Surface Acting

About this episode

The episode discusses the concept of surface acting in the workplace and its impact on authenticity and performance.

In today's episode: How often are you "surface acting" -- heightening and feigning expected emotions to meet work demands? It's a survival strategy in the workplace, but it costs us in exhaustion and reduced performance. Surface acting is different from compartmentalizing; it sacrifices authenticity. Do we have relationships that are strong enough to handle the truth? CEO Daily Brief with Dr. Jessica Kriegel is a 5-minute daily podcast where business pragmatism meets inner wisdom. John Frehse, Global Head of Labor Strategies at Ankura, joins Jessica every week to discuss the latest news in labor, employment, and workplace culture by asking each other the question: 'What Are You Paying Attention To Now?' ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Connect with Dr. Jessica Kriegel on LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Connect with John Frehse on LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Other ways to connect: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Jessica Kriegel Website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Jessica Kriegel Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Jessica Kriegel Newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Culture Partners Website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Culture Partners LinkedIn

People in this episode

Host: Dr. Jessica Kriegel

Guest: John Frehse

Topics covered

• surface acting
• workplace culture
• emotional labor
• authenticity
• performance

Keywords

• surface acting
• workplace
• emotional labor
• authenticity
• exhaustion
• performance
• relationships

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Ankura

More episodes of CEO Daily Brief with Dr. Jessica Kriegel

• The Performance We Put On at Work · June 12, 2026 · 8 min
• Transparency, Turbulence & CEO Confidence · June 11, 2026 · 7 min
• The Jobs Report Nobody Trusts · June 10, 2026 · 8 min
• How to ACTUALLY Measure Culture · June 9, 2026 · 6 min
• Congrats on Getting a Job (Or Is It?) · June 8, 2026 · 11 min
• The Demand Curve of Addiction · June 5, 2026 · 9 min