Finding Joy through Vulnerability

I?mapped?out my first 100 days?at Walmart Canada?on?a?bumpy drink tray, 30,000 feet?somewhere?over the Atlantic.??

Pen in hand,?I kept?coming back to the same?words:?Stop pretending. Be authentic. Tell your story.?

Some?365 days?later, despite the drains of the pandemic?and?the challenges?of?this past year spiritually, emotionally,?professionally,?and?politically, I am optimistic and filled with energy?for what is ahead.

If?there is?one thing?I have?learned,?it is?that?anything?is possible,?and there is joy in trying.????

In a recent?New York Times?piece, Adam Grant wrote about “collective effervescence.”??

It’s a concept coined in the early 20th century by the pioneering sociologist émile Durkheim to describe people's sense of energy and harmony when they come together in a group around a shared purpose. As he says,?collective effervescence is the synchrony you feel when you slide into rhythm with strangers on a dance floor, colleagues in a brainstorming session, cousins at a religious service or teammates on a soccer field.??

In many ways, the?type of?effervescence?joy Adam Grant describes has been difficult to find through?the endless?lockdowns and?quarantines.?Yet,?as I reflect?on the past year at Walmart Canada, I feel?a keen sense?of community and joy.??

Change?is not?new for me.?I have taken?on?many?new?roles in my career, but this one was different.??

I?accepted this job because I believed?in what Walmart is and what it could be. Walmart is more than a big-box retailer; it is an innovator,?a tech?giant?and?a developer of people.?It is?a company that?uses?its size and scale to change the trajectory of issues.?From the global supply chain to environmental sustainability,?Walmart is a place where we can create lasting change beyond our four walls.??

I knew this before landing in Toronto, and I had a thirst to?be?part of it.??

However,?these are?unprecedented times,?and?I saw the need for change. Our associates were burning out,?and mental health?needed?to become a priority. We?had?to act fast?and be bold if we wanted?our people to thrive?during the?pandemic?and beyond.??

We got to work.??

We organized more?than?200 hours?of listening sessions with associates from across the business from the front lines and beyond.?We focused on physical and mental health. We acted quickly to make well-being a priority across our company by?creating?a conversation around it.?We deliberately said “well-being”?and?not just?wellness or?mental health because?well-being includes happiness. We all?deserve?to experience happiness and joy in our work.??

Real and meaningful change?that leads to a movement requires a noble cause?and authenticity. The?cause was clear, and the authenticity?needed to?start at?the top, so?I decided to stop pretending.??

I?put myself out there?in a way I never had before.?I?was?honest about my personal struggles?with anxiety and?my?personal well-being journey.?I?spoke about my own?confrontations with racism?and?Islamophobia. I?stopped covering?in hopes of?creating an environment where others feel comfortable doing the same.??

And?the movement started. Over the past year, I have seen the power of vulnerability and authenticity as I have never?seen it?before.??

I can see that our work on well-being is?starting to make a?difference.?More of our associates are asking for help; more are telling their stories, more conversations are happening without stigma.?

We have?invested in our associates?through?added resources?like no-cost access to telehealth, support?for?additional?leaves?such as “Me” days that can be used whenever?a?salaried?associate?needs a day?to?replenish?themselves. We launched new?training?and well-being programs?such as?Thrive,?a?focus?on?anxiety in the workplace and a commitment to have 1000 leaders trained in?mental health first aid.??

We?still?have a long journey ahead.?

We?must?be even stronger in creating inclusive places for all associates.?We?must?normalize difficult conversations and continue?to buck the trend of women leaving the workforce.?We need to reach?all 100,000 of?our?associates?and ensure?they are?thriving.??

When I think about everything that has?happened?the past year, one of the?things?I find most inspiring is how quickly this movement has started. Our leaders?not only have a shared goal to make our company the best place to work in Canada but are taking on that charge with a new sense of?authenticity,?courage,?and?vulnerability.??

We?are creating?a new workplace culture in the middle of a pandemic. We?are deepening?and?building?trust?with each other by being ourselves.?We are?leveraging?the power of?vulnerability?to seed moments of joy.??

After faking my own joy for so long,?it is?cathartic?to be real. When I am not pretending to be okay, I can more clearly?identify?true moments of joy and relish in them.?

Walmart is truly?that place where?anything is possible.??

We are?just?getting?started.?