Stop bringing your whole self to work

I made a big change this year. I stopped bringing my whole self to work.

Remember 2020? Suddenly we were all getting tours of our colleagues’ homes via Zoom. Kids crashed meetings. Pets became unofficial team members.

Something else snuck in during this time - our unfiltered emotions.

“Bring your whole self to work!” the influencers cheered. And we listened.

But here’s what actually happened: “whole self” morphed into “emotional fire hydrant.” Managers became therapists. Raw feelings spilled into team meetings.

Here’s the thing about emotions - they’re contagious. Like glitter at a kindergarten craft table, once they’re out there, good luck containing them (especially if they get onto the carpet).

Through my work at Inventium with some of Australia’s top companies, I keep hearing the same story: This unfiltered sharing is exhausting everyone.

So what’s the answer?

In a recent conversation on How I Work, Shelley Johnson gave me some great advice: What if instead of bringing our whole selves, we brought our best selves?

Think about it. Sharing tough experiences can be valuable. But timing matters.

Live-streaming your crisis? Not helpful.

Sharing insights after processing? Gold.

Try this quick test before sharing at work:

• Would this help my team?

• What’s my purpose in sharing?

• Have I processed this, or am I still in it?

Being professional doesn’t mean being a robot. But it does mean being intentional.

Some parts of ourselves belong at work. Others belong with a therapist or a friend over coffee.

That’s not being inauthentic. That’s being smart.