Ep 24 Discipline, Authenticity, & Bringing Your Full Self to Work with Nikki Gibson

In this episode of Career Thrivers, Brittany Cole speaks with Nikki Gibson, Nashville Site Director/HR Consultant & The North America Regional Pride Lead at Dell Technologies.

Our last three episodes dove deep into the first three letters of our word for 2021, BOLD: Belief, Ownership, and Leadership. Today, we discuss the four and final letter: Discipline.

When we consider what it means to transform not only the culture but also the infrastructure of an organization to be more equitable, discipline is a skill that doesn’t often get discussed. We tend to get so caught up in big-picture ideals while spending much less time on the day-to-day steps to actually making those ideals a reality.

Discipline is the practice of educating and training ourselves to adhere to a code of behavior when an alternative is more comfortable. The work of diversity, equity, and inclusion, at the end of the day, boils down to moving beyond what’s comfortable toward a prescribed action. For leaders of an organization, this means giving our employees the education and resources as well as the accountability to change their behavior on a company-wide scale.

Listen in as our guest Nikki shares her perspective on living authentically, bringing your full self to work, and how leaders can use their power for good in the workplace.

Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn: 

●      Three ways to develop discipline

●      Developing thick skin to embrace what sets you apart

●      Why authenticity allows you to bring your full self to work

●      The importance of finding your tribe

●      Bringing your full self to work while maintaining boundaries around your values

●      How organizations can educate their employees to embrace authenticity

●      Creating workplaces where employees feel they can be 100% engaged

●      How leaders can be more inclusive in the workplace

●      What being a thriver means to Nikki

Memorable Quotes:

“You have to really be careful about who you let in close to you, how to focus on what’s important in your life, and take control without expecting others to do it for you.”

“Relationships are the foundation for everything. It’s the core of everything.”

“If you cannot be authentic and be your true self, you leave a portion of yourself out of work. If you can’t bring your whole self, you can’t be 100% engaged, you can’t be 100% creative, you can’t be innovative, and you can’t live your passion. If you can’t live your passion at work, then you need to find something else because you’re not going to be successful.”

“No matter what the company is, you’re in the people business.”

“Companies need boundaries to manage behaviors and ensure that team members are respectful and working within the company values. But boundaries are also important for creating a work environment where everyone can be successful and win the right way.”

“We have to stop thinking about having a seat at the table. That cannot be your goal. What needs to be your goal is what you’re going to do once you get there.”

Connect with Nikki on LinkedIn.

Order Your Signed Copy of Thrive Through It here: brittanyncole.com/shop