When in doubt, turn to La Rochefoucauld:

“Nous sommes si accoutumés à nous déguiser aux autres qu’enfin nous nous déguisons à nous-mêmes.” (Maximes 119)

(We get so used to disguising ourselves to others that we end up becoming disguised to ourselves.)

There’s nothing like a good dose of French scepticism to shake you up in the morning. The noble duke’s words came to mind recently when a new DVD landed on my desk. Offering an “expert’s guide” to interview skills, it was accompanied by a press release that was headlined: “Don’t just look the part, act the part.”

The training film is divided into sections such as “Ensure you are instantly liked”, “Breeze past tricky questions”, and “Close the interview with style”. All your problems solved for just £14.99. How deep can the crisis in capitalism really be if the market is still coming up with products like this?

But the DVD’s producers have, perhaps without realising it, hit upon a recurring management challenge. How should you present yourself to the world? What sort of leadership style does the situation demand? Or should you simply ignore such thoughts as you get on with the business of “being yourself”?

Continue reading Know who you are meant to be