June 15, 2020
Eric Davidson knows being an ally requires more than just an open mind. He’s learned from experience that creating an environment of vulnerability requires asking thoughtful questions and listening carefully to what others share—and don’t share. As a father, people manager, and member of Danaher’s LGBTQ + Friends Associate Resource Group, he’s committed to building a corporate culture where associates feel safe to self-identify and be themselves. As part of our series celebrating Pride, Eric explains how leading with Diversity + Inclusion while taking small steps to be an ally is the right thing to do, grows the business, and reflects the diversity of Danaher customers around the world.
I work in the Danaher Business System office on the Growth team, providing support for sales tools across Danaher. Right now, I’m also working with Leica Microsystems on several key sales initiatives. Before COVID-19, I traveled extensively for work. Of course, now we’ve transitioned our support to virtual events; in the past two months, I’ve led six training sessions on Funnel Management with associates around the world. It’s provided plenty of learning opportunities.
I’m also involved in LGBTQ + Friends, Danaher’s Associate Resource Group for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, and Queer associates and allies. Our role is to support an inclusive environment where associates feel comfortable being themselves, so they can achieve their personal goals and help the company grow.
I’ve considered myself an ally for a long time. My son John realized he was gay as a teenager, but didn’t come out to our family until several years later. He and I were taking a long walk when he asked me if I knew. I told him that I didn’t and that I was sorry I’d never asked about this aspect of his personal life.
That conversation helped me see I hadn’t done enough to create an environment where he felt comfortable bringing it up. We’re able to talk much more openly now, and it’s completely changed the nature of our relationship.
Work has helped me understand the importance of allyship, too. One formative experience for me was years ago, when I was interviewing an internal candidate for a promotion that required him to move. Gay marriage hadn’t been legalized, and the company I worked for at the time didn’t offer domestic partner benefits—so he had to ask me for help to make sure relocation assistance would be available to them as a couple. I did, of course, but I also realized that I could have made it easier on him if I’d just asked one simple, open-ended question: “Is there anything I can do to support you in your move?”
When the LGBTQ + Friends ARG was launched in 2019, I reached out to Elliot O’Glasser to see how I could get involved. I do whatever I can to be an ally—including wearing my pronoun pin, sharing my message of acceptance, and promoting the benefits of having an inclusive work environment.
People do better work when they know they’re safe and included.
Providing an environment where people feel like they can be themselves with everyone’s full support is important from a business perspective and the right thing to do.
We want to make sure our team mirrors the diversity of our customers and community because more perspectives make us a stronger company. Offering people the chance to be treated the way we’d like to be treated benefits all of us—it goes around. Regardless of race, gender, nationality, sexual orientation, abilities, or any other point of human difference, each person deserves to be recognized for who we are.
We’ve already made excellent progress as a company; we just need to keep going. Rainer Blair was one of the first executives involved in D+I efforts, and he’s talked about his commitment to pushing things forward as our new CEO. I’m looking forward to supporting LGBTQ members of the team directly and bringing more allies into the fold. That can be through events, whether in-person or virtual or just by being open and making people aware. Even having a simple conversation about how to support a teammate can make a difference.
I think the way we interact with people outside our team is important, whether it’s customers or candidates. In terms of hiring, we need to actually lead with our D+I program, because it speaks volumes about how we treat people, whether they’re part of a marginalized group or not. We want everyone to know that no matter who you are, there’s nothing that will limit your opportunity at Danaher.