The Authenticity Empowerment™ Gap
A big problem I see amongst women in the workplace is that they struggle to be authentically themselves at work.
Today, I’m sharing:
What authenticity really means
What we’re doing to address the problem so many women face (and why it’s not working)
What we need to do if we want to lead and live authentically
Many women feel that to have a strong executive presence, they must hide certain parts of themselves.
If you’ve ever had to hide certain parts of yourself to do a job and to collaborate with others, you’ll know how draining it can be.
On the other hand, showing up as ourselves feels energizing and thrilling- the epitome of being heard, seen, and valued.
Research shows that feeling authentic at the office leads to higher engagement, higher workplace satisfaction, and better performance. Leading with greater authenticity, instead of adopting personae based on other people’s expectations, may unlock more leadership potential in women and accelerate their impact within their organizations,
Yet for many—and women especially—it’s challenging to be truly authentic at work - even in 2024.
Authenticity is a peculiar phenomenon with multiple dimensions. Definitionally, it is the extent to which one believes one may candidly and transparently express a true inner self—behaviorally, verbally, moralistically—in the presence of others without fear of reproach.
It is thus unique to the individual- what is authentic to me, and authentic to you is very different.
Fundamentally, authenticity at work means feeling able to express or operate by one’s genuine values, beliefs, motivations, culture, and personality among colleagues, managers, clients, and other stakeholders equally.
We need to acknowledge the biases and reasons why we may fear or be unable to express our authentic selves at work such as:
We may be the ONLY…. in the room (gender, race, age, etc)
We may work in an environment with a lack of psychological safety
We may experience unfair treatment at work
The time has come to move further into empowering conversations and address the authenticity empowerment gap.
The Authenticity Empowerment Gap
If you’ve attended a women’s workplace event in the past number of years, you’ll know the benefit, value, and heart-opening experience by hearing others share the same or similar challenges that you’ve faced as a woman.
Here’s how the Authenticity Empowerment Gap is typically being addressed:
We gather together as women and talk about biases.
These conversations are crucial for building awareness and solidarity. On the flip side, they can sometimes feel like we're just scratching the surface without actionable steps to change the status quo.
We share stories and give each other insights and advice.
Storytelling and peer advice are powerful tools for connection and learning, but they can also keep us in a cycle of venting our pain rather than moving toward solutions and the future.
We tell women to leave the corporate world and become entrepreneurs.
This can be a truly viable solution and approach for many women (including me) but this black-and-white approach or corporate versus business owner is incredibly limited. There are pros and cons to every choice and this needs to be accounted for when making an incredibly life-changing decision.
Or we ignore the problem until we burn out or get sick from hiding certain parts of ourselves.
Ignoring the issue is the least effective strategy. It leads to burnout, stress-related illnesses, and a lack of fulfillment both professionally and personally.
This approach is outdated, and I want more.
After these heart-opening conversations with other women, we’re left going back to our workplaces, experiencing the same challenges over and over again.
Women are left being disempowered in the day-to-day.
The lack of authenticity and the pressure to conform to a certain executive presence is resulting in women leaving their jobs at higher rates than men, particularly in senior leadership positions.
The New Way Forward
What if instead, we came together to identify what our true authentic selves looked like—what we valued, what mattered to us?
If we become so crystal clear on who we are, what we need and want, and what our impact blueprint truly is.
What if we take that self-awareness and map it out to understand where and where not we can live according to certain values, principles, and beliefs?
Enter the Authenticity Spectrum.
The Authenticity Spectrum helps us understand and navigate where and how we can be our true selves at work. It's about identifying different areas and situations where we can express our authenticity to varying degrees.
It’s a spectrum focusing on:
I’m living my authentic values at work
I’m playing the game
I’m selling out
I first used this when a client came to me 2 years ago.
‘Shauna, I want to get a new job. I can’t be myself and I’m done.’
The short version of this story is this:
This leader felt she couldn’t be herself at work, was exhausted from ignoring what really mattered to her, and came to me to help her make a decision - should I stay or should I go?
Together we:
Identified what being herself meant to her.
Got clear on what fueled her, what drained her, what she valued.
Where she could live more to her values at work and outside of her work.
What she could do and stop doing in her work that led her into further athenticity.
How she could lead her team with an authentic leadership approach versus what she was ‘told’ to do.
Having taken action in this way, we could assess from a place of clarity and empowerment what her next move could be.
Did she feel she could be enough of herself?
Did she feel she was leading a value-led joyful life?
Was she excited about the future?
In this case, the answer was YES.
Today, she’s still with the same company, lives into her values between her work, life, hobbies, and passion projects, has received a promotion, and loves her leadership + life.
Of course, some of these stories end with a different decision- to go instead of stay- but that’s your chapter to write.
Regardless of the decision, my goal is to always support women in feeling confident and clear in the action steps that lead them to the outcome and decision that is best for them
So that they can say ‘I know this is the best decision for me because I’ve done X,Y,Z and it’s resulted in….’
Authenticity is not a one-size-fits-all approach. It's about finding the right balance and knowing where on the spectrum you can show different aspects of your true self.
Do you need support writing the next chapter of your authenticity book? Are you ready to move into true empowerment? I have 4 sessions open for complimentary starter sessions for the Summer months. In this session, we’ll get clear on your value-driven goals, and your blockers and help you craft your future leadership vision. Secure your spot here.
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