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The Mask We Wear
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Leadership Point of View: Conversations with Alkema & Friends
Season 4, Episode 2: The Masks We Wear
In this powerful and deeply personal episode of Leadership P.O.V: Conversations with Alkema & Friends, Leadership Coach Alkema Lewis invites listeners into a quiet moment before a major presentation. Standing in front of a mirror, jacket straightened, notes in hand, she wasn’t checking her appearance. She was checking whether she looked like a leader.
Confident. Composed. Unshakable.
Inside, she felt uncertain. Tired. Pressured to perform.
That moment became the doorway into a courageous conversation about performative leadership. Not deception, but protection. Not dishonesty, but survival. It is what happens when the role begins to overshadow the person. When we lead for approval instead of authenticity. When strength becomes performance rather than presence.
In The Masks We Wear, Alkema explores three common leadership masks:
The Fixer
When worth becomes tied to solving every problem. What begins as helpfulness quietly turns into burnout and dependence. Leadership shifts from empowering to rescuing.
The Expert
When knowledge becomes armor. Competence creates credibility, but hiding behind expertise can isolate us from connection and collaboration.
The Perfectionist
When excellence quietly transforms into exhaustion. Flawlessness feels safe, yet it often steals peace and authenticity.
Through heartfelt stories from her own leadership journey, Alkema reveals how each mask once felt like strength but eventually became a barrier. She reminds us that leadership is not about impressing people with performance. It is about building trust through presence.
This episode invites you to pause and reflect:
• Which mask do I wear most often?
• Where did it come from?
• How has it served me?
• What might shift if I led without it, even for one day?
Because when we remove the mask, we do not lose our strength. We rediscover it. And in doing so, we create space for others to lead freely, honestly, and fully seen.
Discover Your Leadership Identity
How do you lead when the pressure is on?
Take the “What Kind of Leader Are You Under Pressure?” assessment and uncover how you naturally respond in challenging moments.
Then, go deeper with the "Leadership Identity Reflection Journal" — a guided tool designed to help you pause, realign, and grow in self-awareness and integrity.
Connect with Alkema
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thealconsulting/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/alewisconsulting
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@coachalkemalewis
#LeadershipPOV #TheMasksWeWear #AuthenticLeadership #UnmaskingLeadership
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By Alkema LewisHey Friends! Send us a text!
Leadership Point of View: Conversations with Alkema & Friends
Season 4, Episode 2: The Masks We Wear
In this powerful and deeply personal episode of Leadership P.O.V: Conversations with Alkema & Friends, Leadership Coach Alkema Lewis invites listeners into a quiet moment before a major presentation. Standing in front of a mirror, jacket straightened, notes in hand, she wasn’t checking her appearance. She was checking whether she looked like a leader.
Confident. Composed. Unshakable.
Inside, she felt uncertain. Tired. Pressured to perform.
That moment became the doorway into a courageous conversation about performative leadership. Not deception, but protection. Not dishonesty, but survival. It is what happens when the role begins to overshadow the person. When we lead for approval instead of authenticity. When strength becomes performance rather than presence.
In The Masks We Wear, Alkema explores three common leadership masks:
The Fixer
When worth becomes tied to solving every problem. What begins as helpfulness quietly turns into burnout and dependence. Leadership shifts from empowering to rescuing.
The Expert
When knowledge becomes armor. Competence creates credibility, but hiding behind expertise can isolate us from connection and collaboration.
The Perfectionist
When excellence quietly transforms into exhaustion. Flawlessness feels safe, yet it often steals peace and authenticity.
Through heartfelt stories from her own leadership journey, Alkema reveals how each mask once felt like strength but eventually became a barrier. She reminds us that leadership is not about impressing people with performance. It is about building trust through presence.
This episode invites you to pause and reflect:
• Which mask do I wear most often?
• Where did it come from?
• How has it served me?
• What might shift if I led without it, even for one day?
Because when we remove the mask, we do not lose our strength. We rediscover it. And in doing so, we create space for others to lead freely, honestly, and fully seen.
Discover Your Leadership Identity
How do you lead when the pressure is on?
Take the “What Kind of Leader Are You Under Pressure?” assessment and uncover how you naturally respond in challenging moments.
Then, go deeper with the "Leadership Identity Reflection Journal" — a guided tool designed to help you pause, realign, and grow in self-awareness and integrity.
Connect with Alkema
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thealconsulting/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/alewisconsulting
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@coachalkemalewis
#LeadershipPOV #TheMasksWeWear #AuthenticLeadership #UnmaskingLeadership