“Just be yourself” may be an oft-given piece of advice, but it won’t take you in the right direction as a workplace leader, one psychology of business professor argues.
While authenticity has been linked with increased self-esteem, it can also hamper a leader’s ability know when to stop advocating for one’s personal values and start advocating for their team, Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic, a professor of business psychology at University College London and Columbia University adjunct professor, says in his book Don’t Be Yourself: Why Authenticity Is Overrated (and What to Do Instead).
“Feeling authentic does not equate to being perceived as talented or competent by others,” Chamorro-Premuzic writes in his book, an excerpt of which was adapted for Harvard Business Review online. “Despite the subjective benefits of authenticity, being true to ourselves does not translate into being better colleagues or leaders.”
The return-to-office movement sparked debate not only on work-life balance but on how to integrate or separate one’s personal and professional lives, and the debate is particularly salient for the emerging Gen Z workforce, who managers believe are sorely lacking in the soft skills needed to thrive in the workplace.
