Lord Browne: Why Secrets Are Bad For People & For Profits

Back in the spring of 2007, Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton had just launched their presidential campaigns. Both supported civil unions but opposed gay marriage. Two states—Washington and New Hampshire—passed legislation recognizing civil unions, and gay marriage was legal in only one state: Massachusetts.

A major executive resigned that spring amid scandal. John Browne, then CEO of British Petroleum, was leading one of the largest oil companies in the world. After a British tabloid published a story about an encounter with another man, Lord Browne stepped down as CEO after 12 years on the job.

A lot has changed since 2007. Gay marriage is legal nationwide, and the world's most valuable company—Apple—is run by an openly gay man, Tim Cook. And to give him his full title, Baron Browne of Madingley is back in the boardroom as executive chairman of L1 Energy, an oil and gas investment company. He's also co-author of the book: "Connect: How Companies Succeeded by Engaging Radically."

Here, Lord Browne takes on the need for businesses to let you be yourself and for big corporations to succeed by being more open to all.