LGBTQ+ History Month: Driving awareness of health equity for all

October marks LGBTQ+ History Month, celebrating the accomplishments of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and non-binary people and their contributions to civil rights movements worldwide. 

Intuitive’s PRIDE Employee Resource Group (ERG), which aims to build a community and network for Intuitive’s LGBTQ+ employees and their allies, is commemorating the month with the theme “Driving Awareness of Health Equity for All.” We talked to PRIDE ambassador Kristofer O’Brien, director of Leadership Development, about his experiences and why health equity for the LGBTQ+ community also means health equity for all. 

Tell us about your background and why you decided to join PRIDE at Intuitive.

Early in my career, I longed to be surrounded by people who were like me: gay and not out at work. At the time, I worked for a retail company that was known for diversity, yet I didn’t have a forum to express who I truly was. It was hard to feel like I fit in when many of my colleagues were talking about weddings and babies. I wanted a group of colleagues I could ask questions and share stories about being gay in a predominantly straight workplace.  

 I decided for those who come after me that it can be different. I wanted to be an advocate for others to feel connected and have a greater sense of belonging. When I came to Intuitive, I joined PRIDE to connect with others who are either LGBTQ+ or an ally. In those connections, I continue to build meaningful relationships that can accomplish my personal mission of helping raise others up to their fullest potential.  

Tell us about what you do at Intuitive and how you contribute to its success.  

I have the privilege of helping leaders develop their skills to be better leaders. My role is to provide the tools and resources for them to inspire their teams to achieve great results. We work directly with leaders to reflect on their leadership expectations, then address any gaps using feedback tools, real scenarios, relevant case studies, and direct coaching to build awareness and grow capabilities.  

If I do my job right, we create and mobilize 12,000-plus employees to achieve our mission!  

What gives you energy and inspiration? 

At work, I get my energy from watching people leaders have “light bulb” moments, when they see a solution to a problem, identify how to do something differently, or get inspired to lead differently. Leading my team is an honor and privilege. They inspire me constantly, challenge my perspectives, and encourage me to be innovative.  

Outside of work, my energy gets renewed with my husband of 26 years, my son who we adopted when he was 11 (now 17), and our two Labrador Retriever dogs. My husband and I love to cook, entertain friends, go camping, and travel the world together. We have traveled to five continents and enjoy our weekends in our camper during the summer in Minnesota. Our son keeps us active with his passion for soccer. He plays for the local high school, and in the off season plays for the premier soccer club in Minnesota. He tells me all the time that “soccer is life.” We also love cheering on the Minnesota Golden Gophers, the football team of my alma mater, the University of Minnesota.  

What is your proudest achievement at Intuitive?  

I joined Intuitive in September 2022 at a pivotal time in the leadership development journey. I led deployment for the Manager Acceleration Program and, over the last year with my team, have built and delivered the components of this program with greater customer satisfaction than our goals outlined. We launched the program globally and have seen over 600 leaders engage in the program to build their skills. It’s been an honor to be trusted with this responsibility, and I am very proud of what our team has achieved.  

The theme for PRIDE’s celebration of LGBTQ+ History Month is “Driving Awareness of Health Equity for All.” What does this mean to you? 

This means that every person should receive care in a respectful, dignified, and meaningful way. For example, the first time I took my son to the doctor, the forms asked for father’s and mother’s information. It was embarrassing, and I had to explain that I was also his father, but the form didn’t give a space for two dads. From that point on, I had to be the “mom” on all paperwork at the hospital. Thankfully, our provider was emotionally intelligent and caring, but I still felt disrespected.  

As another example, in my early 20s, I was excited about a blood drive at my workplace. Like my colleagues, I wanted to donate and save lives, but when they asked if I was gay and I answered honestly, they told me they would not be able to use my blood. This was in front of my team members, and it made me feel ashamed. It's very important to me to help educate others that words and actions like this matter. 

What should employees know about the PRIDE ERG and the work they are doing? 

The PRIDE ERG is helping to raise awareness of issues affecting the LGBTQ+ community and educating allies on how they can be advocates. Through PRIDE, everyone can learn about issues impacting the LGBTQ+ community and what they can do to help in creating environments where all are respected and honored for who they are.