Courage is contagious. Let's go viral!

What prevents us from being vulnerable? For me, it's fear of shame, judgment and repercussions. If that resonates with you, maybe you'll find value in hearing about my experience since I did one of the most vulnerable things I've ever done in my career and posted publicly about being diagnosed with ADHD as an adult woman.

First, I need to acknowledge my privilege. I am white. I have an anglo name. And I'm at the point in my career where I'm established enough as a marketing leader that I don't need to worry as much about repercussions or discrimination as I did when I was starting out. If someone thinks that I'm less qualified or capable because of a diagnosis, they are welcome to take a look at my track record of successes and results. I've also talked pretty openly about mental illness at a few organizations and I haven't experienced any discrimination yet, at least not because of my openness about mental health.

So I had a few reasons to feel confident enough to take a leap of faith. Over the last couple of years, I've become more comfortable in my own skin than I've ever been – and I'm going to share more about that personal development journey in a future post. I've also studied Brené Brown 's research-based theories on courage, vulnerability and leadership, and validated them myself through practice. I have yet to find a discrepancy with a single word she has ever said or written. Through this, I've gained a lot of experience with being vulnerable and owning my story at work. For every person who thinks I'm weird or unprofessional, there have been 10 more who connected with my story or my openness and felt comfortable to share their story, too.

If you're not familiar with Brené's work, I encourage you to listen to her Dare to Lead podcast, pick up one of her books or watch her Netflix special. She just might change your life as much as she has changed mine.

Courage is contagious. You might be the first, but you won't be the last.

I've learned that vulnerability is the thing that we've been conditioned to be most afraid of, yet it's the thing we need most to build trust, safety and connection. I think many of my coworkers would tell you what a change they've seen in me in the past couple of years, and some might even tell you that it's helped them to set their own armour down and become more vulnerable and courageous, too. I see the impacts of this every day and how culture can transform like wildfire when we nurture psychological safety and an environment where people can be vulnerable and have the courage to speak their truth and bring their full authentic selves to work. I'll talk more about psychological safety in another post and share a real-life example of how it can lead to improved collaboration, creativity, innovation, business performance and more.

So, without further ado, let's talk about what's happened in the past week since I posted the article.

• I've received a steady flow of support at work from ADHD-ers and non-ADHD-ers. People have brought it up to me in meetings, over emails, over Teams messages, or even passing me in the hallway at the office (where I also received a lot of hugs!). The warmth and love has truly filled my cup.
• Several co-workers with ADHD have reached out to me and bravely opened up about their own experiences. Some have asked me to grab a coffee soon to take these conversations further. I've also heard from people I went to university with, from people I worked with over a decade ago, and even people that I've never even met before. I am humbled by the gratitude I've felt from a community of people who often hide in the shadows because society has taught them it's not safe for them to stand in the light.
• I found out that my article was the catalyst for an entire team to courageously start an open discussion about ADHD. Team members were able to use what I'd shared as a jumping off point to open up about their own experiences, resulting in deep conversations that led to greater awareness, understanding and support. My article may have started the conversation, but this conversation was only possible because of the culture of psychological safety that already existed within this amazing team (and a big shout-out to that team's leader, as we know those cultures can't exist without a safety net that starts at the top).
• I had the opportunity to sit in a room with that team last week. They not only surrounded me with as much love and light as they give each other, but they asked me how they can help me to amplify my message on a bigger scale and what we can do together help drive systemic and cultural change to ensure all our neurodiverse colleagues are set up for success in the future. This brought tears to my eyes. My courage has turned my lonely "I" into our powerful "We" – and suddenly, change felt so much more possible.
• I'm going to shout this last one so the people in the back can hear it: NOT A SINGLE PERSON shamed me, told me I shouldn't have posted the article, or made me feel like it was career suicide. Nobody questioned how I'm able to function at work or whether I'm capable of doing my job. In fact, if anything, it was the opposite – someone told me that the world needs more leaders like me. Which might be the greatest compliment I've ever been given in my career.

We are all flawed and imperfect. And we need to talk about that more.

A lesson that I've learned in the past couple of years is that if people only see you shine, if they only see you flying high and at top speed, you can actually end up hurting more than helping. This can lead to a toxic culture where your team and peers can end up feeling like they're not good enough, whether they're neurodiverse or not. It sets an unrealistic bar. I can guarantee that anyone who seems "perfect" and flies high and fast all the time is struggling or burning out in the background, they're just too afraid to let the cracks show.

Showing people that we're human, that we have flaws, and that sometimes we fly in the wrong direction or fly too low – or just need to ground the plane for a while – can actually be the greatest gift you can give your team.

In my next post, for World Mental Health Day on October 10, I'm going to share my views on how we, as leaders, can help to advance this year's theme: Making mental health and wellbeing for all a global priority. Until then, I encourage you to think about the impact one person can make simply by having the courage to own their truth. You never know how many people you might help to feel a little less alone, a little more comfortable in their own skin, and a little more hopeful for a future where everyone feels safe to step into the light.

Courage is contagious. Let's go viral!