This week, I’m thinking a lot about being our ‘whole self’ no matter what the situation. A few years ago, when I started doing a lot of introspection work, I had a revelation. I realized that “Work Amber” was someone different than “regular Amber.” Not only did this leave me feeling not authentic, but, it was depleting my energy. I always felt like I had to hide my non-work-related interests from my coworkers. Could have been my judgement of office politics or it felt unwelcomed to bring my ‘whole self’ to work. Society teaches us to not bring our personal lives (/problems) to work. Is it really possible to turn that side off? And at what cost? 

This whole idea of authenticity in the workplace is a great one. Sometimes, we can feel stuck because we need to be able to make a living for ourselves, so we end up having to sacrifice more than we prefer to. 

This week’s easily digestible tidbit is: as leaders, as colleagues, as human beings – welcome and encourage your peers, colleagues, subordinates, and superiors to be their whole selves at work. Ask for tidbits about their personal lives. Ask what gives them purpose and what makes them feel fulfilled. Get to know your colleagues on a deeper level.