Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon came under pressure from his board just before the pandemic when it emerged that he DJ-ed at music festivals in his spare time.

Long before Solomon became the bank’s boss in 2018, he had been DJ-ing at music festivals for years under the name DJ D-Sol. The board was reportedly uneasy about Solomon’s extracurricular activities and whether it brought the bank unwelcome attention.

Sheryl Miller, founder and director of Reboot Global, will be sharing his story among others in her session at the ICAEW annual conference in October. Everyone benefits from inclusion, she explains. It is really about benefiting from being in a space where we are free to be ourselves, regardless of background or elements of our identity, whether or not they are positive or stigmatised stereotypes.

Miller points to Uncovering culture: a call to action for leaders by Deloitte, which surveyed more than 3,000 individuals about whether they ‘cover’ or ‘mask’ certain traits and characteristics about themselves at work. Interestingly, the 2023 research found that leaders are ‘covering’ more than everybody else in organisations.

“There’s clearly an issue with leaders not feeling that they can be themselves for whatever reason. So, I want to talk squarely to leaders about how they can have the courage to be themselves at work. By leaders role-modelling, being themselves, being vulnerable, that then gives other people in the organisation the permission to do the same,” says Miller.

Bringing our whole selves to work

Leaders should be comfortable sharing some of the things that they do outside of work, says Miller. Those are the things that bring us joy and make us a lot more rounded. “David Solomon is a really interesting example of that; you can be the CEO of a global organisation and have outside interests that some people might think are a bit frivolous. It’s about having the courage to do that and just own it and be public with it even in the face of criticism from peers.”

So, what is holding back greater workplace diversity and inclusion? Miller suggests there could be a generational element to resisting change in this sphere. Some might see stoicism as a virtue and that private things should stay private. Company culture also plays a part. 

However, Generation Z and younger generations are more comfortable about bringing ‘their whole selves’ to work and don’t want to leave their interests and hobbies at the door. If workers can bring their authentic selves to work they are less likely to be affected by mental health challenges and are less likely to take time off work, says Miller.

Ubiquitous masking 

Deloitte’s research shows that despite increased attention on DEI over the past 10 years, ‘covering’ remains “ubiquitous and continues to have a significant negative impact”. Indeed, 60% of workers surveyed report covering at work over the past 12 months, according to Deloitte.

Even white men report covering at a high rate (54%), with Deloitte reporting reasons for this such as sexual orientation, mental or physical disability, age and socioeconomic status.

Miller points to some of the pressures on men in very senior leadership positions, particularly those who have grown up in a traditional culture where men have to be successful, a provider and the breadwinner.

“Now, going into a culture where different things are expected, there is a lot of pressure. Not being able to talk about some of those things or live up to those traditional stereotypical norms, and the pressures of that, definitely has an impact on our mental wellbeing. In a work environment where expectations are different, that creates a lot of internal turmoil,” she says.

The world of work has changed and is continuing to change as different generations with different views and expectations are thrown together. But instead of firing up the culture wars, organisations need to create a more nuanced debate around people’s values and beliefs.

“The challenge is to create workspaces where, even when people do have different views, even if some of those views might be considered old-fashioned, how organisations can still create spaces where those individuals can be themselves and create cultures where people aren’t constantly being told off or having fingers wagged at them. We need to create space for more grace; a better learning environment,” Miller says.

It’s time for greater patience and calm in the workplace, Miller says. Leaders need to take the first step towards change for the benefit of themselves, their staff and their organisations.