Ever wanted to share your opinion, but been scared to because of what people would say about you?I desperately wanted to join more work conversations, but feedback like this stopped me..."You're so blunt!""Maria has expressed she feels uncomfortable asking for your support because you're too direct. We are treating that as a complaint.""You need to soften your delivery."When you repeatedly get told things about yourself, eventually you start to believe it. Or, at least I did.When I first entered formal leadership, I enrolled in courses to help me "fix" the way I spoke. Without exception, the facilitators told me there was nothing to fix. My experience had taught me otherwise, so I continued to mask my natural communication style to be less direct, more "fluffy" and socially acceptable. To feel included.A couple of decades later, I've got a better understanding of my neurodiversity and I'm slowly working towards removing that mask, but it's almost harder to unwind intentional habits than it was to cement them in the first place. But it isn't just working at changing my communication style.It's the realisation that I was never "too" much of anything. It's the understanding that leadership failed me in not accommodating my diversity, or adjusting for my needs. If you're ready to lead people respectfully, by empowering them to be authentic and feel included, slide into my DM's and we'll kōrero about how I can support you to do that.--I'm Sel, an inclusive business specialist and coach and I'm more than a little obsessed with tearing apart social constructs and empowering people to achieve success on their terms.Authentic connection requires feeling safe, safe to express ourselves with honesty without fear of repercussion for saying the unpopular things.I talk a lot about overwhelm and well-being because I've experienced what happens when we don't compensate for these. I talk about poor mental well-being and how it can impact those around you, because we don't talk enough about the isolation that comes with this or how workplaces can contribute towards it (even unintentionally). Inclusive business can help to combat these issues. When people don't have to hide any part of themselves, they feel safer and there are less barriers to getting support.That's the real power we should be pursuing in business. The power of people centred mahi, community led development.