5 Lessons You Can Learn From This LGBTQ+ Leader in Tech
Chris Maliwat grew up in a middle-class, white Missouri suburb with two Filipino immigrant parents. As a queer, first-generation kid, they got used to being “othered.”
When Maliwat started their career in tech, it wasn’t much different. They said there weren’t many queer people in leadership — or at all, for that matter. Now, as the chief digital officer at Victoria Beckham Beauty and an Out in Tech board member, Maliwat helps other people like them feel more included in tech.
“My career has always been about finding and connecting to those communities and enabling more individuals to … hopefully feel like they belong more than I did when I was starting my career,” Maliwat said.
They hope you can learn something from their career journey as a queer leader in tech.
1. Embrace Your Authentic Self
Maliwat said that hiding who you are makes your career harder, and there’s value in diversity in tech.
“I really want to encourage folks early in their career to truly embrace being your authentic self through and through,” Maliwat said. “Early on in my career, I might have held back parts of who I am, and, the truth is, I think that just made work harder.”
Maliwat said most tech companies now value diverse identities, backgrounds, and perspectives, and they wish they’d realized the value of coming out earlier in their career.
“I got really used to being in the closet, and even if I came out personally, I kind of had to go through the process of coming out professionally,” Maliwat said. “Just like when I came out personally, I wish I would’ve done that sooner.”
When they came out at work, they said it was a relief. Maliwat could think more clearly and execute at a higher level because they were no longer “wasting brain energy” hiding their identity.
2. Find a Workplace Where You Belong
Maliwat said that while they’ve never experienced a toxic workplace, they have felt out of place at work.
Maliwat suggests researching a company you’re interested in applying for. Here are some things they suggest looking out for:
- What diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts do they take on?
- Who is on the leadership team?
- What are their marketing materials like?
- What’s their history of support or silence on issues you care about?
They also said you should identify what’s important to you during the interview process.
“The spectrum of comfortability and belonging is obviously pretty different from candidate to candidate, but as you enter these environments, I think it’s important to represent yourself and help educate people on what your expectations are,” Maliwat said.
3. Speak Up
Maliwat said that the best way to advocate for diversity is to show your own. It takes courage to speak up about issues that are important to you. They said it isn’t your responsibility as an LGBTQ+ person to educate others, but speaking up creates a better environment for everyone.
“We can be a beacon for folks to develop a better community,” Maliwat said. “I feel like with diversity and inclusion, as a person who’s been around it for a while, you can kind of see when it’s authentic.”
4. Fail Fast
“Tech is really powered by people who are doers,” Maliwat said. “It certainly matters what academic experience you have, but so many folks got their start in tech by just doing.”
For example, they suggest finding a nonprofit organization with a mission you value and offering to build their first website. Maliwat said having the confidence to jump in when you don’t know everything is important to a career in tech, but don’t be afraid to fail.
“A lot of people, especially students, basically spent their first 18-21 years assuming they need to get all A’s, and the world doesn’t really work that way,” Maliwat said. “A career is full of ideas that don’t come to fruition and experiments that didn’t go the way you wanted, and that’s actually more rewarded, especially in tech careers.”
5. Find Mentors With Similar Experiences
Finding examples of leaders with similar backgrounds to Maliwat was difficult, but they said it was the most helpful factor in their success in tech.
“Mentorship has been the strongest pillar for me,” Maliwat said. “Finding a community of peers as well as folks who are one to three stages in their career beyond me has really helped me see a template for what’s possible.”
Maliwat now mentors others as a board member at Out in Tech to ensure that aspect of success comes easier to LGBTQ+ techies. They said finding a community of like-minded people in tech will help tremendously.
“That validation really helps empower lots of folks,” Maliwat said. “There are unique challenges that queer folks experience in these roles, and having a community of peers and mentors is super helpful.”