Anthony Landale

Executives often tell me ‘I’m really not like this at home’. So what part of us gets left behind when we walk into work and what are the potential costs of such censorship?

Let me expand by telling you about a senior manager called Colin who I’ve been working with recently. After a particular session Colin spoke up in his group and said this, “I realise that for the past 25 years I’ve been bringing the wrong person to work. I’ve always thought my colleagues valued me for my understanding of the business, my management experience and my engineering know-how. What I now recognise is that the personal Colin, who I only tend to bring out at home, is much more open and engaging. And people in my team have been encouraging me to bring that part to work as well. Why? Because with that Colin they share their ideas more easily, they bring more energy to projects and they feel that much more is possible as a result. It’s now my leadership challenge to bring the whole me to work, not just the person I always thought the business wanted.”

Leadership nudge: Who is the person that you bring to your work and how does your formal work personality shape the conversations, possibilities and energy around you? And what other qualities might you be holding back on which would really benefit your team?

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