The authenticity paradox

Leaders are told to build trust by admitting struggles or personal misfortunes. But new research across ten experiments with over two thousand participants found not all unflattering disclosures work equally well.

Choice matters more than cost

Participants reacted more positively when leaders shared stories showing they made deliberate choices. Sharing that you chose to give a presentation without slides felt more authentic than sharing your car broke down before it.

“sharing a story about how your car broke down before a big presentation feels less authentic than sharing that you chose to give the presentation without any slides”

Three types of disclosure

Researchers examined personal setbacks like illness, unconventional choices like ignoring dress codes, and exploitative choices like giving undeserved opportunities. Each type sent a different signal to employees about the leader's character.

Unconventional wins by far

Leaders who disclosed unconventional behavior were rated twenty-one percent higher on authenticity than those who disclosed a setback. Those who disclosed exploitation were seen as seventy-six percent less authentic than those disclosing unconventional behaviors.

Agency signals character

Unconventional choices signal agency and willingness to defy convention at personal cost. Setbacks signal humanity but reveal nothing distinctive about character. Exploitative choices show agency but reveal something untrustworthy about decision-making.

Self-disclosure is essential

The authenticity boost disappeared when participants read about disclosures in media reports or observed the behavior themselves. Leaders needed to divulge the information themselves for it to feel genuine.

Credibility is the gatekeeper

A senator posting about wearing sweatpants to a formal event gained authenticity benefits. An aide posting the same thing gained none. Established leaders carry idiosyncrasy credits that grant them license to deviate from expectations.

Setbacks still have value

Setback disclosures reliably elicit sympathy even though they do not confer the same authenticity gains as unconventional choices. There are circumstances where signaling shared vulnerability is more appropriate than signaling agency.

Four questions before sharing

Ask whether the behavior harmed anyone. Choose confessions over misfortunes. Build standing before spending it. Separate transparency from authenticity. These distinctions help leaders decide what to disclose and how.

Authenticity is about choice

The leaders audiences think are most authentic are not those who have shown what they have suffered. They are the ones who have shown freely and without prompting what they have chosen to do.

“The leaders who audiences think are most authentic aren't the ones who've shown what they've suffered. They're the ones who've shown, freely and without prompting, what they've chosen to do.”