5 Ways Leaders Can Encourage Employees to Be Themselves

Competition for top talent is a priority for CEOs everywhere. The news is filled with various approaches companies take to attract and retain the best employees, but I believe it comes down to culture. Increasingly, the best people want to join organizations where they can bring their “whole selves” to work. But what does that really mean, and how can CEOs foster that kind of culture?

At Kampgrounds of America, Inc. (KOA), our organizational values align with the “whole person concept.” This recognizes that employees are multifaceted human beings with wholly unique experiences and potential.

It’s a concept that encourages leaders to appreciate each individual team member’s experiences, values, aspirations and professional roles. Parenting, caring for friends and family, navigating relationships, welcoming a new pet, showing up for your neighbors and so much more — we are all multifaceted.

Job descriptions do not encapsulate the whole person and we want our employees to bring everything that makes them distinct into our culture. Likewise, we recognize that employees have lives and interests outside of the office that deserve time and respect. It’s how we thoughtfully promote inclusive and empathetic leadership to build the vibrant culture that is at the heart of KOA.

So how can other business leaders embrace the whole person concept in their organizations? Here are five tips based on my experience:

1. Campfire chats build culture

Create opportunities for employees to interact informally and share what is on their minds. At KOA, I regularly host campfire chats with cross-functional groups of employees. This is an opportunity for us to get to know each other as human beings outside of the demands of projects and deadlines.

As CEO, I recognize the importance of sharing my whole self during each of these chats, but I’m also intentional about actively listening. I learn so much about our employees — and company — every time, and our collective knowledge strengthens human connections across the company. Think about what your organization’s version of the campfire chat could be. Keep it simple, and I promise you will be amazed by what you will learn and the culture-building benefits that will result.

Related: What Makes a Great Company Culture (and Why It Matters)

2. Candor is kindness

Over the course of my career, I have become a big believer in radical candor. Conflict is difficult, but as I’ve grown as a leader, I’ve learned it’s not the enemy. If you need convincing, I highly recommend the book “Radical Candor” by Kim Scott. In a nutshell, this book articulates “how to kick ass at work without losing your humanity.” It was a game-changer for me because it shifted my mindset about providing feedback in tough situations. It’s the key to unlocking growth in people.

When you approach candid feedback from a place of empathy, it’s really an act of kindness. When someone takes the time to invest in you and share insights to help you grow and improve, that’s a tremendous gift.

The more you foster a culture of candor at your organization, the more it will be received that way. Addressing issues head-on is vital to a healthy culture. When things don’t fester, people absorb the lessons and move on, and there isn’t an opportunity for toxicity to take root.

Related: The 3 Biggest Hiring Mistakes You Can Make

3. Health is wealth

Spending time outdoors is essential for human well-being. Spending time in nature equates to improved physical and mental health. You might think a company founded on these values wouldn’t need to spend much time nurturing employee wellness, but we don’t make that assumption. We always seek ways to support and encourage connection to the outdoors for our people, our most precious asset.

I haven’t always been the best at doing this for myself, and I’m honest with our employees. I have struggled with burnout and discuss that openly with others at KOA. I’m aware that people take their cues from what I say and do, so when I take a day off to go fishing or spend time with my family, I don’t hide that.

Early in my career, I sacrificed exercise and sleep for what I thought was the greater good at the time, but the physical repercussions were real. The truth is that I’m not at my best for my family or my employees when I’m exhausted.

Related: The Untold Truth About Mental Health In The Workplace

Mental health struggles are equally real, and I encourage my employees to talk about struggles in their personal lives if they are comfortable. I am working to prioritize exercise better and let my employees see me doing that to empower them to do the same thing. In terms of my own mental health, therapists and executive coaches have helped me at different stages of my career as I’ve balanced growing a company and raising four children.

4. Vulnerability is power

I have found this to be one of the most difficult lessons to learn as I’ve progressed on my leadership journey. Early in my career, I put pressure on myself to be perfect — or at least to project perfectionism to others because of the responsibilities I had or the promotion I was trying to attain. But what I have learned over time is that perfection doesn’t exist, and there is great power in vulnerability. No one was born knowing everything, and CEOs and other leaders can’t be expected to know everything. That’s why we hire smart, talented people and trust them to unleash their expertise.

As a leader, it’s powerful to say, “I don’t know the answer to that” or “I made a mistake.” It might seem small, but it creates a ripple effect and opens the door for others to be honest (remember that radical candor thing?) when there are opportunities to improve. A culture where it’s safe to make mistakes and share vulnerabilities is a healthy culture. And by unlocking that transparency and dialogue, you will create a multiplier effect for growth and learning opportunities. Every CEO is charged with growth and vulnerability is a way to spark growth through culture. There’s a reason Peter Drucker said, “culture eats strategy for breakfast.”

5. Be curious

Leaders should always be curious about their people in the spirit of welcoming the whole person to work every day. Think about the people on your team for a second. Do you know what motivates them? Do you know what inspires them? Do you know what their personal goals are outside of the office? Be a student of your employees and encourage them to learn about their colleagues in that same way.

Intellectual curiosity is one of the things that makes us human. There is always more to learn. Let your employees see you learning new skills, trying a new hobby, traveling somewhere you have never been, experimenting with a new recipe, etc. Being a student of the world and sharing those experiences permits them to do the same and bring their whole selves to work as they evolve.

Culture is always a work in progress, and this is a “peek under the tent” look at how we are thinking about culture at KOA. Keeping the whole person at the center has worked well for us and has applications for others in leadership.