05/03/2017

Why You Shouldn't 'Be Yourself' at Work

The most common career advice can be completely misleading

'Be yourself' is the defining careers advice of the moment. It’s heard everywhere from business leaders in the boardroom to graduation day speeches. It's so common it's even a hiring tool for some companies.

One person striving to successfully heed this advice is Michael Friedrich, the Berlin-based vice-president of ScribbleLive, a Canadian software company. For Friedrich, being himself involves wearing shorts to work, and telling prospective clients he’s sleeping on a friend’s living-room floor while he finds a home of his own. 

Playing by his own rules has worked well so far, Friedrich says. Thanks to the foreign languages, and well-honed intercultural skills picked up while travelling instead of going to university, he’s landed well-paying jobs. And, despite his unconventional behaviour at ScribbleLive, he’s won a major promotion.

Please click here to read the complete article from BBC.