The myth of bringing your full, authentic self to work | Jodi-Ann Burey

Transcriber:

翻译人员: Yuwei Wu 校对人员: Helen Chang

So picture this.

想象一下，

Your friend calls to invite you to a party this Saturday.

你的朋友打电话邀请 你参加周六的聚会，

They say, "Yes, I totally understand that Saturday is Halloween,

他们说：“没错， 我知道周六是万圣节，

but trust me, it's not a Halloween party.

但相信我， 那不是万圣节派对，

October 31 just happens to be the best day when everyone is in town.

只是恰好10月31日 那天大家都在城里。

No, no, no, no.

不不不不，

You don't have to wear a costume.

你不用穿特别的服饰，

It's not going to be like that at all.

完全用不着，

Just come as you are."

就按你最自在的 状态来就行了。”

A party with your friends on Halloween,

在万圣节和朋友开派对，

without having to go through all the trouble of finding a costume,

还不用花时间找万圣节服装，

a costume, mind you, you'll never wear again.

这服饰你顶多只会穿一次。

Oh, you will be there.

好，你决定参加派对。

So Saturday is here.

到周六了，

You head on over in your favorite faded jeans

你穿着最喜欢的 褪色仔裤和酷炫上衣，

and the stylish enough top,

动身前往派对。

quite frankly, you’ve been lounging in all day.

老实讲，白天你是在 百无聊赖中度过的。

You knock on the door.

你敲了敲门，

Out steps these bright red boots,

开门的朋友身穿 神奇女侠服饰，

the perfect accessory to your friend's Wonder Woman costume.

一双亮红色靴子 成为画龙点睛之笔。

Wonder is the exact description of the look on your face.

神奇 ––– 正是你现在的 内心独白。

As you enter the house,

你走进房间，

your eyes dart across a number of cartoon characters,

目光快速扫过众多 卡通角色，

uniformed professionals

几个角色扮演者，

and some unfortunate impersonations of the latest celebrities.

以及一些不太成功的冒牌明星。

You look to your friend for answers,

你想找你的朋友要个解释，

but they're gathering the final votes for the costume contest.

但他/她却在收集服饰 竞赛的最终选票。

The costume contest.

服饰竞赛–––

You, of course,

你自然是，

receive no votes.

一张选票也没有。

Do you feel that?

你作何感想？

That feeling that you have right now?

听到这你是什么感受？

The anxiety, the upset and bewilderment

焦虑、心烦又困惑，

as to how you came to be the odd one out

你怎么又成为 格格不入的那个了？

for just doing what you were told.

明明有按别人说的做，

To come as you are.

按你平常的穿着来。

That's exactly how I feel

这我深有体会，

when I am told to bring my full, authentic self to work.

在当我被告知以自己最 真实的状态来工作时。

"We want people of color to feel like they belong here," they say.

“我们希望非白人的同事 在这里有归属感”，他们说。

"We're looking for passionate people who can bring a fresh perspective

“我们希望看到充满热情的你们 带来新的观点，

to challenge our way of thinking," they say.

挑战我们的思维方式”， 他们说 。

"Our diversity is our strength," they say.

“我们的多元化是一种力量”， 他们说。

"Come just as you are,"

”按你真实的样子来,“

they say.

他们说。

Recruiters, managers, executives, CEOs --

人事、经理、高管 和首席执行官

all those responsible for making decisions.

所有这些负责决策的人。

They say quite a lot.

他们都说了不少。

And perhaps for good reason.

或许有充分的理由。

It's long been the expectation for people like me

像我一样在职场经常被故意、

who have been grossly, often intentionally,

严重忽视的人们，

underrepresented at work

一直以来都被期待着去

to contort ourselves into this caricature of what some call professionalism,

将一种自我丑化视为敬业精神

and what we call a distorted elaboration of white cultural norms

以及我们所谓的 对白人文化规范的扭曲阐述

and the standards that meet the comforts

以及满足那些拥有 社会和制度权力的人

of those who hold social and institutional power.

舒适度的标准。

That's professionalism.

这就是专业。

The invitation to bring our full, authentic selves to work

signals that this place could be the place to safely shed the guise.

We could collect the parts of ourselves we've compartmentalized

我们可以拼接被分割的自我

and trust that our differences will be seen as assets,

并相信独特是我们的财富，

not liabilities.

