Lisa Earle McLeod* was once told to hide her true personality when she was at work. She now knows how wrong that advice was.
Can you be yourself at work? Your real self?
If you’re like many people, you probably keep parts of yourself private, away from your colleagues, especially your boss.
In the past, people were actively encouraged to split their personal lives and their professional lives, especially in corporate jobs.
When I was in my first job a mentor told me to refrain from talking about my hobbies or personal life because it would “make me seem unprofessional”.
Times have changed.
Mark Zuckerberg takes paternity leave; Arianna Huffington talks about her yoga.
Forward-thinking organisations encourage hobbies and a personal life.
Authenticity is now a recognised requirement for successful leadership.
Yet the question still remains: Can you really be your true self at work?
It might seem professionally risky to bring your flawed, vulnerable, less than perfect self into your work setting.
However, recent studies reveal that not being yourself can be costly to your organisation and your spirit.
Author Mike Robbins says his research has shown that when we bring our whole selves to work we are more likely to create success and fulfilment for ourselves.
“In addition, we’re able to have the greatest impact on the people around us,” he says.
After the sudden death of her husband, the Chief Operating Officer of Facebook, Sheryl Sandberg said that afterwards she had no choice in bringing her whole self to work.
In his latest book, Bring Your Whole Self to Work, Mr Robbins writes:
“Bringing our whole self to work means showing up authentically, leading with humility and remembering that we’re all vulnerable imperfect human beings doing the best we can.”
Think about that statement in the context of your colleagues.
Would you relate to your co-workers differently if you saw them as the vulnerable imperfect human beings they are?
Would Ned in accounting be so annoying, if you knew he was doing his best in spite of his fears and insecurities?
How would your colleagues relate to you if they knew more about your past sorrows and losses?
Sadly, most corporate cultures are the opposite of genuine connection.
In a 2016 a survey of more than 33,000 people worldwide, only 27 per cent of leaders were seen as behaving in an open and transparent way.
When people don’t trust their leaders, creativity and innovation are stymied.
Mr Robbins outlines five principles to unlock more creativity, connection and performance:
Be authentic; utilise the power of appreciation; focus on emotional intelligence; embrace a growth mindset, and create a championship team.
He says: “Like many important aspects of life, growth and business, it’s not the understanding of these principles that makes the biggest difference, it’s their application.”
Trying to be someone you’re not doesn’t make you more successful, it just makes you tired.
You spend a large part of your life at work; you ought to be able to show up as yourself.
* Lisa Earle McLeod is best known for creating the popular business concept Noble Purpose. She is the author of Selling with Noble Purpose and Leading with Noble Purpose. She can be contacted at mcleodandmore.com.
This article first appeared on Lisa’s blogsite
