How I learned to show up as the real me

A fun game I like to play is to ask a colleague or someone close… ‘If XYZ is your stage name, what is your real name?’ Perhaps it’s a reference to my father's career. His media name was Hal, yet his real name was William (or Bill to his family). One of the great mysteries of my life… Hal???

We have many stage names or wear many masks, don't we? Larry the Leader, Fred the Football Fanatic, Charlie the Charmer, Sad Sam, Happy Harry, Workout Will. Whether it's our stage name, our professional persona, or even just the version of ourselves we present on social media, we all have these masks we wear.

It’s worth honouring the roles that these masks play. 

While these masks may serve us well, it's easy to get caught up in the personality of the mask. 

So who is that special person that comes out when the curtains close?

At our core, we're all brilliant in our own unique ways and more similar than dissimilar behind it all. In the grand theatre of life, we are really no different to a movie star, rock star or sports star. I have met plenty, and beneath the glitz and glam, we're all human. We all have our struggles, our fears, our imperfections. We all have moments when we can't sleep at night when we doubt ourselves and want to stay away from the world.

And that's okay. It's okay to be real. Because that's where true connection happens - in those moments of authenticity, when we let down our guard and show who we really are.

So, I want to challenge you today to embrace the real you. Take off the mask, let go of the persona, and allow yourself to be seen, exactly as you are. Because when you do, you'll find that you're not alone. We're all in this together, navigating the beautiful messiness of life, one authentic moment at a time.

Here's to being real, being vulnerable, and being unapologetically ourselves. Moving from leadership to great leadership.