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Low-risk, High-Reward Authenticity
How to answer the call to bring your whole self to work when it feels impossible.
“Bring your whole self to work.”
“Be authentic at work, or better yet, be unapologetically authentic at work!”
You’ve probably heard calls to action like these swirling about for years. I know I have, and I have been utterly swept up in them.
To be our true selves at work is a dream — to not have to shrink to fit, code switch, or be fearful that showing parts of ourselves could be career-limiting is an idea that actually makes my shoulders unclench.
But wait; this call for authenticity is only a dream until we start getting negative feedback — then, it is a nightmare.
“You’re not what I expected.”
“You’ve changed.”
“I never knew this about you.”
“Whoah, can you dial it back a little bit?”
Maybe you’ve leaned into authenticity and heard statements like these. I know I have. Realizing that sharing a piece of ‘the real me’ didn’t land well was like touching a hot stove. Not only did it hurt, but it also made me extra cautious about getting burned again.