而非债务。

Seeded in this call for authenticity

为了不再花费全部精力

is this idea that those who don't have to spend all their energy

隐藏自己，

hiding parts of themselves

从而在工作中获得 更多满足，

could find more fulfillment at work.

人们呼吁着真实。

The expectation is that the more we could just be ourselves,

期待着当更多人能做自己，

perhaps, just maybe, others will follow suit.

或许，只是可能， 他人也会随之改变。

The hope is that soon enough

希望不久，

the culture of the entire organization will shift,

整个企业的文化

becoming more inclusive and welcoming of difference.

会变得更加包容， 更欢迎不同。

My type of difference.

我的不同。

So I show up to work as I am,

所以我以自己的 身份去工作，

with my Afro, my family photos,

带着我的非洲式发型， 我的家庭照片，

my disability accommodation needs, my questions, my pushback,

我的残疾人住宿需求， 我的问题，我的反对,

my perspective, grounded in the lived experience

我的观点，这些都是基于

of all my identities.

我所有身份的生活经历。

I show up with this full, authentic self

我以完整、真实的自我

to perform my job with excellence.

出色地完成着工作。

But when the time comes for the stretch projects,

但是当拉伸项目到来的时候，

the promotion, equal pay, recognition,

升职、平等工资、认可、

mentors, sponsors ...

导师、赞助商...

I'm overlooked.

我被忽略了。

"You need to work on being more of a team player," they say.

“你要更有团队精神,” 他们说。

"Your approach makes it difficult to work with you," they say.

“你的态度让别人难以和你合作,” 他们说。

"Try to help others feel more comfortable around you," they say.

“试着为他人着想,” 他们说

"You are hurting your relationships at work

“讨论种族歧视

when you talk about racism,"

对你的人际关系不利。”

they say.

他们说。

No promotion, no mentor, no votes.

没有升职， 没有导师，没有选票。

We cannot compete in the costume contest

没有服饰，

without a costume

我们无法在服装竞赛中竞争，

and expect to win.

更无法取胜。

The call to brave work with more authenticity

呼吁以更真实的方式 勇敢地工作，

undeservedly disadvantages people of color.

不应该使有色人种处 于不利地位。

Those of us who are already burdened

我们这些已经背负着

with the task of chronically battling bias.

长期与偏见作斗争的 重担的人

With precision, the work to shift culture

确切的说，改变的成本

is designed to cost us our own mental and physical health.

是我们的生理和心理健康。

If who we are makes us as difficult as they say,

如果我们的身份让我们像 他们说的那样难以相处，

then this demand for our authenticity compromises our careers.

那么这种对真实性的要求 就会损害我们的事业。

Listen, the fact is this:

听着，事实是：

one person, or even a few people coming just as we are,

一个，或者几个 做自己的人，

cannot change company culture.

改变不了企业的文化。

How would change happen alongside rewards for coded definitions of "fit"?

在对“适合”的编码定义进行 奖励的同时，变化将如何发生?

What difference would it make to allege a value for diversity

在没有任何有意义的证据 支持多样性价值的情况下，

without sustaining evidence of that value in any meaningful way?

宣称多样性的价值 又有什么不同呢?

We know what we're up against.

我们知道我们在对抗什么。

Authenticity has become a palatable proxy

真实性已成为一种令人 满意的替代品，

to mask the pressing need to end the racism, ageism,

它掩盖了我们迫切需要结束 种族主义、年龄歧视、

ableism, sexism, homophobia, xenophobia and the like

残疾歧视、性别歧视、 恐同症、仇外心理等

that run rampant throughout our professional lives.

在我们职业生涯中猖獗的问题。

Without accountability to examine these systems of bias and power,

如果没有问责制来检查这些 带有偏见和权力的体系，

the call for authenticity fails.

对真实性的呼吁就会失败。

It fails to question who is in the room,

它没有质疑谁在房间里，

who sits at that table and who gets to be heard.

谁坐在那张桌子上， 谁有权发言。

It fails to demand that we reveal the truth

它没有要求我们 揭示种族主义

about how racism impacts decisions about who's in the room,

如何影响决定谁在房间里， 谁坐在那张桌子上，

who sits at that table and who gets to be heard.

谁有权发言的真相。

What many people of color find is that even when we are in the room,

很多有色人种的感受是 就算我们在屋里，

sitting at that table,

坐在桌前，

stating firmly, “I am speaking,”

坚定的说，“我在说话,”

very few people are actually listening.

