“I’m a 34-year-old NBA center. I’m black. And I’m gay­.”

Jason Collins’s words and courage created a watershed moment in sports history. As an NBA player he is the first openly gay, male athlete in major U.S. professional sports. Lesbian women have already been out in professional sports. Gay men have not.

But this week Jason Collin’s defied that risk and found the courage to be himself. He wrote about his fear and said that as soon as he came out he felt more whole. As a seven-foot, 250 pound, very aggressive basketball player, Jason defies common stereotypes of being gay. His masculine traits are not “cancelled out” by his being gay. The challenge for even straight men is to claim the freedom to show, and be all of our masculine and feminine traits. When we accept that as OK in each other, we free up more of our full selves for our work and for life. As Jason, we will feel more whole.

This moment has been a long time coming, and the implications reach beyond sports into the business world. Indeed, research on executives shows that success as leaders is more highly correlated to emotional intelligence than either IQ or technical skills. Yet these EQ skills, such as empathy and deep listening, have often been suppressed or devalued in men because of our traditional gender conditioning.  

As athletes like Jason and other visible role models in society take the risk to be their full selves, society will accept a wider view of what being a man can be. And we will all benefit when every man is freer to feel—and be­—whole. Thank you Jason. 

Jason found the courage to be himself. What would it look like if you acted courageously by bringing even more of your full self to your work and to life?

Extract from MARC blog in May 2013