“Authentic Self”
In some of my recent discussions, I talked about the importance of including your personality in your resume instead of making everything so serious and particular. Of course, in history these are the expectations and standards where employers require professionalism in all aspects when it comes to working at a company or organization. As time has passed, many companies have developed new work environments that specifically pertain to employers overall experience. Certain companies are more lenient and maybe even ‘laid back’ compared to most which allows employees to feel more comfortable while they are working and generally less stressed and overwhelmed. They may feel like they can essentially be more of themselves while they are at work instead maintaining a somewhat fake persona. With this in mind, there has been some debate about “how much of your “authentic self” should you really bring to work?”
As explained in this article, we are often told to bring our “authentic” self to work which is understandable because we can only be ourselves. The article explains, “Being yourself is the best way to form meaningful relationships, which are integral to career success and growth, no matter what field you work in.” This comment reminds me of a video that I included in my Youtube Playlist project. The video discussed diversity and inclusion in the workplace. These two subjects do not only pertain to that of race/ethnic backgrounds. It also refers to what people can bring to the table. Everyone has their own perspective on different topics as well as their own ideas. So it is important to be inclusive of these different groups of people instead of remaining biased on certain issues. As explained in the video, diverse groups and communities are more successful in their endeavors.
The article continues to explain that while it is acceptable to be your “authentic” self, there is a way to do so in a smart and sustainable way. People should not be so trusting of everyone nor be unfiltered because that could end badly. Instead people should still maintain and establish boundaries with fellow employees while continuing to build strong connections. Susan McPherson lists ways to form these kinds of relationships in these following categories: 1) There is no “work self”, 2)It’s a practice, and 3)You don’t have to connect with everyone. The first category sort of highlights codeswitching in which the author explains that we behave differently when we are in the workplace than we do when we are with our friends. She explains that we should, “Try to see everyone you come across as a human, rather than a work contact.” The second category explains that it takes practice to build meaningful relationships at work and that we should listen to others in which “Being an active listener also helps you gauge quickly who you want to build deeper connections with (or not).” The last category is pretty much self explanatory as it is not necessary for us to develop a relationship with everyone at work because it can be overwhelming.
Overall, it is important for us to be our authentic selves in any way possible. When we are not ourselves, it can cause stress and make us miserable. However, we should develop a balance within ourselves to prevent people from taking advantage of our kindness.