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The Newsletter | Edition 047
In our Off-White Papers, we provide practical guidance on how to respond to our rapidly-changing world. This newsletter explores those topics in real-time, with information and action steps on how to make progress now.

IN TODAY'S NEWSLETTER...DON'T DEFINE ME
As people, we're multidimensional. But that multidimensionality often gets muted by one or a few things that consume the most time in our day-to-day lives. And for many of us, that thing is work. So how do we strike a balance? Can we forge ahead with ambitious goals of more ownership or leadership over projects without falling victim to letting them define us? And how do we know that if/when those projects (or jobs) end or change, we won't also lose our sense of identity along with them?
  1. Never underestimate your potentials, from Nora Mestrich
  2. Bring yourself to work day, from Ilana Bondell
  3. Embracing self growth and team energy, from Fabian Castro
This week's topic was submitted by our subscriber, Colin P. If you'd like to be featured, tell us here.

And this time, our illustrations from Lucas Albrecht.

YOU'VE GOT MULTIPOTENTIALITY, BABE

From Nora Mestrich

TL;DR

In Emilie Wapnick’s TED talk, she asks the age-old question, “what do you want to be when you grow up?” It’s one we’ve heard throughout our lives, and as a kid it’s exciting—the possibilities are endless. As we get older though, that question becomes increasingly anxiety-inducing as we feel the pressure to find That One Thing that we devote our life to. But often, we don’t feel the one true calling; rather, we have a multitude of interests that we want to pursue. Being an individual who feels this way—having the desire to pursue a variety of interests—is what Emilie has dubbed a “multipotentialite.”


WHY IT MATTERS

Embracing this pursuit allows us to hone in on what Emilie has described as “multipotentionalite super powers.” The first is synthesis: finding commonalities within your interests and creating something new where they intersect. The second is rapid learning: going very deep, very quickly on topics outside your comfort zone. Finally, the third is adaptability: being able to become whatever type of person is most helpful for a given situation.

These superpowers are things multipotentialites will naturally bring to the table. By encouraging them to continue expanding their horizons and trying their hand at new skills, rather than narrowing their focus to a singular job, multipotentialites are able to tackle complex, multidimensional problems.

ONE THING YOU CAN DO RIGHT NOW

Make space for team members to explore their multipotentionality by allowing them to sit across different projects, categories, and roles.

PRO TIP

Pair multipotentialites and specialists (those who are focused on the thing they’re good at) together on projects. Specialists can go deep and provide rigorous implementation while multipotentialites bring a breadth of knowledge from a variety of inputs.

PUSHING THE BOUNDARIES OF 'TMI' AT WORK

From Ilana Bondell

TL;DR

We’ve been traditionally taught that it’s unprofessional to divulge too much information about our “personal lives” at work. But research shows that truly “being yourself”—in your many hidden layers and complexities, beyond your job title—actually leads to greater impact.


WHY IT MATTERS

While it’s certainly healthy to maintain some boundaries at work, it’s also empowering to realize there are benefits to bringing more of your full self to the table. A meta-analysis of 65 studies on stigmatized identity found that it leads to greater happiness and productivity to share pieces of your identity with coworkers that would otherwise be invisible—for example, mental health struggles or sexual identity. Another Harvard study asked entrepreneurs to pitch to a panel of angel investors, and found that the entrepreneurs who were perceived to be themselves—rather than catering to the investors—were over 3x more likely to be chosen as semifinalists for investment.

ONE THING YOU CAN DO RIGHT NOW

To avoid letting our work define us, encourage team members that it’s okay to expose more of their personal lives at work—and lead by example.

TIPS

  • At your next happy hour or team bonding event, ask your colleagues what profession they’d have if they didn’t do what they currently do.
  • Organize 5-minute “About Me’s” for new hires to share anecdotes about their lives.
  • Play a PG version of “Two Truths and a Lie” to discover surprising facts from your teams’ personal histories.
  • If they feel comfortable doing so, encourage leadership to model openness about their own stereotypically “stigmatized identities.”
  • Challenge teams to avoid talking about the weather for two weeks!

WE'RE ALL STARS, HOW COULD WE NOT SHINE?

From Fabian Castro

TL;DR

The “main character” archetype has become part of internet vocabulary over recent years as a sort of social media update to the “Type A” personality. And as we emerge from the dull isolation of the pandemic, many of us will forge ahead with our own ambitious goals. However, playing a role on a team, and delivering on that role, doesn’t mean we have to lose our "main character energy."


WHY IT MATTERS

While the idea of main character energy might seem antithetical to teamwork, it actually helps boost productivity by integrating the goals of the project, team, and team members so that one’s own ambitions are not lost to the competing interests of others. Creating opportunities and spaces for people to define themselves and the role they hope to play in an organization or project motivates the individual and elevates the work. Organizations that actively embrace personal goals will empower their employees to bring forward more of their own identity and perspective to the work.

ONE THING YOU CAN DO RIGHT NOW

Define your personal goal for any project, and clearly articulate the areas where you hope to lead and support.

WAYS TO MAKE SPACE

  • Project Kickoffs: making space at the beginning of projects is one of the most important moments to ensure our main character identity remains under our own control.
  • Weekly Status: throughout the timeline of any project, new learnings can evolve self-growth goals, so continue to carve out time to track your progress on a weekly basis.
  • Team Share Outs: encourage people to share their current interests across teams and how those have inspired the work they’re creating.

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