How Authenticity Impacts Employee Engagement

Culture starts at the top. If you want your team to show up authentically, you have to go first. Most companies get this wrong. You can’t say “bring your whole self to work!” while being stoic and acting like nothing bad ever happens to you as a leader. It’s just not real. For a long time, I thought leaders were supposed to: ➜ Act like they had it all together ➜ Slap on a smile through the tough times ➜ Never let anyone see problems in the business Turns out, when you lead like that, you unintentionally create a culture where people feel like they have to do the same. And no one thrives in an environment where everyone’s pretending. When Jenny Weeden and I started being more open about what’s *really* happening in our lives and at Accelity, something incredible happened: ➜ Team members started talking more about their personal lives at work ➜ We all got to know each other more and thus were able to give each other more grace ➜ Meetings became more authentic, and frankly, weird 🤣 (we have fun) ➜ Emotional safety became a core part of our culture This is one of the greatest pieces of feedback I’ve ever received about our work at Accelity: “I feel safe here.” That’s the power of leading with vulnerability. If you’re a leader, ask yourself: Are you creating a culture where people get to be themselves? Because it starts with you.

There was a time I thought I had to armor up with a hard, “masculine” persona to be taken seriously in leadership... I believed showing strength meant burying vulnerability, stifling intuition, and pushing aside what made me human. But instead of making me a stronger leader, it made me feel hollow and disconnected, from my team and from myself 😔 𝗜 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝗜’𝗺 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗮𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗲. Many leaders feel this pressure to squeeze themselves into a narrow mold, stoic, detached, always “on.” 🔴 But true leadership really 𝗶𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘄𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝗺𝗮𝘀𝗸. ➡️ It’s about showing up fully, strengths, scars, compassion, grit, and all. When I stopped trying to lead from a script and started leading from a place of authenticity, things started to shift a lot in my personal and professional life. 𝗜 𝗱𝗶𝗱𝗻’𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗯𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗲𝗺𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗰, 𝗮𝗺𝗯𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗻𝘂𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴, 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗰 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗱𝗲𝗲𝗽𝗹𝘆 𝗵𝘂𝗺𝗮𝗻. By embracing all of it, I gave myself 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯 to lead in a way that felt real, aligned... and my team felt it too 💯 It allowed them to do the same for themselves 🙏 𝗔𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝘀𝘁. ➡Trust fuels innovation. When people see you embracing all parts of yourself, they feel empowered to bring their whole selves too. The best teams don’t need leaders who “play the part.” 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗶𝘁, 𝗳𝘂𝗹𝗹𝘆. 🔸 For those feeling the weight of expectations, maybe thinking you need to suppress parts of yourself to fit a role or be accepted, trust me: you don’t. 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗯𝗲 𝗯𝗼𝘁𝗵. 🔺 You can lead powerfully by being who you are, not by cutting parts of yourself away. It’s not about changing who you are to fit into a rigid definition of leadershi but rather 𝗿𝗲𝗱𝗲𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 by showing up fully as your unique self.

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

𝗔𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗰 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗶𝗻 𝗮 𝗗𝗼𝘄𝗻𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗻 𝗕𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗻𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗮 𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆—𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗢𝗻𝗲 𝗤𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 It’s easy to lead when the numbers are up, the energy is high, and everyone’s riding the wave of success. But real leadership? It reveals itself when things take a turn. Leaders have a choice in those moments when uncertainty creeps in and morale dips. Some retreat behind closed doors. Others try to command their way through it. The most impactful leaders do something radically different. They walk into the room, look their team in the eye, and ask: 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗜 𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂? This isn’t about relinquishing responsibility. It’s about stepping deeper into it. It’s about acknowledging the emotional undercurrents that can’t be found on spreadsheets and reconnecting your team to the story that brought them there in the first place. 𝗣𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗱𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝗿𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗮𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗶𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗴𝗶𝗻𝘀. 🔵 They rally around a purpose. 🔵 Around meaning. 🔵 Around a mission they feel part of. And stories—authentic, transparent, human stories—are the vehicle that brings that mission back to life. ➡️ A leader who says, “I’ve been where you are. I’ve felt uncertainty before. Here’s what got me through it…” opens a door to trust. ➡️ A leader who asks, “What do you need from me to do your best work right now?” lays the groundwork for transformation. ➡️ A leader who reminds the team of why they started and what they’ve already overcome reawakens belief. In my work helping leaders craft personal and brand stories, I’ve seen the shift firsthand: ☑️ Engagement rises. ☑️ Creativity returns. ☑️ Commitment deepens. Not because of strategy alone, but because a story was shared, and the leader chose to serve before they led. In a downturn, don’t just manage the moment. Lead with humility. Speak with a story. And always ask: 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗜 𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂? #ServantLeadership #Storytelling #EmployeeEngagement #BrandNarrative #ExecutiveCoaching #TransformationalLeadership

I spent 15 years pretending to be the "perfect CEO." Then I discovered something shocking about authentic leadership - through monks, meditation, and letting go of everything I thought I knew... For over a decade, I built the largest high school sports marketing platform in the US. Raised $20M from VCs. Achieved 50%+ market share. Hit every milestone. But inside? I was slowly dying. Every day I'd put on my "CEO mask" - the polished, hyper-competent version everyone expected. In 2020, I walked away from it all. Without my CEO persona, I realized I had no idea who I actually was. I spent two years searching - meditating with monks, diving deep into consciousness work, trying to find myself. What I discovered transformed my understanding of leadership forever: The more I dropped the mask of perfection, the more people trusted me. The more I embraced my authentic weirdness, the more opportunities appeared. Then I noticed something profound: Your psychology becomes your company's psychology. When you're trying to be perfect, your team feels they need to be perfect. When you're afraid to fail, your team plays it safe. When you're not being real, your culture becomes artificial. Here's what most leaders miss: The path to authentic leadership requires three core shifts: • From control to surrender - Stop rowing, start sailing • From certainty to wonder - See infinite possibility in each moment • From fear to love - Bring full presence to every decision The results are remarkable: Teams feel safe to take risks. Innovation flows naturally. Drama and politics dissolve. Because when the leader stops pretending, everyone can relax into their genius. Here's the counterintuitive truth: The highest performing cultures don't obsess over performance. They focus on clarity, accountability, and safety. They optimize for authenticity over optimization. Your unique weirdness becomes your competitive advantage. Your vulnerability becomes your strength. But only if you're brave enough to let go of who you think you should be. This is the work I do with founders now: Helping them drop the mask. Find their authentic voice. Lead from a place of wholeness. Not because it's trendy. Because it works. When you lead authentically: • Teams naturally align • Decisions become clearer • Growth feels effortless