Bring your authentic self to work — or not?
After reading a Daily Mail article about Nick Clegg’s early days at Meta, I’ve been reflecting on the phrase “bring your authentic self to work.”
Apparently, he joked to staff:
“Please don’t bring your authentic self to work. Bring your inauthentic self to work from nine until five, then be as authentic as you like in the evenings.”
It landed badly. The room fell silent.
Perhaps he meant it as humour, but it misses the point. Why would any leader want to surround themselves with inauthentic people? Relationships built on pretending are rarely meaningful or productive.
That said, authenticity isn’t simple. Do we really want everyone to “bring their whole selves”? Do we want political views or personal beliefs expressed in ways that cause harm or tension? Probably not.
As Brené Brown reminds us, authenticity and vulnerability are about courage and connection — not oversharing or abandoning professionalism.
So maybe the real question is: Are we creating the kind of workplaces where people can bring as much of their true selves as they wish to?
- Do people feel safe to share personal aspects of their lives if they want to?
- Do colleagues step in when someone’s interrupted or dismissed in a meeting?
- Do leaders give feedback with both care and honesty (what Kim Scott calls radical candour)?
And if “bring your authentic self to work” has become an empty slogan, perhaps it’s time for alternatives that express what we actually mean.
Here are a few that resonate with me:
- “Be yourself, within shared values.” – Recognises individuality and accountability.
- “Bring the parts of you that help you thrive.” – Acknowledges choice and agency.
For Chief People Officers:
- How often do you repeat the phrase “authentic self” without thinking about what it really means?
- What cultural norms are you reinforcing when you say it?
- What might you say instead?
There’s no neat answer here. Most of us are simply trying to find our way through the messy middle — balancing individuality with respect, and authenticity with professionalism.
Chief Executive Officer @ Kriselaengineering | WordPress, Financial Analysis
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Strategic Advisor to CHROs & Reward Leaders | Bridging Health Data & Sustainable Human Performance | Former Global Head of Benefits & Wellbeing | ex-BCG | ex-Aon | ex-Team GB cyclist
2wThis Brené Brown quote truly resonates — authenticity and vulnerability are about courage and connection, not oversharing or abandoning professionalism. I hope more workplaces empower everyone to bring the parts of themselves that help them truly thrive. It’s about wise connection, thoughtful boundaries, and creating cultures where people feel safe to show up as their best, most thriving selves. That’s where the power of real inclusion lies: not in bringing everything, but in championing the qualities that help us (and those around us) flourish.
Technical Product/Engineering Leader with Warwick MBA | B2B SaaS Strategy & Growth with Lean, Agile & Ethical Practices | Python, SQL, & Next.js | Ex-Google | Systems Thinker | Clear Communicator
4wOne trail of thought is that because most cultures are centred around the power norm, for example white, cishet non-disabled men in the UK, it's a lot easier for them to be authentic and show every aspect of themselves, because nothing will be jarring or provoke too many questions about power systems. However, if it were simply this true, far fewer people meeting this demographic would not burn out, have mental health issues, have addictions, have priority balance issues, or talk about their work personas or compartmentalisation like it's aspirational. The fact is that pretty much everyone edits themselves in every environment they go into, to differing extents and with different consequences. It's part of being in a society. So the phrase "bring your authentic self to work" is just nonsense and is actually encoded biz speak for "we want to look safe, not be safe, we have a shallow understanding of human group dynamics and don't want to reflect further as to not disrupt the status quo but we don't want to say that because we know it's discriminatory, unfair and makes us hypocrites and shallow" (all though most people believe it, take it literally or just disregard as aspirational). It's just another form of power and control.
Senior UX Researcher | Lecturer | Design Facilitator | DEIB & Neurodiversity Advocate | Speaker
4wIt's the subtle difference between diversity vs inclusion, right? we welcome diversity gladly, but are we inclusive of this diversity?
Executive Coach for C-Suite Leaders | Mindset-based Leadership Strategies | Global Experience Across 20+ Countries | Award Winning Author & Speaker | INC Top Coach to Watch 2024 | Retired Marine Officer
4wPsychological safety and professionalism aren’t opposites — they’re partners. The best workplaces make room for humanity and accountability. I often remind leaders that authenticity isn’t a free pass for everything we feel; it’s the alignment between who we are, what we value, and how we show up.