Part 7 – AuthentiCITY @ Work?

Coke or Pepsi?  Yankees or Red Sox?  Team Edward or Team Jacob?  Blue Dress or Gold Dress?  These are some popular opinion topics.  Now one a bit more relevant to LinkedIn, should we be fully authentic at work or not?  I imagine there is going to be people on both sides of the authenticity debate, as there is each of the other topics above.  That is a good thing, and I hope we can have a good, professional dialogue around it. 

This topic is incredibly important to the engagement of today's workforce and the workforce of the future.  I have been setting up this debate as some could probably argue my personal story is not relevant on a professional platform, but I thought it was important to first provide context through what I had (and likely many have) going on in our personal lives that is impacting our work AND may or may not be talked about.

As can be imagined by Parts 1-6 of this series, I did not bring my authentic self to work for approximately 24 of my 26 professional years.  I portrayed outwardly as if I had it all together, despite falling apart inwardly on a routine basis.  I was still high-functioning (part of the problem); however, I cannot remember a time where I was truly bringing my fully authentic self to work.  I robbed and limited myself, my employer and my peers by doing this.  I was always hiding behind a mask because I was embarrassed to admit some of my personal behaviors, feelings or opinions.  The lost productivity after the previous night’s drinks definitely occurred, but there was also the going along with opinions I didn’t necessarily agree with; being quiet when I witnessed questionable decisions; not discussing how something made me feel because I felt emotions weren’t really important at work.  Guilty, guilty, guilty.  I was fearful and ashamed of what people would think of me if I did any of this.  I wish that were not the case, but now that I know better, I am doing better (thank you Maya Angelou!) 

So, the question becomes, do workplaces really want fully authentic employees or is it more efficient, more productive and neater to just separate the two (as I did successfully for so long)?  I can argue both sides, and there certainly is no definitive answer or solution here.  The conversation is what is important today.  As is probably no surprise, my emphatic opinion is that we SHOULD welcome full authenticity in the workplace; however, I would like to consider other viewpoints.  I also feel as if many leaders and organizations are not adequately prepared or adjusted for it.  I think many still fall into past patterns of behavior, which perpetuates the same types of masks, limitations and norms that I was accustomed to.  This is somewhat understandable, but that does not mean it is right.  So, how do we change this?  Lastly, just because I want to be more authentic at work, I know for a fact that not everyone does.  So, where is the balance and what do we as individuals, leaders and companies do moving forward?

Please offer up your thoughts regarding authentiCITY @ work.  Agree/disagree/depends?  Do you have any strategies and cultural markers you have seen work to support employees/leaders be more authentic at work?  Have you seen any data that validates either side?  Do you have any other perspective you want to add to the conversation?

I look forward to any additional comments, and I will continue to examine this in future posts.  Please remember that in AuthentiCITY, the only requirement for citizenship is the commitment to embracing YOU.  Welcome home Mayor!