As a society, we value authenticity more than ever, making it a company value, encouraging others to bring their whole selves to work and giving advice to “just be yourself”. In a recent poll, we found that 66% of people said being their authentic self at work is very important to them. Yet, research shows the best leaders are strong impression managers who strive to bring their best self, not necessarily their authentic self, to work each day. 

So why do we value authenticity? What does it mean in our society? How do leaders avoid the authenticity trap? We explore these questions with Prof. Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic and Miriam Ort in the latest episode of the Shortcast. 

Tomas is co-founder of Deeper Signals, Chief Talent Scientist at Manpower Group and author of Why do so Many Incompetent Men Become Leaders? as well as The Talent Delusion. Miriam is the Executive Vice President and CHRO at C&S Wholesale Grocers and co-author of One Page Talent Management.

Tune in to discover the perils of being yourself, why we need trustworthy and competent leaders more than authentic leaders, and how it all comes down to self-awareness and feedback.