What about the people who don’t want to be authentic at
work, who don’t want to bring their whole humanity to the workplace?
This is question several people have asked me this week.
What do you think? How would you respond to a
colleague/friend/family member who doesn’t feel comfortable with you sharing
what’s really going on with you?
My take: There already are plenty of places for people who
just want a ‘job’ to work. If someone isn’t comfortable with their feelings,
they are just compassionately being invited to a new way of being. If the culture
and norms of a community don’t work for someone, I believe they are empowered
to speak up about what would work better. Ironically, the tools and practices
to help them do that might be the ones they might be afraid of adopting or
learning more about. So, in deep compassion and love, there is always
consideration for people. When it comes to conscious cultural change, it never
hurts to listen and discover what people truly want.
Very curious to hear your thoughts?
What do you mean by being authentic at work? Would you give an example of being authentic vs not being authentic?
ReplyDeleteI know that sometimes I don't want to share what I'm deeply feeling although I do want to share something that is on the surface but still true. I find comfort and safety in being real yet keeping some things private. Would you consider this as not being authentic?
I mean, showing up as you are without hiding anything. If I am feeling sad, scared or nervous and I go to work without mentioning those feelings to myself and my colleagues, I am not being authentic. If there is some part of me that doesn't feel okay sharing those feelings/experiences with others, I'm not being authentic.That's for me, though.
ReplyDeleteSome things, I don't want to share with people. I think sharing surface level things is sometimes okay, I just long for a world and workplaces where we can don't have to stay on the surface, where we have the option of being real and not keeping things private. That is true authenticity to me, transparency is only needed for me when I am hiding myself or trying to control how I'm perceived.
When I'm really true to myself, honest, and real, I find myself not being too concerned with how I'm percieved. My real experience and expression of who I am is more important than any cultural norms.
Wondering if that was helpful? Did that clarify?