Can You Be Yourself at Work?

Since Tom Peters popularised the concept of Personal Branding in his article The Brand Called You in 1997, image has ceased to be something for the marketing team in an organisation to take sole responsibility for. It’s no longer just about the company or organisation’s brand, we are all encouraged to consider our own image and personal brand.

In his 2012 book The Start-Up of You, Paypal and LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman encouraged readers to think of themselves as their own start-up business and to adopt a mindset to furthering their career that such a business would to compete in their chosen market. In the meantime, bookshelves are packed with advice on how to maximise your personal brand, become an influencer or thought leader, and stand out from the crowd.

But while experts around the world want to encourage people to create their own personal brand, just how "personal" should that brand be?

Tim Farazmand is a private equity banker and a former chairman of the British Venture Capital Association. Farazmand conforms to all of the expected stereotypes of the British banker—smart attire, sharp mind, and insightful business talk. Yet, over dinner at an event at which we met, we spent as much time talking about our shared love of football as we did about business.

A couple of weeks later, Farazmand invited me to Wembley Stadium in London for an FA Cup Semi-Final involving his team, Aston Villa. When I arrived at the appointed time and place, I couldn’t find Tim.

I was looking for the banker in the pin-striped suit. When I eventually did find Farazmabnd, he was wearing an Aston Villa football shirt and a bubble perm wig in the team colours of claret and blue!

Source: Tim Farazmand

Balancing Different Worlds

For many people, there is a sharp divide between work and home lives. And they want to keep it so. There are clear downsides to socialising with work colleagues and clients, and it can make sense to create two separate personas: a professional one for in the office and a more easy-going one for leisure time.

But there are downsides in doing so, and it is possible to be too risk-averse.

First of all, it is important to consider how authentic you can be if you are hiding a core part of your personality from professional contacts. Doing so inevitably involves wearing a mask and that can be very tiring.

Not only that, but wearing a professional mask may mean to many people that they need to look strong and have all of the answers. That will inhibit the ability to ask for help and seek the support needed to overcome the professional challenges we everyone inevitably faces, both in their role and throughout theirr career.

Creating Genuine Connection

The other challenge with adopting a different persona for work life is that it will restrict the ability to truly connect with others and to build meaningful professional relationships. A mask naturally presents a barrier to trusting another. How is it possible to build trust if you think that there’s someone different lying behind the personality they present to you? To trust someone, you need to get to know the real person behind the mask.

Jo Wright, host of the Coaching Culture podcast, says, “Leaders and managers need think differently about how they lead and manage, which includes being more of their authentic self but allowing their team to be authentically themselves too. This includes being vulnerable, being humble and showing that you’re a human being, rather than being seen as "the boss" in the old-school style of leadership. Bringing your true self to work, whatever you want to bring, is a massive part of creating trust and creating a psychologically safe environment.

“Times are changing, and the pandemic has accelerated it to another level. I think this is a hugely important conversation, to say it’s OK to be yourself, it’s OK to tell people you’ve made a mistake.”

Create your own personal brand by all means; standing out from your peers and competitors in the right way and at the right time can potentially open up a range of opportunities.

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But ensure that your personal brand is authentically personal. You are in charge of just how much you reveal, but let people have enough of a glimpse to allow them to truly connect, understand, and engage with the real you.