也只有少数人真正会听。

It starts to feel like our bodies are wanted in the room,

我们开始觉得这里 要的是我们的身体，

but not our voices.

而不是我们的声音。

Look, I know what that's like.

听着，我清楚这种感觉。

A couple of years ago,

几年前，

at the end of the senior leadership brainstorming meeting,

在一个高层领导 集思会结束时，

I was called into an unscheduled check-in with an executive.

我被一个主管叫去临时签到。

She sounded enthusiastic

她听起来对我对项目的贡献

about how my contributions helped move the project forward,

很有热情，

so it surprised me when she then suggested

所以当她提出在 未来的会议中，

that in future meetings,

我因该试着变得更加随和，

I should try to be more agreeable

我应该努力变得更随和，

to help give others a win.

帮助别人赢得胜利。

If I did have feedback,

她说如果我任何有反馈，

she advised that I send it over email instead.

我们可以邮件联系。

Honestly, I was taken aback.

老实说，我非常吃惊。

Like, here I was feeling like my contributions mattered,

我曾经觉得 我的贡献在这里是重要的，

that my seat at that table had proved pivotal

我的位置

to the success of our work together.

对团队取得共同胜利是关键的。

Excitedly, I felt a lightness,

我兴奋地看到了希望，

ideating alongside my colleagues without reserve.

毫无保留的和同事一起构思。

The work was riveting.

工作吸引着我。

So I opted outside of my usual guardedness.

所以我放下了戒备心。

I stopped hiding my opinions.

我不再隐藏我的想法。

I worried less about those constricted norms

我更少关心我该如何

of how I should express myself.

按照规范表达自己。

For the first time, I felt like --

我第一次觉得

Like I could take off that costume

我可以脱掉

so many of us have to wear.

穿在许多人身上的伪装。

Clearly, that was a mistake.

很明显，这是个错误。

At the end of her comments, I tried to keep it real with her.

在她讲完后， 我试着对她保持真实。

I said, "Your advice is consistent

我说：“你的建议与有色人种女性，

with the way women of color,

尤其是黑人女性，

Black women especially, are treated at work."

在工作中所受到的对待一致。”

Her response fit perfectly into this three-step framework

她的回应完美的符合

I've now come to know as DARVO:

这个我称作DARVO的三步框架：

deny, attack, reverse the victim with the offender.

否定、攻击、 颠倒受害者和攻击者。

DARVO sounds like this.

DARVO听起来是这样的。

(Clears throat)

（清嗓子）

"Jodi-Ann, this has nothing to do with your race."

“乔迪安，这和你的种族 一点关系都没有。”

Deny.

否定。

"You're just being too sensitive and angry."

“你就是太敏感、太愤怒了。”

Attack.

攻击。

"You know, if you're going to play the race card

“你知道，如果每次 我给你反馈

every time I try to give you feedback,

你都打种族牌，

it's going to make it really hard for us to work together.

我们很难共同工作。

I just want you to be successful here.

我只想你在这里成功。

I'm just trying to support you."

我在试着支持你。”

Who's the victim now?

现在谁是受害者？

Her attempts to gaslight me,

她摆弄我、

to psychologically manipulate me

用心理操纵、

into questioning my own reality

让我怀疑现实的尝试

was futile.

是徒劳的。

Even then, in that moment,

即使这样，在那一刻，

I knew that my experience was not unique.

我知道我的经历 不是独特的。

For too many Black women and other people of color,

太多的黑人女性 和其他有色人种、

people living with disabilities,

残疾人、

nonbinary people, deaf people,

非二元性人、聋人、

LGBTQIA+ people

LGBTQIA+人

and others among us

以及我们当中

that are constantly featured on the "Come work with us" section

经常出现在公司网站 “和我们一起工作”

on company websites,

版块的人来说，

we know this harsh reality intimately.

我们深知这一严酷的现实。

Being authentic privileges those already part of the dominant culture.

真实是属于主流文化特权。

It is much easier to be who you are

当周围的人都和你一样，

when who you are is all around you.

做自己很简单。

Coming just as we are when we're the first,

但当我们是第一个，

the only, the different or one of the few

唯一一个，不同的那个， 或者少数中的一员，

can prove too risky.

