How do you create a workplace environment that actually energizes your team members rather than depletes them? How can leaders channel the power of feedback into a vibrant team that feels ownership of the company’s mission?

Experts often talk about people’s needs for meaningful and purpose-driven work. But what about work that nourishes you, energizes you and brings you joy?

How can you be known beyond your resume and your role at your workplace? How can you communicate with congruence? Who do you want to be as a leader?

What are you worth? What exactly is your value in this world?

Did you feel that? Your throat tightening? Maybe you held your breath? These are questions that many of us do not want to sit with for very long, if at all.

Compassion isn’t always what we think it is. It’s deeper and far more sweet than simply being nice or good, and it can be far more fierce than we realize. Compassion doesn’t always feel good, nor is it always about pain and suffering. Compassion asks us to move beyond the performance of nice, and boldly step into our authenticity as living, breathing humans with a whole library of emotions and experiences. As real leaders, compassion is absolutely central to our ability to influence and grow.

It’s never been easy for anyone to risk separation from their family or community of any kind. And yet, it’s always been crucial for each and every individual to discover their unique and innate gifts in order to share with the world what only they can share. It’s never been easy to be weird–the person who goes against the grain and does something authentic.

Recently, I changed my name from Gangotri to Chanchal. A name change is no small thing, and there is a long story behind it. Without getting into the details of it, one of the reasons I have deeply embraced my new name is the meaning it holds. My name is from the land of my ancestors in India. Translated literally, it means unstable, chaotic, impatient, naughty, playful and restless. As I sat with these words, I felt their power rising up within me.

When you decide to enter a leadership journey through Real Space, whether you want to or not, you get to show up as a whole person. This is not always comfortable. We’re trained to bring only the parts of ourselves that make others feel comfortable to the workplace rather than showing up whole with appropriate boundaries and an ability to respond rather than react.

WHY YOU HAVE TO EMPOWER YOURSELF BEFORE YOU CAN TRULY EMPOWER OTHERS