08/26/2026
We’ve all heard, “Fake it till you make it.” But what exactly are you faking? Is it confidence while you grow, or presenting an entirely different version of yourself just to be accepted?
Check out this article below 👇🏽
https://www.fastcompany.com/91587666/strategically-fake-authenticity-at-work-why-you-should
This Fast Company article argues that strategically “faking” authenticity at work is not necessarily being fake. Sometimes, adjusting how we speak and behave to fit the setting is a sign of emotional intelligence.
I agree with some points so let’s talk about it.
Most of us understand that we are not going to speak to the CEO, executives or even our boss exactly the way we speak to our family or best friend. We may change our tone, clean up our grammar a bit, or become more intentional about the words we use.
That is a part of knowing how to read the room.
But let’s talk about when “reading the room” becomes code-switching so heavily that the people who know you best would not even recognize you.😂
You get on the phone at work, and suddenly your tone changes three octaves. You have worked overtime to eliminate your Southern drawl. You pronounce every word so carefully that your own family would ask, “Who is that talking?”
Or have you become so immersed in corporate language that you no longer say anything plainly.
Now you are “circling back,” “leveraging opportunities,” “creating alignment,” and “identifying strategic synergies” but you’re not really saying anything.
You sound like everyone else in the room, but no one knows what you think.
That is not necessarily executive presence. Sometimes, that is performance.
There is a difference between knowing the language of the room and losing your voice or persona inside of it.
Now, this does not mean everything about you belongs everywhere.
For example, it’s probably not a great idea to try to engage others in conversation that includes slang specific to your family, ethnicity or neighborhood you grew up it.
Bring in what makes you, you but not every room needs the biggest, loudest, most over-the-top version of your personality. You can bring your warmth, humor, and individuality without taking over the entire room.
Please avoid swing so far in the other direction that you become pretentious, using words you would never normally use, forcing an accent that does not belong to you, or filling the air with corporate language because you think it makes you sound important.
So, what three things would I do?
1. I would absolutely learn the vernacular of my industry. If I am entering a new company, profession, or leadership space, I am going to do my homework. I want to understand the terminology, the culture, the key players, the priorities, and what matters in that room.
2. I would make sure my message is clear. I would remove distracting filler words, organize my thoughts, and adjust my delivery so people can understand and receive what I am saying.
3. I would NOT manufacture an entirely different voice. I would not fill my sentences with corporate lingo just to sound important. And I would not erase every trace of where I come from to prove that I belong.
The goal is not to become unrecognizable. The goal is to become understandable, credible, and effective while still sounding like you.
Learn the language, but do not lose your voice.
There is a difference between reading the room and erasing yourself to survive it.
Finally, my personal philosophy is to "faith it" until you make it.
So my question to you are, are you adapting your delivery or do you believe code-switching is the only way you will be accepted?
The workplace does not need your ‘real’ self. It needs your best self. Those are rarely the same thing.
