How I successfully became more authentic at work

Let's delve into a topic that has captured the workplace by storm: Authenticity.?

In contrast to previous years, when filters and the portrait of a perfect career dominated social media, it is now all about being 'not fake'. Transparency, honesty, and the open addressing of flaws or polarising opinions and behaviours seem to be the latest trend. This is underpinned by various studies that indicate that authenticity in the workplace has positive effects on our work itself. According to Simmons University's 2021 Leadership Development Survey, participants who reported being able to be authentic at work claimed that:

• They build stronger relationships
• They are more able to do their best work
• They feel more confident, more engaged, happier, and more inspired
• They are more effective and productive

All these benefits sounded enticing to me when I first read the survey results. When I looked into it for a while, I realised that I hardly know anything about authenticity - neither in my private life nor in my professional life. So, I did my research. I listened to podcasts, read articles, googled things and talked to friends.

It turns out to be quite challenging to find the one recipe for becoming more authentic.

As this proved rather frustrating, I tried to find my own recipe or at least relevant ingredients. In the end, I defined three key questions that I wanted answers for:

• Do I have to choose between being adaptive and authentic?
• What are the prerequisites to feel empowered to be authentic at work?
• What does my Authentic Self look like?

Let’s go through each of them.?

Do I have to choose between being adaptive and authentic?

Unavoidable we are shaped as children: Parents, teachers, and society have a huge impact on the way we grow up. Through their influences, we develop beliefs, thoughts, emotions, and behaviours to “fit it”. They keep us acting in the ways we are taught to act. This version of ourselves can be referred to as “The Adaptive Self” - the version that focuses on getting along rather than getting in trouble.?

In comparison to that we have “The Authentic Self” - the version that focuses on living according to its values, pursuing its goals, and fighting for the things that it cares about. Often this version is rather hidden. Hidden under years of living the way we are taught to be. Hidden in our subconscious where it is difficult to identify.

So, do I have to choose between fitting in and standing out?

I don’t think so. In my opinion, both versions of you - the adaptive and the authentic one - have their purpose. While the adaptive one makes sure that we are functioning members of society, the authentic one can help us identify who and how we want to be. Rather than choosing between the two, maybe, the Adaptive Self can form the base that the Authentic Self can build on.

What are the prerequisites to feel empowered to be authentic at work?

According to the Oxford Dictionary authenticity means “the quality of being genuine or true”. That raises the question of how companies can create and maintain a culture and environment for their employees where they feel encouraged to bring their Adaptive and Authentic Self to work.

Harvard Business Review published an interesting article about this question and the importance of Psychological Safety that is connected to it. Psychological Safety refers to “the belief that one can speak up without risk of punishment and humiliation”. When it comes to psychological safety, however, there is one major discrepancy. While companies learn faster and better when employees feel safe enough to speak up, raise ideas, or challenge perspectives, the employee oftentimes gets the short end of the stick.?

The article gives suggestions for solutions to this challenge: Managers can increase the Psychological Safety in their teams by clarifying the rationale for speaking up, issuing targeted invitations for participation, reducing or eliminating punishments, and amplifying rewards.

Last but certainly not least, my favourite question of the three:

What does my Authentic Self look like?

For me personally, becoming more authentic started with a lot of reflection and self-awareness. So, I asked myself: Who am I? What are my values and competencies? Asking yourself these questions can be quite challenging, especially when you don’t know how and where to start.

Guidance was given to me by a good friend who suggested that I should start with general values that resonate the most with me - with me as a person, independent of being at work or with my friends. So, I went on Google, found a list of values, and went through them (link to the list at the end of the article). While going through the list I focused on three questions:

• What are the five to ten values that I feel most connected with?
• Why do they matter to me?
• How do I implement them in my daily life?

Taking the time to sit down with my values gave me a first good glimpse into the Authentic Self buried under expectations from others, things I had been taught to/not to do, and expectations that I had placed on myself over the last years.

Lastly, it is important to say that becoming authentic at work is about trial and error. It takes time and it is an ongoing process rather than an end goal. Even though it will feel easier, in the long run, to be not just adaptive but also authentic, it can feel rather uncomfortable or strange (especially at work) to open up and show the world different sides of you. If the Self that you bring to work is more defined by your Adaptive Self or your Authentic Self is completely up to you. You are in the driver’s seat here. But, it is nice to have a choice.

Sources:

Simmons University's 2021 Leadership Development Survey: https://www.inclusiveleadership.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/The-Importance-of-Authenticity-in-the-Workplace.pdf

Psychological Safety at work: https://hbr.org/2023/04/make-it-safe-for-employees-to-speak-up-especially-in-risky-times

List of Values: https://brenebrown.com/resources/dare-to-lead-list-of-values/?