Leading diverse teams and defining what it means to bring your true self to work
We prize authenticity. It’s one of the attributes often used to describe successful leaders, and research has shown that companies with a work environment which encourages employee authenticity have a higher degree of participation, satisfaction and performance. But what does it really mean to be authentic and bring your true self to work? This is a question that has always interested me personally and it’s become more significant as I manage (and am managed by) more people. It’s especially interesting — and challenging — when we think about how difficult it is to define our true selves with the unrealistic demands and high expectations that society imposes on us, regarding how we should look, dress, speak and behave as women, immigrants or expats (also an interesting word choice), LGBT+ people, neurodiverse people, leaders, introverts, parents, and more. All the big and small labels that make up a life!
Like many other world-class companies in the industry, Wayfair runs a regular voice survey to better understand employees’ perspectives on topics including career development, compensation, work content, diversity and inclusion among others. One of the questions I am most proud of as a leader is: ‘I can come to work without hiding a part of who I am’. It’s a question I’m happy and proud never scores low, no matter how busy we might be. In this article I want to talk about diverse teams, authenticity and what I believe it means to be yourself on a daily basis, while supporting others to do the same.
Does the first impression really count?
We automatically categorise other people when we first meet them in a way that is both immediate and mostly irrational. Especially because of all the stereotypes and ideas entrenched throughout culture and history, it’s easy to put people in a box depending on their look, shape, physical characteristics, accent or even the quality of their internet connection in these Zoom-heavy times! The job interview format is a perfect example, and if you’ve ever participated in one, either as an interviewee or interviewer, you’ve probably experienced this first impression judgment personally.
In theory, we could define authenticity as the quality where we openly reveal our strengths and flaws, or those moments when your behaviour aligns with your intentions. To me, it is all about the aspects from your identity and personality that come through when you enjoy (or dislike!) your work, as well as the perspective and ideas you share, either in informal conversations during a coffee chat or formal working situations and day-to-day professional circumstances. Your true self also comes across in the way you dress, speak and even how you answer an email or instant message. It’s all the little details that add up to your unique personality and to social norms which sometimes make us forget we live in a multidimensional world.
Taking this into consideration, as leaders and hiring managers we should try to move away from the significance of the first impression. We should try to avoid connecting an appearance with how we perceive someone. And we should always remember that as human beings, we change and adapt, and our authentic self might change as life (and companies) shape us.
The role of authenticity in diverse teams
The way you communicate, your accent on that first or third language you speak, the gestures you make with your hands, the way you deal with conflicts, the way you recognise difference, how you convey anger or disagreement and even your own name are characteristics closely related to your true self. They are complex and nuanced pieces of your identity which can’t simply change or adapt to a common uniform. Authenticity and all those aspects of your true self come into play when building and developing teams because of the importance of both surface and deep diversity.
After working in Berlin for a few years in very diverse and culturally rich environments, I’ve realised that all these differences become more evident, even for those who don’t feel very comfortable speaking up, when solving problems or facing challenges. It’s an important task for leaders to internally acknowledge differences and partner with others to build a psychologically safe environment, where authenticity is not only part of the equation, but the fundament for a pro-diversity working model where all those differences are crucial for the organisation’s overall success.
I don’t mean to put extra pressure on all the creative managers out there, but when building and developing teams, it is important not only to consider the nature of the job and your team members’ individual personalities, but also to set up goals and effective plans that can be shared by diverse team members. Most importantly, you need to trust each of them.
It is no secret that working with and in diverse teams can be complex and challenging, but staying open about issues and aims while directing them through a clear path and keeping in mind the ultimate common goal is the key to engaging with all the fantastic knowledge, beliefs and experience that a diverse team has to offer. I’ve been lucky enough to experience this at Wayfair, where we are constantly reminded that there is no vision without variety and no success without the celebration of our individual strengths.
At Wayfair, building an authentic and diverse work environment not only forces us to be in charge of celebrating and living with our own identity instead of changing or hiding it, but also to recognise, approve and support our colleagues’ identities, too. It makes a difference when you know there is a common interest in tailoring everyone’s experience with an organisation which helps each unique individual feel at home at work.
