The Art & Science of Disclosure at Work

I’ve lived with anxiety my entire life.  I can think of exactly 5 people in the workplace I’ve ever shared that with.  Why?  Mostly fear.  Fear that it would be hard for others to see me as a leader.  Fear that it might be used against me when promotions came along.  Fear that others might think less of me.  Fear that surely no one would trust me as a coach if they knew about my panic attacks.

And yet, in the last 6 months I’ve seen so many senior leaders share their personal struggles with mental health on this platform. And in my 30+ year career, I’ve had multiple senior leaders and colleagues disclose very private information with me about their life.  And not once have I ever thought less of them.  I ADMIRED them. 

How brave, determined, and innovative they were to manage so much paperwork with a learning disability. How amazingly strong they were to return to work after a bout with depression.  How determined and hardworking they were to make it to a supervisory role without knowing how to read. 

Secrecy takes energy and it also eliminates the opportunity for others to be helpful.  I think this is where the “art and science” of disclosure comes in.  You might disclose because you do want some support.  Or you might disclose because you want your team to know that bringing your whole self to work is okay.  And maybe, you just feel most comfortable remaining private.

I like the new transparency that is emerging post pandemic. We’ve all experienced grief and massive amounts of uncertainty and there is something about this shared experience that has opened the door to talk more openly about mental health. Yes, I have anxiety.  And yes, I’m still good at my job.

If you’d like to follow me on Instagram where I’m “cartooning” anxiety and other mental health challenges, I’d love to see you there.  I’m also pondering a research project for leaders on this topic.  Please drop me a line if you think this is an interesting topic to explore.