As you may have noticed, pretty much everybody worships authenticity. It's everywhere right now. In brands. In consumer culture. In how we talk about restaurants, designer handbags, and even office cultures.

When it comes to leaders, there is a misconception that they should just be themselves, stay true to their values, and not worry about what others think.

We hear it everywhere: in the leadership training, on LinkedIn, in boardrooms. “Authentic leadership” is sold as the antidote to stiff CEOs, to faux-transformational leader theatre. The premise? Just bring your whole self, speak your truth, don’t censor yourself, and don’t worry about pleasing others.

But here’s the rub: That advice can be counter-productive. Because leadership isn’t about you. It’s not about a narcissistic celebration of your identity, your values, and your unfiltered truth. Leadership is about influencing others, creating collective direction, aligning values together, managing tensions, adapting, and showing care.

When a leader uses “I am just being myself” as a cloak for ignoring what others think, resisting any feedback because “That’s not me,” or refusing to adapt their style because “I’m always this way”—they’re succumbing to hubris, not modelling humility. And that leads to disengagement, fragmented teams, and

© Psychology Today