Uncovering Authentic Leadership

Authenticity is the path to leadership.

Kenji Yoshino

Authenticity is a desired trait for leaders, but often individuals feel they must hide parts of who they are to be included and accepted. This video brings together Kenji Yoshino, NYU Professor of Law, and Christie Smith, Global Lead, Talent & Organization/Human Potential, Accenture (formerly at Deloitte University Leadership Center for Inclusion), to present a new paradigm for diversity and inclusion. They start with the concept of covering, meaning the process through which individuals feel pressure to downplay their differences in order to fit into the mainstream. Yoshino and Smith then introduce an innovative way to approach inclusion—one that helps individuals share their stories and find common ground.

Discussion Guide

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Key Takeaways

Covering

Tones down a disfavored identity as a way to try to fit better into the mainstream.

Uncovering

Supports organizations to create inclusive environments where leaders are more authentic and employees can bring their whole selves to work.

The Four Axes of Covering

Appearance: Changing your physical presentation.
Affiliation: Downplaying your cultural or personal connections (e.g., parenting, heritage).
Advocacy: Not advocating on behalf of others like you.
Association: Avoiding relationships with others like you.

Strategies to Support Uncovering

Tell your own story: Talk about an area where you have covered or uncovered
Create safe spaces: Create a culture where each person’s unique story is valued and accepted
Be curious about others: Open a dialogue of mutual discovery

Additional Information

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Read more about Authentic Leadership:

Uncovering Talent: A New Model of Inclusion: In their white paper, Christie Smith and law professor Kenji Yoshino explore what it means to "cover" in the workplace and how "covering" can have detrimental effects on individuals.
Fear of Being Different Stifles Talent: Based on a survey of 3,000 employees in over 20 US firms, law professor Kenji Yoshino and Deloitte's Christie Smith found that 61% of these workers faced implicit and explicit pressure to "cover" in some way, resulting in decreased self-confidence, engagment and advancement.
I Came to Duke with an Empty Wallet: A fourth-year Duke University student models "uncovering" by revealing that she is poor, and by describing how a lack of dialogue about class stratification left her feeling shame, fear, and discomfort.
A Silence Hangs Over Gay CEOs: Pointing out that the fear and anxiety of covering can seriously hinder career advancement, this Wall Street Journal article highlights Ernst & Young's video contribution to the "It Gets Better" campaign, which features executives "uncovering" their sexual orientation.
TED Talk: Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie: The Danger of a Single Story: Novelist Chimamanda Adichie urges us to stoke our curiosity about others and remain open to hearing many different stories about one culture, rather than using one story to define one culture.
I, Too, Am Harvard: The "I, Too, Am Harvard" campaign aims to create safe space for exploring and affirming the diversity within the black community at Harvard University.
Covering: The Hidden Assault on Our Civil Rights: In this book, law professor Kenji Yoshino illustrates that while we do not condone outright discrimination, we are still penalizing individuals who do not downplay their differences from the mainstream.

View Uncovering Authentic Leadership References

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