The Key To Effective Teammates Isn’t Them. It’s You.

I learned that lesson when I ventured on a multi-day hiking expedition in Kananaskis, Canada. As a new hiker, I struggled. The trip consisted of continuous steep inclines, which would’ve been difficult even without needing to carry our heavy camping packs. I was slowed down by one particularly challenging climb, yet I refused to tell my teammates in hopes that I would seem perseverant. To my delight (and surprise), one of the more active members requested that we stop for a break. I quickly realized I wasn’t the only one hiding my weaknesses after noticing the rest of the team’s apparent relief.

For many of us, authenticity, or behaving as one’s “true” self in daily life, is quite challenging. Even the idea of it goes against our nature. As social beings, we’ve learned to adapt and blend into our environment, making it challenging to display who we are at times. Yet, the advantages of vulnerability and authenticity are evident, driving its recent popularity among thought leaders.¹ Authenticity even improved my hiking experience — the moment my group admitted to our shortcomings was when we started working better as a team. So, can being ourselves not only help us work better, but help those who work around us?

The truth is, it can.

Researchers in Germany found that not only do authentic workers have higher work engagement and lower work exhaustion, but their teammates had the same results, regardless of whether they were authentic themselves. The effect occurs in reverse — employees with authentic teammates had higher work engagement, even if the employees lacked authenticity themselves. The results suggest that the benefits of authenticity go beyond the individual, and spillover to teammates as well. So, we can improve our teammates’ work behavior by merely being ourselves.²