Nurturing Authenticity
As Mental Health Awareness month transitions into Pride celebrations, I’m struck by the link between positive mental health and the freedom to be our authentic selves. The challenge for leadership teams is in enabling workplaces that celebrate and embrace authenticity. So often I work with coaching clients who are in incredible organizations that really want to do the right thing from a DEIB perspective. Yet the lived experiences don’t match that reality.
They share experiences holding back or downplaying aspects of their personality or culture to conform with the group. Taking care about how they insert their opinion or viewpoint into a conversation to avoid being labeled as disruptive or difficult. They communicate viewpoints through others to ensure they are heard. They alter their speaking style, volume or cadence to suit workplace expectations. Many are relegated to listening or note taking roles in meetings regardless of their seniority or expertise. Or worse, they have key information relayed that impacts their careers after the fact from meetings that they weren’t included in. On a personal level, I struggled with a particular executive who felt it was a critical part of his role to correct women on their tone, word choice and messaging in nearly every forum.
These experiences are exhausting and cause the recipient to deploy adaptive strategies to navigate the invisible systems at play in organizations. This not only puts incredible pressure on mental wellbeing but fundamentally challenges their ability to be their authentic selves at work and attain positive career outcomes.
The good news is that leaders can meaningfully change this experience for their employees and it costs almost nothing.
Lead with curiosity: One of the most powerful actions a leader can take is to lead with curiosity. Foster an environment where open dialogue and genuine interest in other’s experiences are the norm. Take the time to understand the unique perspectives and challenges faced by individuals from diverse backgrounds. Ask questions, listen actively, and seek to learn from others’ experiences. By demonstrating a genuine curiosity about diverse perspectives, leaders create a space where authenticity is valued and individuals feel seen, heard and respected.
Approach meetings differently: Take the time to notice who isn’t speaking at meetings, who gets interrupted or dismissed, whose ideas are accepted and whose are rejected. What role does each meeting member play and where do they sit if in person? Beginning to notice patterns will allow you to see opportunities to enable diverse voices and perspectives to be heard around the table and will ultimately lead to better business outcomes.
Know your data, share your data, improve your data: Build a meaningful DEIB dashboard and share it regularly with your company, shareholders and customers. You can’t improve what you can’t measure and you can’t change what you don’t talk about.
Nurturing workplaces in which everyone is empowered to be their authentic selves and celebrated for who they are is arguably one of the most critical responsibilities for leaders today.
These environments not only promote positive mental health but also enhance collaboration, innovation, and overall organizational success. So, as we enter the incredible celebration that is Pride month, let’s all challenge ourselves to embrace the power of inclusivity and create workplaces that celebrate and support authenticity and enable everyone to thrive.
