Bringing Your Whole Self to Work - Answer the Call to Conscious Leadership

Christopher Waters, Adjunct Professor and Social Impact Expert, as well as previous ATCCL panelist and ConCon speaker, joined me for February’s Answer the Call to Conscious Leadership event to discuss Bringing Your Whole Self to Work.

Interestingly enough, Dr. Adam Grant, whom Christopher assisted in the launch of his book Give and Take, posted on Facebook about this very topic during the same week as our event. However, he implied that bringing your whole self to work was unwanted and you should be bringing your best self to work. I have heard other experts I admire say the same thing. Is this realistic?

There are a lot of different ways to look at bringing your whole self to work and there are repercussions to consider, as well. This resulted in a lively discussion with our attendees, which I hope will continue, as we delve into related topics in the future.

Join C3 now to watch or listen to the replay to see what we say about it, including:

• The three strengths that come to work with you when you bring your whole self.
• What makes you more complete at work: purpose or passion? Plus, how that applies to career choices.
• Is bringing your whole self to work wanted or unwanted?
• Are we going back to the “normal” of prioritizing production and performance without prioritizing the person?
• Are you enabling drama when you invite your team members to bring their whole selves to work?
• What does hiring look like when you want your team to bring their whole selves to work?
• How does bringing your whole self to work enhance innovation?
• How can you help your team perform their best and discover their full power??Plus, what does this look like in the midst of a highly volatile time?
• Why is psychological safety integral to providing your team with the space to bring their whole selves to work?
• Does psychological safety imply unconditional acceptance of the whole person?
• Can bosses detach from the team member’s performance to be effective coaches to the whole self?
• How does modeling vulnerability create permission to bring your whole self to work?
• What happens if showing emotions is unwelcome in the workplace?
• What does allowing your team members to bring their whole selves to work require of leaders?
• What are the dangers of over-compartmentalizing?
• How you can allow your team members to bring their whole selves to work while also helping them improve their self-sufficiency at resolving the issues outside of work instead of letting those issues bleed into work?
• Who owns whether you bring your whole self to work: the leader or the individual?
• How do we change the norm to be more accepting of whole selves?

As usual, other topics were sprung from our multi-dimensional discussion, such as:

• Life management benefits (such as financial literacy, mental health support, and education paid upfront)
• Detachment from Results for Bosses and Ego-driven Performance Management
• Alleviating Us vs. Them Thinking
• Reconnecting to your Authentic Self

Do any of the topics above call out to you? Make sure you join the C3 community so that you can help us co-create a more conscious corporate landscape by participating in our future events and discussions.?

Thank you to Chris for joining me and thank you to those who participated in the discussion, Matthew Cucchi, Doutte 'Doc' Cunningham, and Gerren Whitlock, as well as those who attended, Mark Babbitt, Tamiko Drummond, Terry L. Lee, and John Williams.

Karen Huller, CEO of Epic Careering, is the co-founder of The Consciousness Conference (ConCon) and the C3: Corporate Consciousness Co-op community on LinkedIn. She is the creator of the Corporate Consciousness Ripple Blueprint and author of Laser-sharp Career Focus: Pinpoint your Purpose and Passion in 30 Days. She founded Epic Careering, a conscious career and leadership development firm specializing in executive branding, talent-values alignment, and conscious culture, in 2006.?

While the bulk of Mrs. Huller’s 20 years of professional experience has been within the recruiting and employment industry, her publications, presentations, and coaching also draw from experience in personal development, performance, broadcasting, marketing, and sales. Her solutions incorporate breakthroughs in neuroscience, human performance optimization, bioenergetics, and psychology to help leaders accelerate rapport, expand influence, and elevate engagement and productivity while also?looking out for the sustainability of the business and the planet.

Mrs. Huller was one of the first LinkedIn trainers and is known widely for her ability to identify and develop new trends. She is a Certified Professional Résumé Writer, Certified Career Transition Consultant, and Certified Clinical Hypnotherapist with a Bachelor of Art in Communication Studies and Theater from Ursinus College and a minor in Creative Writing. Her blog?was recognized as a top 100 career blog worldwide by Feedspot.?

Mrs. Huller was an Adjunct Professor in Cabrini University’s Communications Department and an Adjunct Professor of Career Management and Professional Development at Drexel University’s LeBow College of Business. As an instructor for the Young Entrepreneurs Academy, she has helped two of her students win the 2018 National Competition to be named America’s Next Top Young Entrepreneurs, to win the 2019 People’s Choice Award, and to land in the top 8 during the (virtual) 2020 National Competition.

She serves on the board for the Upper Merion Community Center, which she helped establish, and is an advisor to Florida International University for their Women in Leadership program. For her service as Vice President of the Gulph Elementary PTC, she received recognition as a Public Education Partner and Promoter from the Upper Merion Area Education Association. Mrs. Huller has also been the lead singer for Harpers Ferry, a rock cover band, for 20 years. She lives in King of Prussia, PA with her husband, two daughters, and many pets, furry, feathered, and scaly.