Over the weekend I got to hang out with a very good friend who is also one of the most self-aware people I know. As an award-winning writer and director, he's often asked how he got there and he usually responds with what people aren't ready for (and I know this because I've moderated panels with him in the past and it always cracks me up): you have to learn to say no to things that sound like incredible opportunities but are not for you, and you have to be willing to risk everything for the role you see yourself in.

The power of no is the thing that people always say they resonate with but they don't actually do it. Responsibilities have us say yes to safe bets all the time and that's not a judgment. It's a reality. But what does this have to do with the workplace, you might ask.

I am fortunate to work in two worlds, creative and workplaces, and the older I get, the more the lessons overlap. This past weekend was yet another filled with strife, tragedy, and challenges in the world. If you follow me you know that I don't believe in compartmentalizing the feelings people feel out in the world once they get to work. Severance is a show that shows it's impossible to keep them separate. But I digress. On LinkedIn, the world's largest professional town hall, there was a lot of chatter from people who have been acknowledging this and some who are just now speaking up. I hold no judgment for either. What I do notice though, goes back to what my friend and I discussed.

To be a leader or a powerful voice in these times will not be comfortable and that goes for the workplace too. If you want to be the kind of leader or important voice that allows people to know that you believe in humanity, social justice, equitable access to the resources you need to do your job to the best of your ability and not be judged by phantom fears of others, it will be hard to speak up to let others know how you feel. It will not always be convenient or safe. You will worry about being judged by your fellow executives or colleagues, your future employers, the companies who give you brand deals, the potential customers you might have…the list goes on.

We forget that the HR space, no matter what other people say, is rooted in human resources. Humans being those who work in the company. Sure people say HR is for the company but it's for the company and the people because working is a relationship between the two that we as professionals are supposed to be supporting. So yes, it has been hard to see some people posting business-as-usual content when they're leaving out the human component: the ones who are worried about being taken, being harmed, being unjustly fired, being unprotected. I'm talking about posts focused solely on productivity hacks or leadership tips without acknowledging the very real fears people are bringing to work right now.

I also saw many posts saying "it's ok if you don't know what to say" or "I'm feeling helpless." While I understand the sentiment, this is where the power of no becomes critical. Saying no to posting when you genuinely have nothing constructive to offer is different from posting to announce your uncertainty. As leaders in the People space, our teams need more than our documented confusion—they need us to do the work of figuring out how to support them, even when it's uncomfortable.

I personally just decided to scroll past what doesn't resonate with me. I think this gets me closer to the self-awareness I pride my friend on. I'm willing to let people know that I fight for human existence here on this earth for the time I have and realize that it is a privilege to post People Strategy content without worldly context - it's one that's eroding because the fear and the human conditions are vastly more prevalent than they have been. So I'm taking this risk and letting people know what I stand for. I'm ok with saying no to things that may provide some semblance of safety for now but will likely not be safe in the future as the world shifts to more lived experience and awareness of each other.

So if you are new to being the kind of leader or voice that advocates for others in your People strategy, welcome. Know that there are people who've been doing it for a while and you can support their work, read what they write, and connect with them. What's helpful is how you're going to be impactful in these times that require it since we are all different and all have different approaches.

This is exactly why all of the programs and workshops I put together for Equity Activations are rooted in proactive methods of building this support operationally and embedded in the People things you have to do anyway like hiring, performance reviews, getting managers promoted, talking to your teams in ways that promote healthy productivity, etc. All of these things work (I have testimonials) but they work best when you understand your own self-awareness because they can't change you. Only you can do that.

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