Instead create a culture that feels like an invitation to bring ‘more’.
Are you deeply committed to creating a workplace that honours, encourages and enjoys the many facets of the people who work there? If so, the conversation you want to be having starts with Integrating Selfhood.
Often a key driver in the desire for cross-functional, diverse teams, is the perceived positive impact it will have on team innovation. The issue is, just bringing different people together and telling them to be their “authentic selves” isn’t enough. People need to see the compatibility between these differences, feel safe to draw on their unique perspectives, and they may also need to be reminded of the many unique facets that make up who they are.
Think about it for yourself - who is, work you?
What parts do you bring? What parts do you hide? What skills and experiences may have been forgotten? When was the last time you intentionally explored and interrogated this?
Increase self-awareness, a skill proven to increase professional success, fulfillment and interpersonal relationships.
Deepen the understanding of identity and the ways it plays out in the workplace.
Strengthen team connection and cohesion, through fun exercises and open sharing.
Start creating the pathways (both culturally and neurologically) that will support your team in bringing more of themselves to work.
We are open to discussions about format and delivery. Enquire here.
Lauren did a great job of communicating (and reminding us of) how multi-faceted identity is—that is personal, social, and expressed through many different roles and in many different situations. It's always helpful to have the space and opportunity to go one layer deeper with colleagues—especially in a remote work environment—and I appreciated the invitation to share "more of" your authentic self vs. necessarily your "whole self."
