Rethinking Authenticity and What to Do Instead with Dr. Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic 8|5

About this episode

In this episode, Kim Scott and Amy Sandler discuss the complexities of authenticity at work with Dr. Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic, exploring the pitfalls of common authenticity advice and offering alternatives for effective workplace communication.

“Be yourself.” “Bring your whole self to work.” “Don’t worry what people think.” These phrases sound empowering—but in real workplaces, they can create confusion, conflict, and even harm. In this episode of The Radical Candor Podcast, Kim Scott and Amy Sandler sit down with organizational psychologist Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic—Chief Science Officer at Russell Reynolds Associates, professor of business psychology at University College London and Columbia University, and author of Don’t Be Yourself: Why Authenticity Is Overrated and What to Do Instead. They start with a moment of actual Radical Candor: Kim reached out after Tomas and Amy Edmondson accidentally conflated Radical Candor with “brutal honesty.” Instead of stewing, she did the hard (and human) thing—she talked to him. That conversation sets the tone for a bigger question: What does it really mean to be “authentic” at work? Tomas breaks down four “authenticity traps” that sound like wisdom but often backfire: Always be honest with yourself and others Don’t worry what people think of you Always stay true to your values, no matter what Bring your whole self to work Together, they explore what replaces these traps…

People in this episode

Hosts: Kim Scott, Amy Sandler

Guest: Dr. Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic

Topics covered

• authenticity
• workplace communication
• emotional intelligence
• self-complexity
• feedback
• trust and safety

Keywords

• authenticity traps
• workplace
• communication
• emotional intelligence
• feedback
• trust
• self-regulation

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Russell Reynolds Associates, University College London, Columbia University

Books & works: Don’t Be Yourself: Why Authenticity Is Overrated and What to Do Instead

More episodes of Radical Candor: Communication at Work

• Oliver Bullough - Everybody Loves Our Dollars - S8 | E17 · June 3, 2026 · 1h 2m
• Gary Gerstle on The Rise and Fall of the Neoliberal Order - S8 | E16 · May 27, 2026 · 1h 4m
• Steven Johnson - The Infernal Machine S8 | E15 · May 20, 2026 · 47 min
• Luke Burgis - The One and the Ninety Nine S8 | E14 · May 13, 2026 · 58 min
• Daniel Coyle - Creating Teams that Flourish S8 | E13 · May 6, 2026 · 48 min
• Eric Ries - How Great Companies Stay Great S8 | E12 · April 29, 2026 · 1h 2m