Wednesday, April 25, 2012

"It Doesn't Pay to Be Yourself at Work" or "Be the ideal, professional person at work; Don't be 100% yourself, especially if you are impulsive".

From the link: http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2012-04-23/it-doesnt-pay-to-be-yourself-at-work

The next time you want to speak your mind at work, it’s best to keep your mouth shut. Research by the University of Houston in Texas and the University of Greenwich in London shows that while being yourself around family, friends, and loved ones benefits well-being, being yourself at work has no bearing on life satisfaction.

The study condiucted defines authenticity as vocalizing what you’re thinking and feeling, not making things up to impress people, and feeling confident enough to be honest and open. “It’s not a problem to be authentic or inauthentic” at work, he says. “It just didn’t matter.”

People often are expected to control what they say and to bottle emotions in the workplace. “There is an awful amount of impression management at work, that is required at work,” he says. “Being yourself at work doesn’t work because of a need to put on a front.”

While authenticity may not benefit overall well-being, other studies suggest it does benefit the workplace. “Authentic self-expression at work leads to reduced turnover and increased performance and job satisfaction,”. Most employers don’t value or promote authenticity as they should. “It is rare for organizations to take an authenticity perspective to socialization,”.

“All I can say is, if you’re at work and you’re not expressing yourself—not authentic to yourself—you’re in jolly good company,” says Robinson. The bright side for all us phonies: “It’s really normal and doesn’t have an adverse relationship to quality of life,”.

(P.S: Please read the full article from the link above. This is only an extract. However, this article is VERY USEFUL for me. This answers the question: Should you be yourself? Should you be honest 100%? Should you express yourself all the time? The answer is NO!!! You are not perfect. No one is. It is possible that we may unintentionally hurt others' feelings. The answer is this: ALWAYS BE PROFESSIONAL. At your company or organization, BE WHAT THE COMPANY EXPECTS YOU TO BE - A good employee, disciplined, organized, punctual, productive, team player etc. - Gerry)

And these are my own words ---> "Do not be yourself; Be a better version of yourself!" - Gerry Som.

"Do not be yourself; Be a better version of yourself" - Gerry Som.

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