Halloween, masks… and your people at work

Hello Vikki, 

Halloween is here, and everywhere I look I see masks and costumes.

But recently, an in-house lawyer reached out to me asking for something quite unusual: she wanted a mask - and it wasn't for a Halloween party.

She had a challenging work situation ahead and wasn’t sure how to navigate it.

On the inside, she felt “a bit stupid and useless” (her words, not mine - and I know she is neither). On the outside, she wanted to be seen differently: as someone whose contributions mattered, whose voice had value.

So we created a mask together. Not a false one, not a disguise - but a way of drawing forward parts of herself that were already there. 

We began by exploring how she wanted to be seen, and then found some small, do-able behaviours to help her step into that presence:
✨ Standing up to greet people entering the room.
✨ Offering her hand to shake first.
✨ Using Amy Cuddy’s principle and techniques behind her “fake it until you become it.” 

(I can send you the Ted Talk if you you want to see it too!)

This lawyer realised she could do this - she could bring a different energy if she chose to.  She took some time to understand herself on a behavioural level.

You see, we all have different personality preferences - this is rooted in Jungian theory - and they show up in the way we behave. For example:

❤️ Driving forward with urgency and determination.
💙 Seeking clarity, detail and structure.
💚 Supporting others and keeping the team together.
💛 Bringing optimism, creativity and warmth.

We all have access to all four of these preferences, which all operate on a continuum - but usually lean more heavily on some than others. This lawyer naturally led with her calm, supportive side. But in this moment, she wanted to bring forward a little more confidence and spark. So we helped her dial up her red and yellow behaviours.

This framework is called Insights Discovery, and it’s one of the tools I use in coaching to help leaders and high performers. It’s not about becoming someone else. It’s about remembering the strengths already within us - and choosing which ones to bring forward more visibly.

(And just to note: when I talk about “masks” here, I’m not referring to masking in the neurodivergent sense, which is a very different experience.)

So, as the world puts on costumes and masks today, here’s my reflection for you:

- Which strengths could you bring forward more visibly - in yourself, or in your people - to help them thrive in moments that matter?

With warmth,

Vikki x

P.S. If you’d like your people to have this same awareness - to see their natural strengths and know how to dial them up or down - let’s chat about how I use Insights Discovery in 1:1 and group settings.

Think this would be helpful to someone else? Do forward it on!