Tag: authenticity

The Authenticity Paradox: When Being Yourself Isn’t Enough

Reading Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic’s latest research on authenticity has me wrestling with some uncomfortable truths about my own advice. In my post about bringing your authentic self to work, I championed the power of psychological safety through genuine connection. But Chamorro-Premuzic’s work reveals a blind spot in that thinking—one that challenges us to be more sophisticated about what authenticity actually means in practice.

The research is compelling and frankly, a bit humbling. A meta-analysis of 55 studies found that impression management, not self-perceived authenticity, was most strongly linked to leadership emergence and effectiveness. Even more striking: those who effectively manage impressions are actually perceived as more authentic by others than those who simply “let it all hang out”

The Quality Professional’s Dilemma

This hits particularly close to home for those of us in quality roles. We pride ourselves on truth-telling, on being the voice that says what others won’t. But here’s where Chamorro-Premuzic’s work gets uncomfortable: your authentic impulse to point out every flaw might be undermining the very psychological safety you’re trying to create.

Think about it. How many times have you seen a quality professional’s “radical candor” shut down a conversation rather than open it up? When we lead with our unfiltered assessment—”this process is broken” or “this deviation shows poor thinking”—we might feel authentic, but we’re often creating the opposite of psychological safety.

The research shows nine common workplace scenarios where subjective authenticity backfires, from sharing political beliefs to venting raw emotions to taking full credit for successes. For quality professionals, add a few more: leading with compliance threats rather than partnership, defaulting to criticism over curiosity, or using regulatory requirements as a conversation stopper rather than starter.

Reframing Authenticity as Responsibility

What Chamorro-Premuzic’s work suggests is that authentic leadership isn’t about expressing your true feelings—it’s about taking responsibility for the impact of those feelings on others. This doesn’t mean becoming fake or manipulative. It means recognizing that your role as a quality leader extends beyond your personal comfort zone.

The most effective quality professionals I know aren’t necessarily the most “authentic” in the raw sense. They’re the ones who’ve learned to translate their expertise into language that creates connection rather than distance. They ask questions before making pronouncements. They acknowledge uncertainty while still providing direction. They regulate their frustration with non-compliance in service of building the relationships that actually drive sustainable improvement.

This is what Chamorro-Premuzic calls “strategic impression management”—not deception, but the disciplined choice to present the version of yourself that serves the broader mission.

The Authenticity-Safety Balance

Here’s where this gets nuanced for quality professionals: psychological safety requires both authenticity and boundaries. People need to see that you’re genuine, that you care, that you’re not just following a script. But they also need to trust that you won’t use their openness against them, that your feedback will be constructive rather than crushing, that your standards serve improvement rather than judgment.

The research suggests that the most effective approach involves being selective about which aspects of your authentic self you bring to different situations. This means:

  • Sharing your passion for quality without overwhelming people with your frustration about poor practices
  • Being vulnerable about your own learning journey without undermining confidence in your expertise
  • Expressing concern about risks without creating paralyzing fear
  • Demonstrating your values through your choices rather than your commentary

Beyond the Either/Or Trap

Chamorro-Premuzic’s work helps us escape the false choice between being “authentic” or “professional.” The real question isn’t whether to be yourself, but which version of yourself will create the conditions for others to do their best work.

For quality professionals, this might mean:

  • Leading with curiosity rather than criticism, even when your authentic reaction is frustration
  • Framing compliance requirements as shared challenges rather than personal mandates
  • Acknowledging the complexity of quality decisions rather than defaulting to black-and-white thinking
  • Investing in relationships before withdrawing the currency of those relationships through difficult conversations

The Long Game of Influence

What strikes me most about this research is how it reframes effectiveness. Chamorro-Premuzic argues that your ability to lead depends not on expressing your true feelings, but on understanding what others feel and need. For quality professionals, this is a fundamental shift from being right to being useful.

This doesn’t mean abandoning your principles or softening your standards. It means recognizing that your expertise is only as valuable as your ability to translate it into action through others. And that translation requires the emotional discipline to modulate your authentic impulses in service of your authentic purpose.

Perhaps the most authentic thing we can do as quality leaders is admit that our unfiltered selves might not always serve the people we’re trying to help. That the discipline of impression management—choosing how to show up rather than just showing up—might be the most honest way to honor both our expertise and our responsibility to others.

The goal isn’t to become inauthentic. It’s to become authentically effective. And sometimes, that means being strategic about which parts of our authentic selves we choose to share, when we share them, and how we frame them in service of building the trust and psychological safety that quality culture truly requires.

Be Your Authentic Self

The best quality folks I know, indeed the best of any profession I know, are those who manage to bring their authentic self to the job. This capability is core to building psychological safety and driving quality culture. And yet, too often, we teach people how to bury it or reward a degree of inauthenticity in service of some idea of “professional.” People quickly tune out, disengage, and lose trust when they sense insincerity. Being authentic allows you to connect and relate much more quickly with and bond with our fellow workers. To be an authentic quality champion, you must create a safe space to encourage people to open up and express themselves without fearing retribution. If people do not feel comfortable or safe conveying their feelings, they won’t be able to present their true, authentic selves. Trust is the key to encouraging others to express their thoughts and feelings. Without trust and authenticity, there can be no learning culture, no improvement, and little to no quality.

Be Yourself

Authenticity starts with being true to who you are. Don’t try to adopt a stereotypical quality personality or style that doesn’t feel natural to you. Instead:

  • Embrace your unique personality and style, whether that’s reserved, energetic, or straightforward
  • Be honest about your knowledge and expertise
  • Admit when you don’t know something rather than pretending

By bringing your true self to the role, you build trust and create a psychologically safe environment.

Foster Genuine Connections

By building authentic relationships with colleagues, we can enhance collaboration, boost job satisfaction, and contribute to a more fulfilling professional experience. These connections go beyond superficial interactions and involve showing a genuine interest in coworkers’ success, engaging in healthy competition, and contributing to an authentic workplace culture.

  • Strive to find time for relationship-building with and among your fellows
  • Share personal anecdotes and experiences when relevant
  • Demonstrate vulnerability by discussing your own learning journey and challenges you’ve overcome

Practice Active Listening

Active listening contributes to authenticity by encouraging open communication and transparency. When we actively listen to one another, we create a safe space for sharing ideas, concerns, and feedback without fear of judgment. This openness allows individuals to be true to their personalities and values, fostering a culture where authenticity is valued and respected. Moreover, active listening helps in recognizing the unsaid emotions and underlying messages, enabling a deeper understanding of colleagues’ experiences and perspectives.

  • Give your full attention to speakers, noting both verbal and non-verbal cues
  • Paraphrase and summarize to ensure you’ve understood correctly
  • Ask probing questions to dig deeper into folk’s thoughts and ideas

Model the Desired Culture

When a quality partner brings their authentic self to the team, they set the tone. This demonstrates the behaviors and attitudes we want to see in our culture. This is important at all levels of the quality organization, but frankly I think quality leaders may be a little to uncomfortable here. Many people get ahead in quality by being analytical, which means thse who are outside that norm are asked to act like they are to get ahead. Which frankly, can be prety disastrrious.