Do Your Best Leaders Show Up as Themselves or their Titles?
Dec 07, 2025
When was the last time someone on your team revealed something personal and it transformed how everyone worked together?
Many people leaders I coach tell me the same thing: "I need to keep it professional." They believe there's a line between who they are at work and who they are everywhere else. They think people want the polished version, the one without doubts or weekend hobbies or the messy middle of being human.
Here's the truth: That line is costing you everything.
Mike Robbins, who's worked with everyone from Google to the NBA, put it perfectly on the Work Positive Podcast: "There's a difference between recognition which is about performance and appreciation which is really about people. We can value and appreciate people all the time irrespective of performance."
Think about it this way. When your people only show up as their job titles—Director of This, Manager of That—you're missing 90% of who they actually are. You're getting their hands and their heads, but not their hearts. And in today's work culture, hearts pump engagement and productivity.
The Inside-Out Leadership Revolution
I've watched this play out a thousand times. A leader finally admits, "I'm struggling with this too." A team member shares a passion project. Someone laughs about a mistake instead of hiding it. And suddenly, the air clears in the room, everyone takes a deep breath, and the work deepens.
Robyn White calls it "leadership from the inside out." On her Work Positive Podcast, she shared her three permissions framework: permission to feel, permission to fail, and permission to fly. When leaders give themselves permission to be human first and title-holders second, they model a Work Positive culture and everyone else does the same.
Research shows that teams with high psychological safety, i.e., people bring their whole selves to work, experience 27% lower turnover and 12% higher productivity. When people feel valued as humans, they stay longer and contribute more.
Your Three-Step Authenticity Practice
Here's how to build this kind of culture tomorrow:
- Share One Personal Thing This Week
Not your entire life story. Just one real thing. Maybe it's what you're reading, or a hobby, or something your family did over the weekend. Watch what happens as you go first. - Ask Different Questions
Stop opening meetings with "What's your update?" Start with "What's energizing you right now?" or "What do you need from us today?" You'll be amazed what people tell you when you ask about them, not just their tasks. - Appreciate People, Not Just Performance
Catch someone being kind, curious, or helpful and acknowledge it. "I noticed you took time to explain that to Sarah. That's who you are." Recognition celebrates what people do. Appreciation celebrates who they are.
The Work Positive Bottom Line
Character-based cultures attract and keep the best people because top talent wants more than a job. They want to become more of who they're meant to be.
Your work culture transforms when you stop managing professional personas and start developing whole human beings. When you create space for people to show up fully with all of their strengths and struggles, dreams and doubts, you build something far more powerful than any org chart could contain.
A Work Positive culture does more than polish. A Work Positive culture puts on authenticity.
What's one thing you could share about yourself this week that would give your team permission to be more human?
Got some burning questions? Ask Dr. Joey here.
Taken from Dr. Joey's newest book, Do Another One Thing: Another 15 Experts Share Their Secrets To Work Culture Success
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