Last week I gave the keynote for Saks Fifth Avenue’s Mental Health Awareness Month event, with their teams from the US and Canada. What I loved about this engagement was that the people leadership team at Saks truly understands the value and opportunity self-worth has in the workplace and also how our mental health is impacted by our imposter feelings and other insecurities.
As we continue meeting with more and more leaders about bringing self-worth into the workplace in a way that not only supports leaders with their insecurities and with building trust, we are also bridging a gap that used to be overlooked or approached with general strategies – leaving the breakdown or gap to still exist.
Trust is Essential When it Comes to Leadership.
Trust is a result of someone being grounded in their self-worth.
Trust and insecurities are complex, yet simple experiences we all struggle with in the workplace. One of the main reasons we struggle with them is due to our emotions.
To be human is to be emotional.
I remember back in the day we were told to check our emotions, and our personal life, at the door when you entered your office. Some even called it emotional baggage… leave it at home. Just think about that for a moment… how does someone leave their emotions at home?
Emotions are a natural instinctive state of mind generated from your circumstances, mood, or relationships with others. So tell me, how is someone able to leave their emotions at home when emotions are a state of mind and not something we can pack into a suitcase?
The value of talking about our emotions and activating our emotional intelligence is a key to staying grounded in your self–worth. Self-worth and trust, specifically trusting yourself and knowing how worthy you are, are the keys to transforming insecurities, yet again, we all struggle with trust… mainly with trusting ourselves, which is what has us feel like an imposter, and doubt our own worth.
Since emotions are a state of mind – when you understand your emotions, what evokes and provokes you feeling insecure [which you experience through your emotions] you can see how trust and self-worth transform our mental strength.
How might conversations around self-worth, trust, and their emotions support you and your people this Mental Health Awareness Month, and beyond?
