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Authenticity, Identity, And Being Yourself at Work_Toolkit

The document provides tools to help individuals practice authenticity and identity in the workplace, focusing on creating a personal philosophy and identifying core values. It includes exercises to distinguish between nonnegotiables and negotiables, as well as a worksheet for defining and using personal values. The aim is to help individuals feel more comfortable and confident by establishing boundaries and recognizing the importance of their values at work.

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Ebenezer Geller
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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26 views7 pages

Authenticity, Identity, And Being Yourself at Work_Toolkit

The document provides tools to help individuals practice authenticity and identity in the workplace, focusing on creating a personal philosophy and identifying core values. It includes exercises to distinguish between nonnegotiables and negotiables, as well as a worksheet for defining and using personal values. The aim is to help individuals feel more comfortable and confident by establishing boundaries and recognizing the importance of their values at work.

Uploaded by

Ebenezer Geller
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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CREATE A PERSONAL PHILOSOPHY TO STAY TRUE TO YOURSELF

© 2024 Harvard Business School Publishing. All rights reserved.


Work Smart: Authenticity, Identity, and Being Yourself at Work Page 2 of 7
Work Smart: Authenticity, Identity,
and Being Yourself at Work

The tools herein will help you put the lessons from Authenticity, Identity, and
Being Yourself at Work into practice. You’ll find digital versions of two exercises
from the book to help you figure out how much of “you” to bring to work so that
you feel more comfortable and confident.

The tools do not need to be used in sequence. Feel free to pick and choose
those that are most relevant to the challenges you are facing now, and jump
around as needed.

Contents

Tool 1: Create a Personal Philosophy to Stay True to Yourself


Throughout this exercise, you’ll create a personal philosophy to help yourself establish boundaries and
safely share the vulnerable parts of yourself at work even if you don’t publicly disclose every thought or
emotion to your team members.

Tool 2: Find Your Values Worksheet


Using this worksheet, you’ll follow several steps to understand what your values are by thinking about
them in an intentional way. You’ll reflect on what’s important to you, create a list of the top three things,
and rank them.

© 2024 Harvard Business School Publishing. All rights reserved.


Work Smart: Authenticity, Identity, and Being Yourself at Work Page 3 of 7
TOOL 1
Create a Personal Philosophy to Stay True to Yourself

Adapted from “How to Get Comfortable ‘Being Yourself’ at Work,”


by Lan Nguyen Chaplin
Acting in ways that reflect your honest beliefs, emotions, and values is a
READ MORE
strong predictor of well-being. At the same time, you’ll want to recognize that
Work Smart:
there is a time, a place, and an audience for you to safely share those parts of Authenticity, Identity,
yourself. It’s possible to be yourself at work even if you don’t publicly disclose and Being Yourself at
every single thought or emotion to team members. Work
Chapter 1
Setting boundaries (rules you create that indicate what you will accept and Getting Comfortable
Being Yourself at Work
what you will not) can help you determine how you want to be treated by
others and how you show up at work. What and how much you feel
comfortable sharing varies from person to person.

To figure out what’s right for you, try using this two-step exercise:

Step One: Distinguish between Must-Haves and Nice-to-Haves


In the columns below, write down your values and needs that must never be violated or compromised
(nonnegotiables). On the other side, record the things that bring you happiness but aren’t an immediate
priority (negotiables).

TIP

 Nonnegotiables are your values and needs that must never be violated or compromised. They might
include feeling safe enough to share your racial, sexual, or gender identity.
 Negotiables bring you happiness but aren’t an immediate priority. For example, you may desire a better
work-life balance but are willing to compromise on, or work toward, that goal over time.

NONNEGOTIABLES NEGOTIABLES

 
 
 
 
 

© 2024 Harvard Business School Publishing. All rights reserved.


Work Smart: Authenticity, Identity, and Being Yourself at Work Page 4 of 7
CREATE A PERSONAL PHILOSOPHY TO STAY TRUE TO YOURSELF

Step Two: Write a Personal Philosophy


Are there any patterns in the thoughts, words, ideas, and actions you wrote down in step one? Use these
to come up with a short list of your core values (for example, inclusion, family, morality, integrity, fairness).
In the table below, write down why they are important to you, how you practice them, and how they
influence your goals.

HOW IT INFLUENCES
CORE VALUE WHY IT’S IMPORTANT HOW YOU PRACTICE IT
YOUR GOALS

Use what you’ve written to come up with a short personal philosophy or a motto that feels undeniably true
to you. For example, “I’m not for everyone, and not everyone is for me. I choose to live a life with integrity.”

Record your personal philosophy in the space below:

Let your philosophy guide your words and behaviors. It can help you recognize when a boundary needs to
be set or has been crossed.

© 2024 Harvard Business School Publishing. All rights reserved.


Work Smart: Authenticity, Identity, and Being Yourself at Work Page 5 of 7
TOOL 2
Find Your Values Worksheet

Adapted from “How to Find, Define, and Use Your Values,” by Irina Cozma
There is power in understanding what your values are—they can help you
READ MORE
make decisions, guide your career, and live a happier life. The following steps
Work Smart:
can guide you through thinking about your values in an intentional way. Authenticity, Identity,
and Being Yourself at
Work

Step One: Find Your Values Chapter 2


How to Find, Define,
Values are the things that are important to us. Ask yourself: “What do I care and Use Your Values

about the most in the world?”

In the following space, list as many values as you can think of. They should reflect what is important
and personal to you, not what others may expect from you.











Review the list and pick your top three values. Rank them if you can. Record them in the space below:

1.
2.
3.

Step Two: Define Your Values


In your own words, define what your top three values mean. Keep your definitions short, and don’t let
others influence your perspective on what they mean to you.

© 2024 Harvard Business School Publishing. All rights reserved.


Work Smart: Authenticity, Identity, and Being Yourself at Work Page 6 of 7
CREATE A PERSONAL PHILOSOPHY TO STAY TRUE TO YOURSELF

VALUE YOUR DEFINITION

1.

2.

3.

Step Three: Use Your Values


At first, it can be challenging to connect daily experiences to your values. Occasionally check in with
yourself to make sure you’re still in touch with the things that are most important to you. This exercise will
only help if you’re 100% honest with yourself.

To practice using your values, reflect on a situation that’s currently frustrating you. Record it in the
space below:

Now, note what is likely lurking behind this frustration. Is one of your values not being met?

Next, reflect on a situation that currently brings you joy. Describe it in the space below:

Which of your values is being fulfilled by this enjoyable activity?

© 2024 Harvard Business School Publishing. All rights reserved.


Work Smart: Authenticity, Identity, and Being Yourself at Work Page 7 of 7

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