– Peter Arvai, CEO of PreziIt’s really worthwhile to be open and to share who you are with people if you’re wanting to develop authentic relationships, candid conversations, creativity. All of these things are often born from an environment where people feel like they can be who they are.
I don’t ever want to take the ability to open and share who I am for granted. In my search for my first full-time gig, I found myself treading lightly and questioning my level of comfort as I shared aspects of my personal life. Worried about my cultural fit on potential teams at various companies, I was hesitant to disclose that I was gay. Upon joining Forethought, I felt an overwhelming sense of comfort in sharing who I am because of how deeply diversity is embedded into Forethought itself.
Forethought was founded upon diversity. Around here — you see, hear, and feel the diversity of thought. For instance, our employee base represents 10 countries, empowers a leadership team that is 70% women as well as a sales team that is 46% women, includes individuals with and without families and welcomes a variety of beliefs, and backgrounds. Each of these unique attributes leads to greater thought and progress as a business.
Workplaces that welcome and encourage sharing your whole self are truly special.
A foundation of Openness
Diversity paves the way and fosters openness to unique perspectives, experiences, viewpoints, backgrounds, and personalities. Openness to diversity is a clear cornerstone of Forethought’s identity and is felt in every aspect of our interactions – from company meetings, one-on-ones with managers, and in team-building activities. From my perspective, the open-mindedness I’ve experienced at Forethought is priceless.
Creating space to share
Collectively, members and advocates of the LGBTQ+ community have laid the groundwork to enable queer people, like me, to bring our whole self to the workplace. At Forethought, my perspective is valued and I bring my whole self to the (virtual) workplace every day. Here is a place that welcomes anyone regardless of race, gender, sexual identity, or age.
Fostering authenticity
Forethought focuses on nurturing authentic relationships through manager interactions as well as an emphasis on interpersonal relationships, team building activities, and weekly check-ins. Genuine authenticity encourages team members to be comfortable with each other and fosters an environment of honesty. This authentic, safe, and welcoming work environment for employees directly translates into authentic, honest, and transformative interactions with customer relationships where we accomplish our mission of making everyone a genius at their job together.
