How many of us enter our workplace as our whole selves? How many of us leave part of ourselves right at the door?

“These are my weaknesses; I can’t let anyone see them.”

“These are my deepest values, but this one doesn’t seem to fit in with my organization, so I’ll just leave it right here.”

“This is a future aspiration of mine; I don’t think anyone would appreciate that it has nothing to do with my current role, so I’ll just leave it here as well.”

“I have some ideas for how I could grow here, and I see some potential for my colleague. I’d probably be fired or excluded from the team if I spoke up about either of those, as no one likes conflict here. I’ll just leave it at the door as well.”

Pretty soon, we walk in with half of ourselves, thinking that it’s what we need to do to be our best at work and that it’s what our organization, team or group wants from us. Of course, hiding all of this takes work. As Frederick Laloux said in his book, Reinventing Organizations, “Every time we leave a part of us behind, we cut ourselves off from part of our potential, of our creativity and energy.”

Is this really what our workplaces, our customers and our clients want from us? Part of our potential? Part of our creativity? And just a slice of our energy? I think not, but all too often, leaders and workplaces reinforce practices of separation and fear rather than purpose and wholeness.