Leaders, Bring Your Best Self — Not Your Whole Self — to Work

Generated by AI

We’ve long embraced the rallying cry: “Bring your whole self to work.” It sounds powerful — until someone uses your next leadership meeting for their personal meltdown or spa anecdotes. Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic, a renowned organizational psychologist and leadership expert, offers a smart path, especially for senior leaders: bring your best self — the curated, intentional, and emotionally intelligent version of you that inspires clarity without exhibitionism.

Here are the five pillars to guide that best self.

1. Curate, Don’t Conceal

Curated authenticity builds trust; oversharing builds noise. Selectively share personal stories that reinforce values and purpose, and let professionalism guard against self-indulgence.

Example
Satya Nadella, Microsoft’s CEO, is known for his purposeful storytelling. He shares personal insights — such as learning resilience through family challenges — to reinforce a growth mindset. Yet these talks are always tailored to the message, not a confession. His leadership-driven storytelling has helped transform Microsoft’s culture and drive its success.

How to Apply
Create a “story bank” of relevant leadership anecdotes tied to values you want to embody. Vet each story: Does…