As people gain tenure in an organization, it often feels easier—and safer—to show up as their “authentic self.” But former Secret Service agent Evy Poumpouras believes that mindset can backfire in the workplace.
“Don’t bring your authentic self to work. I don’t want your authentic self. I want your professional self. I want your respectful self. I want your empathetic and competent self,” she said on a recent episode of Diary of a CEO. “Save your authentic self for Thanksgiving with your family.”
Poumpouras, a Queens, N.Y., native, served as a U.S. Secret Service special agent from 2000 to 2012, protecting Presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Barack Obama, and George H.W. Bush. She later became a polygraph examiner, interrogator, law enforcement analyst, bestselling author of Becoming Bulletproof, and adjunct professor at the City University of New York.
She explained that in her career, authenticity would have been a liability. Reflecting on an interrogation with a 16-year-old boy accused of assaulting a 3-year-old, she said: “If I brought my authentic New York self, I would’ve said, ‘What are you thinking? How could you?’ But instead, I brought my professional self. I stayed calm, neutral, and focused on getting the truth so the little girl wouldn’t be harmed again. My authentic feelings were irrelevant.”
For Poumpouras, professionalism isn’t about being fake—it’s about prioritizing the team and the mission over personal impulses. “Authenticity often turns into me, me, me. Check me out. But when you show up to work, it’s not about you. It’s about what value you bring to the whole team,” she said.
Other experts share her caution. Ryne Sherman, chief science officer at Hogan Assessment Systems, told the Science of Personality podcast that unfiltered authenticity often creates conflict, derails careers, and undermines professionalism. “If you scream, stomp, or send a nasty email, that’s authentic—but it’s also destructive,” he said. “Resisting those impulses may feel inauthentic, but it’s necessary.”
Still, research shows authenticity has benefits. A recent study led by Cynthia S. Wang at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management found that being able to express oneself at work can boost well-being, strengthen relationships, and deepen commitment to an organization. But Wang notes that authenticity is particularly challenging for marginalized groups, who may feel excluded even if technically included.
Ultimately, Poumpouras argues that high-performing teams require something more deliberate than raw authenticity. “When everyone brings their authentic self, you get sloppiness—people doing their own thing. True teamwork means bringing your genuine self: someone who cares about the mission, about doing a good job, and about the collective over the individual.”