Do you know what makes you interesting?

I heard something recently that in the US, the first question we ask people when meeting them is, "what do you do?" But in other countries, jobs are secondary or even tertiary to who people are, so it would never occur to them to ask this. After all, what you do for a living isn't who you are. It's simply a way to put food on the table. And hopefully the least interesting thing about you.

I'm not suggesting you don't love your job or take great pride in your performance, but if you had to talk for an hour about work or a hobby or passion, which would you choose? And which do you think would help you create greater connections and relationships with those around you?

After all, we LOVE to share what we love. Whether that's hiking, knitting, certain types of exercise, cooking, film, art, music, etc., we could just go on and on about the things we like to spend our time doing (even if we don't spend as much time as we'd like).

So why is this important in the workplace? Business is about relationships and it's hard to form relationships when all you talk about is work, or you simply define yourself by your job. We're seeing a greater push by organizations to encourage individuality at work — finally! (can I get an amen?!)

This is amazing and important for so many reasons:

1. More individuality means more voices and more depth of experience and expertise
2. When people can be themselves, they feel better, perform better and are happier
3. Happier people don't leave jobs, they brag about them and recruit their friends
4. When you feel supported, you want to support others as well

All of this sounds lovely and idyllic. But, if you've spent most of your career leaving yourself at home (even if you now work there), how do you make the shift to being yourself at work? And how do you know if your job will be receptive to that?

Let's start with the second question. If they aren't, well, it might be time to look elsewhere. The job market is smoking hot right now and most organizations are not only valuing this, they're encouraging it.

But in terms of how to make this shift? Gradually. I call this, creating your genuine Personality Brand. In other words, bringing more of the real you into your work, but only the parts that feel comfortable.

I don't expect you to just roll up to the office, or your computer, and be like, here I am! Take it or leave it people.

But, starting to talk about what you did over the weekend, what you're watching on Netflix, what you're listening to (music, podcasts or books) is a great start. It's a great way to start letting some of 'you' to be present at work and start finding those colleagues who share your same passions, or just might be interested in them.

It helps show your humanity and that there's more to you than projects and paperwork. And when your manager or team sees you as more than just your title, you'll likely get invited to more things, and feel emboldened to start asking for the assignments that fit who you are.

This is more than just sharing your hobbies. This is about understanding what you do well and learning how to express that. Chances are the things you do well you take for granted. You assume everyone does this (spoiler alert: they don't). And chances are what you do well relates to those hobbies. The bottom line is that when you feel comfortable being you, the opportunities and possibilities will be limitless.

Want to bring Personality Brand workshops to your workplace? Get the scoop.

And if this resonated with you, I write about Personality Brand and how to bring more you into your message twice a month in my Raising the Bar Newsletter. And when you sign up, you'll get the best Out of Office Messages and how to create your own. Because everywhere is a place for you to be more you. Even at work.