做自己太有风险了。

So we wear the costume.

所以我们穿上伪装。

We keep the truer parts of ourselves hidden.

我们把更真实的部分 藏起来留给自己。

We straighten our curly hair for interviews.

我们为了面试把卷发拉直。

We pick up hobbies we do not enjoy.

我们培养自己并不享受的爱好。

We restate our directives as optional suggestions.

我们重申我们的指令 是可选的建议。

We talk about the weather instead of police brutality.

我们讨论天气而不是警察暴力。

We mourn for Breonna Taylor alone.

我们独自为 布伦娜·泰勒哀悼。

We ignore the racist comments our supervisor makes,

我们忽略我们主管发表的 种族主义的评论，

we stop correcting our mispronounced names.

我们不再纠正我们 被念错的名字。

We ask fewer questions.

我们少问问题。

We learn to say nothing and smile.

我们学着保持沉默并微笑。

We omit parts of our stories.

我们省略 我们故事的一部分。

We erase parts of ourselves.

我们抹去自己的一部分。

Our histories and present reality

我们的历史和现在的现实

show this to be the best path for success.

告诉我们这是成功的最佳路径。

But now our society is reaching a new tipping point.

但我们的社会正处于 转折点上。

Inequities,

不平等、

racism and bigotry

种族歧视和偏执

are finding fewer places to cower.

再难有藏身之地。

Silences are becoming harder to keep.

沉默也越来越难以维持。

Our most radical collective imaginations for racial justice

我们对种族公正最 激进的集体想象正在

are reaching new possibilities.

实现新的可能性。

And so I'm asking

因此，我请求

that we, the people who have and continue to be denied inclusion

那些曾经并继续被拒之门外的人们，

in that refrain,

dedicate the authentic fullness of who we are to that work,

把我们的真实充实 奉献给这项工作，

the work of making space everywhere for who we are -- to breathe.

为我们的身份创造空间的 工作——去呼吸。

But just for a moment,

但现在，

let me step away from that work

让我暂时放下手头的工作，

to tell the rest of you this.

告诉大家这个。

Black people do not need to be any more authentic.

黑人不需要更加真实。

So no,

所以不，

this Black disabled immigrant woman

这个残疾的移民黑人妇女

will not be bringing her full, authentic self to work.

不会将她全部的、 真实的自我带到工作中。

But she is asking that you,

但她在恳求你们，

those of you with the power of your positions

有权势地位的你们，

and the protection of your whiteness

被白皮肤保护着的你们，

and other societal privileges you did not earn,

以及其他你并非 经由费力而获得的社会特权，

to take on that risk instead.

来冒这个风险。

There's an opportunity in this movement for change

在这个运动中，

for you to do just that -- change.

你们有机会做出改变。

Not your hearts and minds.

不是你的心灵和思想。

Close the gap between what you say

缩小差距，你所说的话

and how we're treated.

和别人对待我们的方式之间的差距。

Change your decisions.

改变你的决策。

Make working effectively across racial and cultural differences

使跨种族和文化差异的有效工作

a core competency in hiring and performance management for everyone.

成为每个人招聘 和绩效管理的核心竞争力。

Define good product design

将好的产品设计

as one that centers the most underserved people.

定义为以最缺乏服务的人为中心。

Close the racial gender pay gap,

缩小种族性别收入差距，

starting first with Latinx women.

首先从拉丁裔女性开始。

Build responsive people systems

建立反应灵敏的人员系统，

to manage racial conflict with equity and justice.

以公平和正义的方式 处理种族冲突。

These aren't the decisions that shift culture,

这些并不是改变 文化的决定，

but rather a tiny sample of the expansive possibilities

而是你今天， 在下次会议上，

of what you can actually do today,

为实现种族平等的希望，

in your next meeting,

所能做的广泛

to realize the hope for racial equity.

可能性的一个小样本。

You do the work to make it safe for me to come just as I am

你要做的就是让我安全地来到 这里，就像我带着完整的、

with my full, authentic self.

真实的自我来到这里一样。

That's your job, not mine.

这是你的工作，不是我的。

It's your party, not mine.

这是你的派对，不是我的。

You set the rules and rewards.

你设定规则与奖励。

So I'm asking you,

所以我请问你：

what will it take to win in your contest?

得要怎样才能在你的比赛里获胜？

Thank you.

谢谢。