This hidden career trap may actually be worse than impostor syndrome

Burnout has become a norm. According to a Deloitte survey, 84% of millennials have experienced burnout at their current job — and that was before the pandemic. Meanwhile, it’s estimated that 70% of the U.S. population has experienced impostor syndrome.

But what if there was something deeper behind those alarming stats? Could a lack of authenticity in your career increase stress, cripple confidence, and ultimately hold you back? The short answer is yes, according to Renée Dineen, organizational psychologist, leadership and team performance coach and TedX speaker.

The longer answer involves taking a close look at your relationship with yourself, others, and work. Merriam-Webster defines authenticity as “true to one’s own personality, spirit, or character.” But to know whether you’ve fallen into the trap of not being true to yourself, and to realize it’s been harming you, you have to understand what that means beyond the buzzword.

“What I wish all professionals knew about authenticity is that authenticity is not just about knowing who we are, but understanding how our actions reflect to others who we are more vividly than anything else,” says Dineen.

So you may be well-acquainted with your unique preferences, quirks and strengths, but if you constantly wear a mask that tells your boss or coworkers another story, there is a disconnect. “A big part of authenticity is expressed in our actions. ‘Act authentically’ is the bigger work.”

Authentic versus inauthentic action

According to Dineen, we are continuously either taking authentic or inauthentic action. So, what does lacking authenticity look like in practice? “It’s saying yes when you mean no. Letting others define you. Letting your job description and latest accomplishments be the primary definition of who you are,” she says.

People-pleasing behaviors are therefore a telltale sign you’re not being authentic. As for basing your identity on external things you can’t control — jobs evolve over time, companies can let you go, and you might even change your mind about your career, it’s a dangerous thing.

Dineen says it can lead to an addiction to doing and being busy. It can take the shape of constant hustle and trouble disconnecting. And it can even show up physically in the form of symptoms like headaches, gut issues or loss of energy.

“The body does try to tell us that we are at risk of taking another inauthentic action, but we ignore it and we get used to ignoring it, and that’s what leads to burnout.” When you’re continuously doing things you don’t want to do, you’re more likely to hit a wall.

On the other hand, authentic action feels much lighter. “There is an ease, and a flow, and a grace. There is a connection emotionally. It feels less arduous,” says Dineen.

“Easier doesn’t mean there are no challenges or things to overcome, but the effort required is just different.”

Think about the last time you were performing a task and completely forgot about time. Authentic action creates that feeling of flow.

How inauthenticity decreases job satisfaction and confidence

We spend so much of our time and energy at work that addiction to doing for the sake of doing can erode the fabric of who we truly are.

“It can almost, in a way, mask or disguise itself as our true selves, and over time, the bigger parts of ourselves, our soul, our qualities of what makes us unique, and even our values can get diluted or minimized,” says Dineen.

Performance then becomes your touchpoint for connecting with yourself instead of turning inwards. And every time you take on projects or tasks that you’re not into, or every time you say yes to an invitation when you want to say no, you widen the disconnect.

Think of the typical mid-life crisis. According to Dineen, it often happens when people have lost touch with who they truly are on a deeper level, giving their all to inauthentic work for years.

So a lack of authenticity can lead to job dissatisfaction and burnout, but what about the relationship between authenticity and confidence? “What breaks confidence is when we rely on the affirmation of others to affirm us,” says Dineen.

“When we know that we are affirming ourselves from the inside out, when our identity is not rooted in what other people think of us, we are more free to be ourselves.”

Again, there is this idea of wrapping your self-concept around things you can’t control such as the unconditional acceptance of others.

You will face failure, setbacks and negative feedback in your career. If you unconditionally love and accept yourself for who you really are, flaws and all, you won’t make any challenges or negative opinions mean anything terrible about yourself.

It gives you the freedom to show up, take more risks, and have more fun because you’re not constantly managing perceptions and trying to be liked by everyone — in fact, you’ve already accepted that rejection is sometimes inevitable and you’re OK with it. That’s where true confidence lies.

On the other hand, if your sense of self is dependent on how your boss or colleagues perceive you, you will be plagued by fear and insecurity at work.

What to do if you’re suffering from a lack of authenticity

If you recognize yourself in the patterns mentioned above, don’t panic. It’s a good sign, as awareness is the first step to creating a more authentic career filled with passion and confidence.

Dineen suggests making a list of the activities that energize you and the ones that deplete you. “Start to tease out those differences so that you can open each with greater objectivity.”

But let’s say you realize that a lot of the tasks involved in your current job consist of inauthentic action. Are you supposed to instantly quit or refuse your boss’ requests?

“One of the reasons I hear a lot about why people don’t take their power back to align who they are with what they do is that they don’t think they can say no. They believe that some entity like a job or boss can decide for them. They’ve given up their power,” says Dineen.

It turns out that you can actually say no at work without ruining your reputation — and it can even breed more respect and open a healthy dialogue that improves your relationship with your employer, your engagement and results at work, and creates a win-win for everyone involved.

“Meeting a deadline is called a commitment. But if we back up and look at the whole of our lives, we determine where we spend our time for the most part. We can determine the scope and timing of things. We can say no — and explain why. It becomes a conversation as opposed to just saying yes.”