Happiness and success at work starts with being confident in expressing your ‘authentic identity’. The real you. The unfiltered, open, and genuine version of yourself. It means feeling relaxed and comfortable in the way you show up in the workplace. It means using this to shape your decisions and your ideas.
Being authentic at work enables you to perform at your best. You’ll feel less stressed. Maintaining a false persona is draining. You’ll have more open conversations and debates. You’ll share truthful perspectives.
Some people have a really strong sense of self. They’re very clear about who they are and how they should express themselves in the workplace. Others are less sure. Indeed, uncovering our authentic identity is an ongoing quest. New experiences reshape us. Our beliefs evolve. We’re all, to some degree, a work in progress.
If you’re still searching for the real you or trying to fully articulate your authentic identity in the workplace, how do you go about it? Here are a few suggestions.
1 Dig Into Your Personality Profile Results
Over the years, we’ve probably all taken some kind of personality test based on various psychological models. For example, 16personalities (I’m an INFJ) or else Gallup’s CliftonStrengths. Some result in ‘colour’ profiles. They’re always interesting and quite fun to do. What we don’t often do is reflect on them and explore them in more detail. Study the results. Ask yourself the following. What does this mean for me? How do I feel about what I’ve discovered? How can I use this to my advantage? if you’ve not done any of these profiling questionnaires before, they’re easy to do and sometimes they’re free.
2 Ask For and Reflect on Feedback
I’m a big fan of feedback. I’ve written about it before. Click here. Asking for feedback is not always easy - I used to shy away from it - but it’s invaluable if you’re looking to grow and evolve. Seek feedback from people whom you know well and whose opinions you value. There are different ways you can do this.
You can ask for more broad-based feedback. For example, ‘when do you see me show up at my best?’ Or it could be more specific. ‘On this particular project or piece of work what went well.’ However, make sure you ask for balanced feedback. Both the positive and the areas for development. If you get into the habit of asking for and receiving feedback, you’ll see patterns and insights emerge. It’s invaluable in helping you find out more about yourself.
3 Reflect On the Key Decisions In Your Life
We’ve all made important decisions in our lives that have helped shape us. The subjects we choose to study. Our relationships and life partners. Career choices and places we live. Many are driven by our upbringing, our abilities, and the circumstances we find ourselves in. Some are based on the choices we’ve made.
Look back on some of your pivotal choices and ask yourself, what was behind that? What encouraged me to choose x vs y? What does it say about me? How has it shaped who I am?
4 Experiment
Sometimes we have a hunch about the person we want to be, but we’ve not surfaced it yet. If this is the case, experiment. It’s like trying on some new clothes. Try on a new or at least modified persona. See if it fits. For example, if you feel your true self is an artist or a performer then play out that role. Create, perform. It may feel a little fake at first, but you may well grow into it. If you then feel it’s not ‘the real me’, don’t worry, you’ll have learnt something about yourself.
We do this a lot when we’re adolescents. We go through phases of enjoying different styles of music or fashion. We go to different places, and hang out with different people. There’s no reason why we can’t do this throughout our life.
5 Capture Your Personal Values and Beliefs
People in marketing spend enormous energy pinning down the values of the brands they work for. It helps shape the brand’s personality and how it should act.
You can undertake the same exercise on yourself. What are your own values and beliefs? What do you hold as ‘true’? How does this guide your actions? Write them down.
I did this exercise a year or so ago on myself - see below. It was really valuable. I often re-visit it. I think it pretty much holds true today.
6 Create a ‘My User Manual’
When I worked with the software company Atlassian a couple of years ago, I came across the idea of creating ‘My User Manual’. It’s a way of capturing your work preferences, such as the conditions you like to work in, how to best communicate with you, how you learn best, etc.
Its purpose is to share it with your team so you can all work more effectively. However I also think it’s really useful in helping you uncover your authentic identity at work. Click here to learn about it. You can also download easy to use templates that help you create one.
In Summary
Uncovering your authentic identity is an enlightening and exciting experience. It means being honest with yourself and digging deep. Get others to help you by asking for feedback, both formally and informally. Reflect on what you discover. Capture what you learn, for example by summarising your personal values or creating a ‘user manual’.
Remember to bring the real you to the office. Don’t put on a new persona as soon as the workday begins. Show your personality. Be a bit weird. Be proud of who you are. You’ll be much happier and perform better.