The Challenges of Bringing Your Whole Self to WorkAnd Why You Should Overcome Them

The Challenges of Bringing Your Whole Self to WorkAnd Why You Should Overcome ThemThe Challenges of Bringing Your Whole Self to Work- And Why You Should Overcome ThemIt can be challenging to be authentic in the workplace, whether dealing with bosses, colleagues, or clients. But if you learn to overcome your fear, bringing your whole self to work or a job search can bring benefits to employees, candidates, and organizations alike.Authenticity Enables EffectivenessLorraine Martin knows this firsthand. A former executive vice president at Lockheed Martins Rotary and Mission Systems, Martin struggled with owning her authenticity early in her career. She explains how when she was first starting out as a program manager, she was among the youngest in her group- and being five feet tall exacerbated how young she looked and how vulnerable she felt compared to mora veteran team members. But over time, Martin realized the benefits of deciding to contribute fully by bringing more of her whole s elf to the tableIt was, perhaps, my experience leading the F-35 program where I saw most clearly the necessity of having to have my full self available to me at work, recalls Martin. It was a very challenging job with new challenges every week, sometimes daily. I was leading and needing to motivate a large, global team to take on the challenges. I needed to bring the pieces that enabled me to be effective in very diverse situations- to do that I had to have all the pieces of me at my disposal. Being authentic made all the difference.A Double-Edged SwordSelf-disclosure in a work context is something of a double-edged sword, since theres always the possibility (and risk) of both positive and negative outcomes from prioritizing authenticity in your professional life. As Lisa Rosh and Lynn Offermann suggest in Harvard Business Review Despite its kompetenz benefits, self-disclosure can backfire if its hastily conceived, poorly timed, or inconsistent with cultural or organizational norms. But there are many potential payoffs as well, as Martin explainsFor myself and others who I have had the honor to work alongside, I have no question that bringing your whole self to work is the best answer, Martin says. When we bring our whole selves to a problem, we enable the richest opportunity for success. Nothing has to stop at the door.She adds that a variety of thought, experience, and communication styles all bring richer results, which allow for more innovative solutions to challenges that might be missed without differing perspectives. We each have a rich kaleidoscope of experiences, perspectives, and styles that makes each of us whole, says Martin. And each of us has many things that make up our authentic selves. Did we grow up in an urban environment, or maybe in anotlageher country or culture? Did we serve in the military, or maybe do humanitarian work? Were we adopted? From a large family? A single-parent family? All of these things, and many others, help form who we are- our authenticity.When Work Doesnt Accept All of YouWhat about when your work environment doesnt feel inclusive and thus makes it even more challenging to be your authentic self? Martin is clear about her advice here If some part of you is not welcome where you are working, then it is the wrong place to be.When you sit in your office and know that there is a piece of you that you had to leave at the door, you are not whole. It is the missing piece of you that causes stress, resentment, and pain. She adds that being the best partner in any work situation also means understanding what is needed from you to be most effective with a given set of people. Having all of yourself to choose from in a given situation is the key.How to Bring Your Full Self to the OfficeHere are five tips from Martin about ways to get more comfortable bringing your full self to the officeFind an ally. If you feel like theres a specific piece of yourself and your personal life that youre keeping underground at work but that feels important to surface, Martin recommends first practicing the piece that you are leaving out of work with a trusted ally in the office. plektrum someone who has shown that they enjoy sharing such information, says Martin. It has to be the right context for you and for them.Begin sharing more about yourself. As you work on finding allies, focus on sharing to build trust that assists in the challenges at hand. Bring yourself closer to others in order to better work as a team- to accomplish challenging work activities, says Martin.Practice being the coworker needed for specific situations. Once you have all of you on board at work, Martin suggests channeling those additional assets directly into situations that you are currently dealing with Dont sacrifice who you are. Instead, focus on the parts of you that will be most helpful to the challenge before you with the team at hand.Be an ally. Once youve mastered finding an ally and become more comfortable being yours elf in a work setting, its time to pay it forward. Martin, for example, became an LGBTQ ally in a large organization and found the experience meaningful and empowering Most all large organizations have been on a journey to more broadly kooperation diversity and inclusion. The support for the LGBTQ community has been profound over the past years, said Martin. As an LGBTQ Ally, I was able to see the joy and fulfillment that happen when a person can be his or her full self. With this comes greater fulfillment at work, promotions, and overall satisfaction.Enable individuality. Martin suggests using the following tactic at the end of meetings to ensure all voices are being heard go around to each attendee and request their response to one of the following questions or statements, which she notes will yield amazing and sometimes critical input that would have been lost if everyone was not in the game, contributing their unique insightsWhat are you still thinking about as we close the sess ion?Share something we should have addressed and did not during the meeting.Express appreciation for a contribution of another team member.Its a personal decision, but a smart approach is to blend an awareness of who you are and your career goals with a sense of the companys culture. If you sense that you cant comfortably be who you are with a particular organization, would you really want to work there day-in and day-out under false pretenses? Your answer to this question can guide your choices around how you present yourself in interviews as well as the office. As you determine what you want to share, keep in mind these words from Martin The ability to bring your full self is empowering and freeing. You will be at your best and get the best from the teams you are leading.Find a job that fits your lifestyle Browse Open Flexible Jobs