Bringing your whole self to work takes courage.
What happens when you bring your whole self to work? Are you embraced, rejected, or ignored?
If you’re not invited to meetings because you ask difficult questions, what does that say?
When you call someone on their behavior, does that get you closer to a promotion?
When you’ve done the work before but no one asks for your guidance, what does that say?
When you say the quiet part out loud, is the good for your career?
When you solve a difficult problem but the solution is rejected due to NIH, what does that say?
When you bring up the inconvenient truth when everyone else is afraid to, what do people think of you?
When you can ask anyone in the company for help and they help you, it’s because they know you helped a lot of other people over your career.
When someone gets promoted out of your team but still wants to meet regularly with you, it’s because they value you. And they value you because you valued them.
When a senior leader is out of ideas and they come to you for help privately, it’s because you earned their trust over the years.
When someone you helped fifteen years ago tells the story publicly of how you “saved their career” it’s because you made a difference.
When you bring your whole self to work, you know some won’t like it, some won’t care, and some will love it.
And everyone will know you care enough to give it your all.
Image credit — Tambaco the Jaguar