Code Switching. Let’s Talk About It.

In corporate culture, we are constantly trying to figure out the balance of just being ourselves and being “professional”.

For some reason we view being professional as needing to put on this face that is a completely buttoned up manner, much like a robot 🤖

While I completely understand how this happens, it leads to us becoming emotionless and tone deaf. This is the short term effect.

The long term effect is much worse - you begin to lose a sense of who you are. Everyday that you code switch to your corporate tone you slowly lose a sense of who you are. This doesn’t happen overnight. It happens with days, weeks, and months of being in roles that put us in positions where you feel the need to be constantly “proper”.

Now listen don’t get me wrong, we need to be professional, kind and courteous in our work places, with our teams and speaking with clients - but I think we need to remember to also relax and try to just be ourselves too. No, you don’t have to drop eff bombs when speaking or start dropping whatever TikTok lingo, but we do need to strike the balance of using our voice in a way that at least brings out how we really feel about any conversation while not falling flat with tone deafness or robotic corporate speak.

Here are some ways you can bring out a more authentic side of you in your corporate team.

1️⃣ Find co workers that you truly genuinely feel comfortable speaking with and LET GO of the jargon and the clean cut tone.

2️⃣ Raise your awareness. Ask for feedback about how you sound from your team. Don’t take it personally because as we know in life everyone views us differently. Just take it as a data point and build awareness.

3️⃣ Film yourself speaking. Yes, it’s cringing. Yes, it’s difficult but the more you start to see yourself the way others might see you then you can start adjusting your tone and presence.

4️⃣ Stop caring so much about what others thing of you. Co-workers, clients, managers whoever. The more you care what they think of you, the more you will stay stuck in a fearful mindset. Listen the more you fear the more easily controllable you are.

5️⃣ Be yourself both in and out of the office. This isn’t easy but think of it this way: We spend 8 hours a day at an office and then we go home to our friends and family. Isn’t that exhausting to need to code switch that often a day? Wouldn’t you rather just be yourself for the entire day?

I was guilty of code switching for most of my career until I started to work with teams that made me feel okay with simply being myself. That changed my confidence for the better. Be honest with yourself - how much of a code switcher are you?

Here is an actual photo of what I feel and look like most of the time. I don’t care if I’m speaking to a client, my team mates or I’m at a networking event: be yourself or lose yourself. It’s up to you.