness.
But not every organisation has a large enough LGBTQ+ population to make that model work. That shouldn’t mean individuals miss out on high-quality, relevant development.
The open LGBTQ+ leadership programme was designed to bridge that gap. It allows organisations to support a small number of colleagues, while giving participants the benefit of a trusted cohort, shared experience and focused leadership development.
This programme exists because too many capable LGBTQ+ professionals have learned to play safe at work. Leadership should not be reserved for those who feel most comfortable taking up space.
You can find more details about the open LGBTQ+ leadership programme here.