McRea Consulting

Life is messy. Work is messy. And sometimes, showing up as your full self feels impossible.

Recent research shows 𝟳𝟯% 𝗼𝗳 𝗲𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗼𝘆𝗲𝗲𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝗮 𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗴𝗴𝗹𝗲—𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗼𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝟮𝟳% 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗹𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝗶𝘁 𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸. Why? Judgment, fear of retaliation, feelings of not being “enough.” And that all comes at a cost: burnout, stress, reduced contribution, and missed opportunities to connect and shine.

Insights I’d like to share:

✅ 𝗢𝘄𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿y – Share experiences in ways that inspire, not retraumatize. Your challenges can be a powerful teacher for others.
✅ 𝗢𝗳𝗳𝗹𝗼𝗮𝗱 – You don’t have to carry it all. Delegate, ask for help, and free up space to focus on what matters.
✅ 𝗦𝗵𝗶𝗳𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗱𝘀𝗲𝘁 – Stop measuring yourself by what’s missing (“gap thinking”). Celebrate progress and what you’ve already accomplished (“gain thinking”).

Allies help you shift focus from what’s holding you back to what’s possible. By leaning on support, letting go of what you don’t need to carry, and reframing your mindset, you can reclaim clarity, energy, and show up authentically at work.

Your turn: How often are you showing up as your full self at work? Are you masking struggles? Can you offload, share your story, and celebrate progress instead of fixating on gaps?

Authenticity isn’t perfection. It’s courage. And it’s possible—even when life is hard.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/juliekratz/2024/11/10/how-to-show-up-authentically-when-life-is-hard/

How To Show Up Authentically When Life Is Hard Feeling unable to show up authentically when life is hard? Here's the fix: know you're not alone, craft an inspiring story, offload burdens and shift your mindset.

We’ve all been in that meeting.

The leader asks, “𝘈𝘯𝘺 𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴?” …and silence.
People shift in their seats. Cameras stay off. The ideas stay in people’s heads instead of being shared out loud.

That’s what a lack of 𝗽𝘀𝘆𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝘀𝗮𝗳𝗲𝘁𝘆 looks like. And it’s costly.

When people don’t feel safe to speak up, teams lose out on innovation, honest feedback, and trust. But when they 𝘥𝘰 feel safe? Everything shifts—collaboration deepens, mistakes become learning moments, and new ideas actually see the light of day.

A few shifts I see making the biggest impact:

✨ Leaders who show vulnerability—owning mistakes, asking for feedback, sharing challenges.
✨ Teams where openness and collaboration are actually recognized in reviews, not just talked about.
✨ Leaders who are trained to listen deeply and create inclusive spaces where every voice matters.

At the end of the day, people want more than just a paycheck. They want to feel valued, heard, and safe. And the leaders who get this right? They’re building organizations that can adapt to anything the future throws at them.

💬 Think about a time when you worked on a team where it 𝘸𝘢𝘴𝘯’𝘵 safe to speak up? What difference did it make?

How to create a culture of psychological safety at work How to create a culture of psychological safety at work

𝗧𝗿𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗲𝗮𝘃𝗲𝘀 𝗽𝘂𝗿𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻.

Without it, collaboration breaks down. Burnout rises. Innovation stalls.

And yet—most leaders are never taught 𝘩𝘰𝘸 to talk about trust in a way that’s actionable.

That’s why I love Charles Feltman’s framework in 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘯 𝘉𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘰𝘧 𝘛𝘳𝘶𝘴𝘵.
He breaks trust down into four core behaviors:
🔹 𝗖𝗮𝗿𝗲
🔹 𝗦𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆
🔹 𝗥𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆
🔹 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲

This matters—because when we treat “trust” as one vague concept, we miss the chance to name 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 trust is strong and 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 it needs repair.

𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲’𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁:
Trust isn’t a personality trait. It’s a learned skill.
And as leaders, we can build it with intention—especially when we delegate.

Feltman reminds us:
✔️ Don’t just assign a task—describe what “done to my satisfaction” actually looks like.
✔️ Be clear about the 𝘸𝘩𝘺, not just the 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵.
✔️ Make space for feedback and learning, not just delivery.

Teams are fueled by purpose—but trust is what keeps the engine running.
And like any essential function, it needs attention, repair, and care.

💬 What’s one trust-building behavior you want to lean into this year?

Let’s talk about how to lead with more clarity, courage, and connection.
Because in this work, trust is everything.

Trust at Work: Unlocking Team Success and Productivity Explore how building trust in the workplace can drive team success and productivity. Learn actionable strategies to create a high-trust culture.