Authenticity sounds great in theory, but it’s incredibly complicated in practice. 

There’s no clear definition. We only measure it via via subjective perception. And the truth is that the maxim bring your whole self to work asks for something that might not even be welcome. Many people—based on visceral, personal experience—do not believe that they can be authentic in the world. 

In THE AUTHENTICITY CODE: Behind the Fable, Failure, and Future of Authenticity at Work, authors Casey Erin Clark and Julie Fogh dive into the complexities at play—from defining what “self” actually is, to whose authentic presence we view as leadership material, to the exhausting reality of code-switching—and offer a new framework: reimagining both concept and execution for a better future of work.