How to be your authentic self at work

Words by Yetunde Hofmann

To be your authentic self at work means being able to express yourself from a place of who you are, not what you do or have.

It means being able to speak up without fear of judgement; to contribute an idea without fear of ridicule. It means being able to show up in any forum of work and at any time without worrying about what any of your stakeholders may say to you.  

When you think about it, this can be quite challenging.  It can be challenging because half the time it is difficult to know what the other person is thinking. 

It is also difficult because as human beings we have the desire and need to relate, to belong and to feel valued. 

Yet the world of work with so many things at play, careers at stake, being your authentic self can be seen as a risk and if you are from an underrepresented demographic where there are very few others like you in the workplace, it can be even more daunting to be all of who you are. 

The plethora of equality, equity inclusion and diversity programmes as well as programmes designed to improve wellbeing and deepen employee engagement have gone some way towards establishing work cultures in which people can be themselves. 

This is however not enough. It requires the courage and willingness of the individual to take that step forward because in this life, if you don’t back yourself, no one else will.

To get you started, here are three ways in which you can be your authentic self at work:

Charity begins at home

Start with understanding who you are. Raise your awareness of who you are to a place where you know most of the time, how you are likely to respond in different situations including the unplanned and unexpected. 

You can do this by asking trusted friends and colleagues about how you show up when you are at your best – what they see you doing, saying, how and where.

Take some psychometrics which can be helpful – avoid labels – you are far more than what psychometric report may say of you – but nevertheless you will have some rich information that would support you.  

Also ask your trusted friends what you are like on a ‘bad day’ and what it is like to be around you. 

Get to know what you are great at, your strengths, your skills, what you love, what is important to you about life and about work, the kind of people that energise you and the type of people for whom your life’s work can and will make a significant difference. 

All of this will contribute to your growth in confidence and self-acceptance.  The more you accept who you are, the more you will love who you are as a human being. 

Finally decide to love who you are.  Love is the unconditional acceptance of all of who you are, warts and all. From this place, you will have the strength and the courage to also accept others for the humans they are, warts and all.  

Practice makes perfect

Bringing your authentic self to the workplace takes courage and courage and confidence will grow with practice. When you practice, over time, it will become habitual and who you are.

Therefore, start by identifying situations, meetings, forums, and events at work in which you know you would love to be more of who you are – e.g., to speak up, to contribute, to say no or even to say yes. 

Plan ahead and visualise yourself being you, noticing how others experience you and how they interact and respond to you.  After each event, reflect on how it went – did you meet your own expectations? How come?

Invest in a journal and record your feelings and insights. Do this for a few weeks and then look back over your notes. Record what you are learning about yourself and plan to apply your learning the following week then start again.