“For anyone who thinks showing up as your authentic self is easier than putting on a mask, beware,” she said. “You have to make this choice every day, and in every meeting. You have to choose not to pretend, or to say the things you think everyone else will agree with, but to instead show up with a unique thought.”
She said that starts with placing value on your unique contributions. “Even today with the success, title and accolades, it’s still a choice. Plenty of people don’t think I should act the way I do. Lots of people have opinions on that.” She added that leaders have to “allow for other people who perhaps don’t fit the mold to show up,” and that often means using their positions of power to open doors for others