Risky Business: When The Whole Self Is Struggling
Risky Business: When The Whole Self Is Struggling
Millennials want it; boomers loathe it. And the debate rages on. Since 2018, when Mike Robbins published Bring Your Whole Self to Work — a call to action on becoming more authentic in the workplace — proponents and critics have openly voiced their opinions.
In a 2018 Financial Times column (subscription required), Pilita Clark observed, “The people who find it easiest to be themselves are the ones who run the show. This may not be fair. It may not be pleasant.
But I doubt there will ever be a better example of what it truly means to bring your full self to work than Donald Trump.” Her point is well taken.
Authenticity may keep things real in the workplace, but don’t assume everyone will welcome it.
A recent Forbes article by Randall S. Peterson and Kathleen O’Connor, both faculty at the London Business School, questions “whether authenticity is as free of risk as its advocates suggest.”
After all, as they observe, more than 50 years of research suggests that “the more one’s authentic self dovetails with the values and expectations of the office, the more acceptable it is, and the more benefits accrue to individual and organisation.”
But is the problem really about personalities and equity, or is the real problem that the pendulum has now swung too far in the other direction? Has the call to bring one’s whole self to work not only encouraged sharing, but in some cases oversharing of information or behaviors that never belonged in the workplace in the first place?
The Whole Self Under Pressure
As a business psychologist, I’ve spent a lot of time thinking and talking about the value of bringing one’s whole self to work. By and large, I support the idea — at least in theory.
Leaders who show up in the workplace as humans with outside hobbies, passions and family commitments tend to be viewed as more approachable and trustworthy.
After all, when you know someone (or at least think you do), you generally feel better positioned to engage with them and their values.
There is also a perception that when employees are able to bring their whole selves to work, they are more likely to be engaged and productive, and to stick around in the long term.
