The times I’ve been unhappiest in my career have been those when I’ve had to be someone I’m not just to fit into the culture of an organization or team misaligned with my own values, principles, and preferred ways of working. I’ve had moments where I had to put on a certain persona to fit a professional mold. I’ve also felt pressured to embody a certain personality or approach in certain managerial roles. However, I’ve also had moments where I feel I can just be myself while still being effective in my role.
If you’ve ever managed a complex project, team, or initative, you know it involves putting on a certain professional hat in order to get things done. Or behaving in certain ways that drive efficiency and forward progress. Or jumping through certain hoops just to appease certain stakeholders. If your personality aligns well with what’s required, you’re all set. But if you are having to be someone you’re not, it can result in a lot of internal conflict.
On the topic of personal branding in the workplace, I often get asked whether it makes more sense to just be yourself or to try and fit in. The truth is, you will need to do a bit of both if you want to thrive in any demanding work environment.
Work Requires Something Differerent From You
If you’re like most people, the way you act amongst colleagues in the office doesn’t always mirror how you act when you’re relaxing with friends in social settings or family at home. Many of us grabble with balancing this dual identity, especially when you’re trying to carve out a unique personal brand for yourself in the workplace while also acting in ways consistent with the culture and expectations of your organization.
Just being yourself is obviously a comfortable place to be, but any workplace will demand a certain amount of seriousness, professionalism, and even posturing to get your job done, influence stakeholders, and achieve your goals. Therefore, checking the boxes of what’s expected of you at work while staying true to yourself is a balancing act you’ll have to manage if you want to thrive in the workplace.
Balance Comfort With Formality
When I’m not at work, I’m often wearing my running shoes. They’re comfortable, lightweight, and breathable. I’ll probably be sporting athletic wear too. However, when I’m hosting a professional workshop or meeting with clients, I’m dressed more formally, wearing dress shoes that look professional but aren’t exactly comfortable. I dress a certain way for work because as a professional speaker on stage, what I wear is part of my personal brand and professional persona, which is likely the case for you too.
The shoes you choose to wear is a good metaphor for how you might portray yourself personally versus professionally. What’s comfortable isn’t always what you end up wearing. If you want to be seen as a serious professional with potential, you have to act the part. Strategizing how you want to come across in a professional environment is part of personal branding.
Weigh Personal Authenticity Vs. Professional Identity
If authenticity is a key part of personal branding, shouldn’t we just be ourselves without overthinking it? You might be one of those professionals fortunate enough to seamlessly blend your personal and professional self, where you don’t need to differentiate between how you act at work and outside of work. However, if you’re like most professionals I come across, there’s a divide between the two.
Whether you’re a seasoned professional in a leadership position or in your first role trying to climb the ladder, the reality is that every organization expects its employees to adhere to a set of professional standards and ways of working. And because work and home at completely distinct environments, each brings out different parts of you. So being mindful of how you show up in the workplace is critical.
The good news is that even if your work environment isn’t condusive to you just being you, your professional identity can be both authentic and practical at the same time.
Take A Practical Approach To Personal Branding
If you find yourself in a situation where your work environment doesn’t allow you to just be yourself, and you don’t want to pretend to be someone you’re not, try to find a middle ground. Find that intersection between your who you are and what you need to be in order to succeed professionally. Rather than just taking on a personal completely divorced from the true you, take an inventory of your skills, personality, and values, then amplify those specific ones you feel will allow you to thrive in your workplace.
Personal branding isn’t about trying to engineer your identity to become someone you’re not, but it does involve considering all aspects of your personality and doing your best to be authentically you in a manner suitable for professional settings. The key is to be selective about which traits you want to highlight that align with your professional goals while staying true to yourself.
Find Your Sweet Spot between Authenticity and Confirmity
Being true to yourself is immensely important. When you’re working in ways that align well with your natural personality, interests, and preferences, you’ll often do your best, most rewarding work. On the contrary, when you’re trying to be someone you’re not, you’ll inevitably feel drained, conflicted, and inauthentic.
Finding a practical middle ground enables you to leverage who you are while also doing what’s expected of you when trying to advance in your career. Selectively amplifying and showcasing certain aspects of your personality may feel too strategic for your tastes, but perhaps some amount of it can help you achieve your professional goals.
Embrace Your Unique Path, But Remain Practical
During those moments in your career when you’re trying to start a new chapter or open a new door, try to evaluate who you are and who you aspire to be, overlaying your desires with the realities of what it takes to get there. Then, do your best to find your own sweet spot between what feels most natural to you and what’s expected of you.
Authenticity and professionalism may feel at odds with one another in your current work environment. Ultimately, you get to decide how to balance who you are with what people expect of people in your profession. After all, your personal brand is, well, personal.
One day, you may get to a place where you can truly just be yourself at work. But in the meantime, managing the balance between who you are and who you need to be is a challenge I hope you’ll accept and embrace as an important part of your professional journey.
