Enhancing Team Productivity Through Authenticity

A Manager Told Me ‘I Don’t Care About Your Personal Problems’—Here’s How I Changed the Culture Years ago, a manager told me something I’ll never forget: “I don’t care about your personal problems; they’re not my concern as long as you get the work done.” Those words hit me hard. As a Marine, I learned that leadership isn’t just about getting the job done—it’s about leading the whole person. 💥Did you know 57% of employees say they’d be more productive if their leaders genuinely cared about their well-being? The workplace isn’t just about tasks; it’s about people. Here’s how I’m changing the mentality: 👉 Empathy Over Efficiency: I prioritize understanding my team’s struggles, knowing that a supportive environment leads to higher performance and loyalty. Productivity comes naturally when people feel valued. 👉 Flexible Work Solutions: Life happens, and rigid policies only add stress. By offering flexible work arrangements, I give my team the space to balance their personal lives with their professional responsibilities. 👉 Mental Health Support: We provide mental health resources and promote open dialogue about challenges, reducing the stigma and creating a culture where it’s okay to not be okay. 👉 Celebrating Small Wins: Recognizing achievements, no matter how small, boosts morale. It’s a reminder that their efforts are appreciated beyond just hitting targets. 👉 Lead by Example: I share my own experiences, showing that even leaders have personal challenges. Authenticity builds trust and sets the tone for a transparent work culture. Being a leader means more than managing tasks; it means managing hearts and minds. Let’s build environments where humans aren’t treated like robots but as the valuable, whole individuals they are. #Leadership #EmpathyInAction #WorkCulture #EmployeeWellbeing #MarineLeadership #AIandAutomation

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗴𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗹𝗶𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽? "Leaders must have all the answers." I recently coached a brilliant C-suite executive who spent 70% of her energy hiding what she didn't know. As a queer woman in leadership, she felt crushing pressure to be twice as perfect. Her breakthrough came from a simple truth: 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻'𝘁 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁. 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘆'𝗿𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘁. Here's the leadership paradox that's killing innovation: 📌 The more flawless you appear, the less connected you become 📌 The more infallible you seem, the less trust you build 📌 The more superhuman you act, the less human you feel to others Harvard's research is clear: Psychological safety — the #1 predictor of team performance — dies in cultures of perfectionism. 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀𝗻'𝘁 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝗮 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿. 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝗻 𝗮𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗰 𝗼𝗻𝗲. 4 practical ways to trade perfectionism for presence: 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘃𝘂𝗹𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 ↳ Start meetings with "Here's what I'm still figuring out..." ↳ Share your learning journey, not just your victories 𝗥𝗲𝗳𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝗳𝗮𝗶𝗹𝘂𝗿𝗲 ↳ Ask "What did we learn?" before "How do we fix it?" ↳ Celebrate the courage to try, not just successful outcomes 𝗜𝗻𝘃𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘁 ↳ Replace "Any questions?" with "What am I missing?" ↳ Thank people publicly for challenging your thinking 𝗠𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲 ↳ Normalize reflection with "Let me think about that" ↳ Show that leadership includes listening The results I've seen when leaders embrace this approach: • 2-3x increase in team innovation • Dramatically higher psychological safety • More diverse voices in decision-making • Authentic connections that drive performance 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝘁𝗵? Your team already knows you're not perfect. They're waiting to see if you're present. 🔥 Question for leaders: What might become possible if you stopped trying to be flawless and started being real? Share your experience below 👇 P.S. For more on building psychological safety through radical kindness, check out my Field Notes newsletter (LINK IN BIO)

Executive presence is mostly performative BS that's keeping your best people from speaking up. There. I said it. We've created this myth that leadership means having all the answers, never showing uncertainty, and maintaining some polished facade that makes everyone feel "confident" in your abilities. But here's what actually happens when leaders prioritize presence over authenticity: 1. Your team stops bringing you problems until they're unsolvable. 2. They tell you what they think you want to hear instead of what you need to know. 3. Your most innovative thinkers start looking for the exit because they're tired of telling you what you want to hear instead of doing real work and driving impact. Real executive presence isn't about commanding a room, it's about creating psychological safety where your team can do their best thinking. 3 Easy to Implement Leadership Behaviors: 1️⃣ Admit when you don't know something and ask for help. Instead of pretending to have expertise in every area, successful leaders identify knowledge gaps quickly and leverage their team's strengths. This builds trust and encourages others to be equally honest about their limitations. 2️⃣ Show your decision-making process, not just your decisions. → Walk through your reasoning out loud → Explain what factors you're weighing → Share your concerns that accompany big choices → Ask for input before you've already decided 3️⃣ Replace "executive updates" with real conversations. → Skip the polished presentations where everyone nods along. → Create space for messy, honest discussions about what's actually happening. Your team will respect you more for acknowledging reality than maintaining fiction. The leaders I work with who make this shift see immediate changes: more innovative solutions, faster problem-solving, and teams that actually want to work for them long-term. Is there anything I am missing on this list?