Allies are a critical piece of the puzzle in the fight for LGBT workplace equality.

It is a testament to the evolution of allyship in the workplace that the casual uttering of anti-gay views completely unacceptable in today’s corporate culture. It is almost impossible to imagine a gay slur being said in the majority of US, Canadian or European companies today.

In fact, in the recent Power of Out 2.0 research by the Center for Talent Innovation and co-sponsored by Out on the Street, we found that 83% of women and 70% of men say they consider themselves allies. But given the subjectivity of the term, we followed up with a series of questions to determine which of the self-identified allies were active allies’, meaning they took specific and purposeful actions to support their LGBT co-workers. By these criteria, just 19% of women and 8% of men qualified as ‘active’ allies.

This surprising discrepancy suggests a new paradigm is needed for allies in the workplace. Looking at which ally actions are most desired by LGBT employees, it is unsurprising a number of them focus on speaking up publicly in support of LGBT colleagues.

For example, ‘active’ allies are defined as a straight individual who has done at least two of the following: supported a co-worker who was coming out of the closet; attended an event in support of LGBTs, spoken up to co-workers in defense of LGBTs; spoken up to a manager in defense of LGBTs; spoken up at a work meeting in defense of LGBTs; spoken up to a client in defense of LGBTs; or spoken at an event in support of LGBTs.

This does not indicate people are merely giving lip-service to being allies to the LGBT community. Rather it suggests LGBT employees should focus on other types of public expressions of support, since in most companies, the opportunity to ‘speak up’ are few and far between, as corporate cultures have become more accepting.

So increasing what ally actions count, can further the gains already being seen in the work place. Examples of this change include the fact that while 41% of LGBT professionals are not out at work, this is a decrease from the last Power of Out study in 2011. In addition, the Power of Out 2.0 study discovered 17% of gay men and 9% of gay women feel their lesbian, gay or bisexual status is an asset. While that number is low, it is easy to see how just five years ago, the percentage of people who would have viewed being out positively would have been very close to zero.

So what can allies do to show their support and how can companies facilitate and empower allyship? The answer lies partly with LGBT employees. We need to provide opportunities for allies to ‘come out’ as it were by encouraging them to join ally programs and attend events. Importantly, it is incumbent upon us to allow allies to make mistakes.

For example, consider the recent uproar over the Associated Press style rules concerning how to refer to same sex couples. (The rule currently states that for gay couples, the words ‘husband’ and ‘wife’ should only be used if the couple generally uses these terms for themselves. Something that is not required when referring to heterosexual couples.) While simplicity should have been the focus in this instance (all married couples whether same-sex or opposite sex, should be referred to in the same way), one can imagine the intent was more about reflecting some of the nuances the LGBT community may make in our relationships. The gradation between boyfriend or girlfriend to ‘partner’, ‘spouse’ and husband or wife, not to mention other terms, is complex for members of the LGBT community. Just imagine how difficult it is for straight friends.

Allies also have a responsibility. Instead of waiting for a big moment to declare support, there are myriad small moments, which collectively are more important. Allies can vocally support other allies. They can be visibly in support of LGBT organizations their company is involved with.

Allies can ‘come out’ as allies, not just with LGBT colleagues, but with all colleagues. It is a question of gay and straight employees expanding the opportunities for supportive action, and also expanding the universe of actions that can be taken.

The big gestures are important, but the everyday moments have a longer lasting impact. For LGBT employees, coming out requires a lot of courage. The presence of allies is often looked to as an indication of how accepting a company is.

Fundamentally, being an ally is less about one off statements and action than a sustained long-term relationship. Both gay and straight employees should consider how best to further foster that.

Todd Sears is a co-author of the Power of Out 2.0 research and founder of Out on the Street the first summit designed to convene senior LGBT and ally leaders of the international financial services industry to focus on business opportunities and leadership strategies for and within the LGBT community.

He is also principal of Coda Leadership, a strategic advising firm integrating diversity into business objectives and senior advisor to the Task Force for Talent Innovation.

Sears is a former investment banker at Schroders and DeSilva & Phillips, as well as a first-quintile financial advisor at Merrill Lynch.

After creating the first national team of financial advisors on Wall Street to focus on the LGBT community, which brought over $1.5 billion of new assets to Merrill Lynch, Sears moved into diversity leadership.

Since that time, he has pioneered diversity initiatives at Merrill Lynch, where he was Head of Strategic Initiatives for the Office of Diversity, as well as at Credit Suisse, where he served as Americas Head of Diversity and Inclusion

He is the founding co-chair of Jeffrey Fashion Cares, a fashion show fundraiser supporting LGBT civil rights, youth, HIV and AIDS treatment and prevention, which has applied an innovative cost structure to raise millions of dollars since its inception.

He also serves on the non-profit boards of The Williams Institute of UCLA, The Palette Fund, The Asia Society Diversity Board, and Lambda Legal National Leadership Council. He received his BA from Duke University.