Q. Would you work in a place where you are expected to leave your personality at the door when you come in to work?
I almost certainly wouldn't if it were to do with leaving behind my core values; but personality?... maybe, maybe not. In most cases, it normally isn't about leaving behind your entire personality, but parts of it.
For instance, I've worked at a place where if you laughed out loud in the main office area, people stared at you as if you committed a crime. One employer behaved as if getting in to work at the right time every day was way more important than what you did as the day progressed. Another firm where I worked seem to believe that creativity only happens between 9am and 5pm.
On the flip side, there were times when I distinctly disliked my workplace. But I knew deep inside that if I had to overcome certain typical personality traits (eg. my need to be 'right' and be 'accepted' at all times), leaving them at the door was the only way out. This actually helped me grow and worked in my favor in the long run as it resonated with my values, more than my ego. Infact, some of our more traumatic experiences bring out the best in us. A common situation is when a super shy individual contributor is promoted to a managerial position, and now she can no longer escape from having to speakup in senior management meetings.
By the way, at times that part of your personality that you left behind has it's way of sneaking in from the window. A lot of it has to do with the kind of friends you end up making and the circumstances you create for yourself at your work place.
I almost certainly wouldn't if it were to do with leaving behind my core values; but personality?... maybe, maybe not. In most cases, it normally isn't about leaving behind your entire personality, but parts of it.
For instance, I've worked at a place where if you laughed out loud in the main office area, people stared at you as if you committed a crime. One employer behaved as if getting in to work at the right time every day was way more important than what you did as the day progressed. Another firm where I worked seem to believe that creativity only happens between 9am and 5pm.
On the flip side, there were times when I distinctly disliked my workplace. But I knew deep inside that if I had to overcome certain typical personality traits (eg. my need to be 'right' and be 'accepted' at all times), leaving them at the door was the only way out. This actually helped me grow and worked in my favor in the long run as it resonated with my values, more than my ego. Infact, some of our more traumatic experiences bring out the best in us. A common situation is when a super shy individual contributor is promoted to a managerial position, and now she can no longer escape from having to speakup in senior management meetings.
By the way, at times that part of your personality that you left behind has it's way of sneaking in from the window. A lot of it has to do with the kind of friends you end up making and the circumstances you create for yourself at your work place.
