Authentically Bringing Yourself to Work
During Black Heritage Month at LinkedIn our ERG Group, (BIG) Black Inclusion Group, produced some amazing internal programming. One of the series they kicked off was the Black Leadership Fireside Chat which consisted of a menu of topics that employees could volunteer to speak on. This chat was led in an intimate virtual setting with a moderator and small group of LinkedIn peers. The topic that caught my attention was around successfully bringing your authentic self to work. I had never participated in something like this for a company I worked for, but in an effort to continuously push myself out of my comfort zone (hella scary) I decided to volunteer. This topic is one I am passionate about because it has taken me a long time to navigate. I’ve worked really hard to get to a place where I am able to show up authentically in any space, especially in corporate environments.
When you think about authenticity the word itself is simple, but being authentic is the most inauthentic concept to a lot of people (who else went down a black hole of Inventing Anna?). Add in the layer of being authentic in the workplace and it doubles the resistance meter. We live in a world where being who you are is a concept people are still learning to embrace and exercise on a daily basis.
Image via Giphy
I reflected on this after my session; which by the way was amazing and impactful. I left attendees with a few tips and I thought it would be helpful to share some of them here for others who are on their authenticity journey.
Get Clear On Who You Are. Change is the only thing constant so naturally as humans we continue to evolve, but your core values at the root is your first step in embracing your authenticity. Take note of how you show up outside of work vs at work? What are some things that you mask and why? What fuels you? What doesn’t make you feel good? All of these and more are good questions to dissect. Pro Tip: Consistently doing a self audit will strengthen your ability to check in with yourself and identify those moments where you are straying or not showing up the way you would like.
Seek Supportive Environments. It’s no secret that some workplace cultures can feel toxic and simply unsafe. Being in an environment that doesn’t support diversity, inclusion and belonging in various ways hinders employees from being their authentic self and essentially producing their best work. People are more prone to show up authentically if they feel they are given the space to do so without judgement, fear and backlash.
Exercise Your Authenticity Muscle. Embracing authenticity and feeling comfortable enough to show up as your full self will take time especially if you are just starting out in your career. It is a muscle that has to be exercised. There will also be various levels to how you embrace and explore it depending on your work environment, but as mentioned it starts with your core values. Lean into who you are and show up completely because in reality there is no “work self” vs “non work self” there is just one complete person.
Your Journey Is Personal. No one can tell YOU how to be; only YOU can decide that and there is no timeline to getting there. It takes everyday courage to navigate your journey. Just remember to be honest, give yourself a bit of grace, doses of accountability and stay on your path. There is only one you and it would be a disservice to not show the world that.
“Authenticity is the daily practice of letting go of who we think we’re supposed to be, and instead embracing who we are.”
This topic brings up a lot of past experiences for me which I definitely want to share. I may have to do a part 2 to this post at some point, but in the interim I do hope these tips are helpful.
