Article contributed by John Henderson
Have you ever taken the time to really looked at your staff? Just stop someday and walk around and observe to see who they truly are? Focus on the following: how people present themselves in your organization? How do they decorate their workspace? What are their mannerisms? How do they dress? Who do they associate with? When you do this you can really start to see someone for who they truly are – it can be a powerful revelation. We start to see people as human beings, rather than as a work contact.
Why is this important? It can tell you if your culture promotes a sense of “belonging” – that’s the B in the D, E & I space (diversity, equity and inclusion).
We know the statistics that typically only 1 out of 3 employees are “engaged” in their work. The largest majority of employees are “disengaged” at work. It’s time to ponder and ask “Are they not fully present because they don’t feel like they belong?” or is it something completely different. If it is a case that the person doesn’t feel that they “fit” into the culture – can you correct that?
We want to build a culture where people feel safe bringing their authentic self to work. What does that mean? Your authentic self is who you really are deep down. The part of you that doesn’t care what others think. Learning how to be your authentic self is an essential part of building meaningful relationships. Authenticity happens when your words, actions, and behaviors consistently match your core identity. Authenticity at work is when all employees feel safe from ridicule, secure in their position and comfortable enough to present as who they truly are.
I often get asked the question “what if someone’s authentic self conflicts with another co-workers’ values, beliefs, or norms?” I reply that we are not asking people to agree with someone, but we are demanding that they respect each other. It can be a tricky situation and one that requires a level-headed, non-emotional discussion to reinforce that your organization values and promotes respect in the workplace and nothing less will be tolerated.
POWERFUL QUESTIONS
Here are three powerful questions I encourage you to use in your organization. I suggest you start with the leadership team and then ask individual contributors – you may be surprised at what you discover.
1) What are ways people demonstrate their authentic self at work?
2) What prevents people from being their authentic self at work?
3) What are the advantages of people being their authentic self at work?