b'COVER STORYS ome would say it was not possible;I now realize that as a senior many would call it inadvisable.business leaderprobably But with more than 30 years experience at progressively senior levels atthe most senior business a major Canadian bank, Katie Dudtschak decided to publicly affirm her identity. Itleader in the world to have didnt go as she expected. transitionedmy storyI had come out to my spouse in 2017, and later to my kids. In October of 2018,has the ability to helpI made the decision to affirm my true gender after months of trying to copeother people.and being near suicide. Because I lead a- KATIE DUDTSCHAKworkforce of more than 20,000 people, I was worried about those people, let alone the executives who work for me, says Dudtschak, who is the executive vice president of regional banking, personalAFFIRMATION, NOT TRANSITION probably the most senior business leader and commercial banking, at RBC. I wasDudtschak makes the point that genderin the world to have transitionedmy worried theyd think I was crazy. I wastransition is not the way she describesstory has the ability to help other people.worried that they would lose respect forher coming out. I did not transition,Many other people have since come me. The reality of what happened was theshe says. I affirmed my gender. Thusforward to Dudtschak to tell their own complete opposite.she describes herself not as transgenderstoriesnot exclusively people struggling By February of 2019, Dudtschak hadbut instead as a women with gender- with gender dysphoria, but also women, started hormone therapy and shared theaffirming experience. Indigenous people, people with mental truth with her CEO, the head of HR andAfter many years of presenting a malehealth challenges and people from many her immediate boss. In the summer ofpersona to the world, my commitment toother sectors of society. I was blessed to 2019, she came out to the world as Katie.face my truth came after the worst pointreceive their stories, for other people to The progress was careful and deliberate.in my life, explains Dudtschak. I knewshow their vulnerability to me and to hear Initially, she says, I expected that I wouldmy true gender was female, and I felt thetheir own experiences with rejection, have to send a letter to 20,000 employeesworld was going to reject me and that Ishe says. My experience has been on my own, but what happened was thatwould hurt my children and my spouse.extraordinarily positive becausemy CEO and my head of HR did that In her worst moments, she says shepeople were trained, because the for me. believed she would be homeless. organization took the communication In fact, a team of colleagues wasDudtschak says suicidal thoughtsprocess seriously.involved. A senior HR executive whoare common for people who cannot liveWhen is the right time? To anyone who was planning to retire even chose to staytheir true gender, who develop genderis considering coming out, Dudtschak to participate in the process. With thedysphoria. She describes it as a really badsays, Only you will know what the right THE POWER assistance of senior leadership, the boardcase of homesickness, or in the worst case,time is, because there is a very good of directors was informed. In order toliving like a caged animal. You also arechance you will be completely plagued communicate with RBCs more thanliving with fear, fearing that you will hurtby fear. My time came after being nearly 80,000 employees, Dudtschak recordedyour children or family, that your job willsuicidal and knowing my own truth fora video in which she disclosed her truth.not be ready for you, that you will a while.Her CEO and her boss chose to appearbe fired. Dudtschak points out that Canadian as well to show their support for her andDudtschak believes that one ofhuman rights laws protect people from RBCs values of inclusion and diversity. the factors that made her own gendergender discrimination in the workplace of VulnerabilityThey had complete respect for theaffirmation in the workplace soand that, you may find you have more fact that my coming out was my personalseamless was that she chose to lead fromsupport at work than you will have from story. They helped me tell my storyvulnerability and humility rather thanyour immediate family. with care, compassion and their visiblepower. Because I showed vulnerabilityThis is because close friends and family support, says Dudtschak. So whatand transparency into my life, people feltmembers will have their own challenges happened was thoughtful leadership.comfortable to reach out to me directly.in adjusting to a change that may also What happened was an unprecedentedThey commented to me that I was going toaffect them in many ways, whereas work reaction from thousands of people fromsave other peoples lives, she says. I nowcolleagues need only be reassured that the across the corporation. realize that as a senior business leader same competent and reliable individual Issue 1 2022 | QBiz CANADA |5'