How to be “More or Less” Authentic
- David Creelman
- 11月4日
- 読了時間: 3分
We want our leaders to be authentic, and we want to be our authentic selves at work. Unfortunately, the world is a complex place, and sometimes neither our leaders nor ourselves can be authentic. It’s essential not to succumb to cynicism. It’s important to learn how to be “more or less” authentic.
How to react to inauthenticity
Let’s look at a concrete example of inauthenticity. In 2012, Finland signed the Ottawa Accord banning the use of anti-personnel mines. About a decade later, in 2025, they said, in effect, “Actually, we do need anti-personnel mines” and withdrew from the accord.
To someone passionate about landmines, this could feel like a betrayal. To the cynic, this would feel normal, and they would hardly raise an eyebrow. Which reaction is correct?
Well, neither feeling betrayed nor shrugging your shoulders is the best response. You want to hold people to account for their promises, while being ready to offer a degree of forgiveness. Certainly, given the threat of war, we can see why Finland withdrew from the landmine treaty. At the same time, they shouldn’t have signed an agreement only to walk away as soon as it became inconvenient. The appropriate response to their action is a reproach, not full condemnation.
We run into similar things in organisations. Leaders commit to noble goals only to ignore them when times get tough. We shouldn’t give up on our leaders when this happens. Breaking one promise doesn’t mean they won’t keep any promises. Nevertheless, when leaders do this they need to know they’ve sacrificed a fair bit of goodwill; they need to know there is a cost in being inauthentic.
How to avoid inauthenticity
Leaders run into problems with authenticity when they make promises they may not be able to keep. They like to make noble promises because it feels good and may enhance the brand. For example, a leader might say, “We are committed to this city and will never move the head office”. That is fine until circumstances are such that it makes business sense to move the office and the old promise is forgotten.
HR’s role is to remind leaders that most employees are not such cynics that they will shrug their shoulders when a promise is broken. There is a cost to the brand and employee morale when they do so. HR needs to teach leaders that the key to being authentic is less about struggling to keep difficult promises than it is about avoiding making promises you can’t keep. Just like finance needs to play tough at times, saying “These are the numbers. Don’t look away”, so too HR needs to say “This is a promise to employees that we may not be able to keep. Don’t make it.”
Should you bring your authentic self to work?
Another more personal side of authenticity is whether you should bring your authentic self to work. It’s easy to think the answer is “yes”, but as Stanford professor Jeffrey Pfeffer points out in his book “Leadership BS” it’s not the best practice for leaders—and I would add that it’s not the best practice for anyone else.
Signing up for a job is a bit like signing up for a role in a theatre production. The organization needs employees to behave in certain ways. The higher profile or more client-facing the role, the truer this is. If a concierge doesn’t like a hotel guest, they need to pretend they do, it’s not their authentic self but it’s what the role requires. If a leader is full of insecurities, their team doesn’t want to see that; they want someone who shows confidence, even if it is inauthentic.
As always in human affairs, there is some subtlety in how close to the standard role you need to play. Perhaps an employee likes bright colours and wears a vibrant outfit in a company that prides itself on a conservative image. They can push some boundaries in the dress code to better align with their authentic self. They just need to understand that their paycheque comes along with a requirement that they play a certain role and there are limits to bringing their full authentic self to work.
The need for wisdom in HR
You’ll notice a whiff of contradiction when it comes to authenticity. You should be somewhat authentic, but not too much. You should forgive your leaders’ inauthenticity to some extent, while still holding them to account. It comes down to the need for wisdom, since no simple rule will guide you on how to handle issues of authenticity. Embrace the need for wisdom and find comfort when you and others are at least “more or less” authentic.