What we can learn about authenticity from Greta Thunberg and Marcus Rashford

When I scroll through social media, I’m often struck by posts from young professionals celebrating the opportunity ‘to bring their whole selves to work’. The glaring contradiction between Gen Z’s demands for authenticity (from brands, politicians, parents and employers) and the behaviour I observe in a variety of workplaces is not lost on me.

For example, I have heard Zoomers insisting on psychological safety in team meetings, then avoiding the difficult conversations necessary to resolve problems, manage risks and share learning. I’ve also witnessed them advocate the need for clear work–life boundaries, then respond to emails late into the night, naively demonstrating their commitment to the job.

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There is something universal about these discrepancies. As psychologist Carl Jung recognised, we all contain shadows. These include those aspects of ourselves that we reject, suppress or fail to acknowledge, including both our flaws and our untapped potential. Often, the shadows can be found in the gap between what we say and what we do.

It’s not uncommon for public figures to illustrate how our shadows can sabotage even well-intentioned attempts at authentic communication. When influencer Molly-Mae Hague told podcaster Steven Bartlett that “we all have the same 24 hours in a day as Beyoncé”, she thought she would inspire his The Diary of a CEO audience. Instead, as many pointed out, she revealed how blind she was to her own privilege and assumptions.

Problems with leadership authenticity have long fascinated psychologist Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic, author of Don’t Be Yourself. He argues that people in positions of influence and authority should bring their best self not their whole self to work. For Chamorro-Premuzic, the problem lies in how power and status can diminish self-control and amplify our darker characteristics. Unfiltered authenticity, where we share what we think without reflection or act on impulse, impacts those around us. At best it confuses, at worst it causes harm, especially when a powerful figure’s own shortcomings are projected on to other people.

Label limitations

The very terms Boomer, Gen X, millennial and Zoomer are problematic. As with all labels, they depend on assumptions and biases that can be limiting if people opt either to self-identify with them or use them to pigeonhole others. We can see the shadows at play when people choose to hide behind these generational tags, using them as an excuse for their own behaviour (“I suffer from Gen Z anxiety”) or to dismiss the deficiencies of others (“Boomers are hopeless at learning how to use new technology”).

By embracing generalisation and superficiality rather than engaging in genuine feedback and reflection, such people remain in their comfort zones. Yet authenticity requires that they do the uncomfortable work of interrogating, acknowledging and integrating their own shadows. Why do they believe what they do? What do their words and actions say about their own fears and prejudices? What are they not seeing? What are they defending? What unlived potential are they avoiding? Through such shadow work they can achieve the greater wisdom and self-knowledge necessary for authenticity.

In this way, too, they will learn that it is reductionist to believe that how someone thinks and acts is wholly determined by their date of birth. That disregards their personal context, their education, their beliefs and how they relate to the world around them. Authenticity comes from engagement, experience, reflection and inner work. It has nothing to do with accepting or rebelling against labels. Can a Boomer be young at heart? Can a Gen Z have an old head on young shoulders? Of course, they can.

Bridging difference

An obvious example of someone who transcends generational stereotypes is Greta Thunberg. She has attracted international media attention ever since she first held up a “School Strike for Climate” sign at the age of 15, but she rejects the celebrity status that her reputation affords her. Unlike many of her peers, Thunberg is only present online to encourage climate activism, demonstrating an extreme focus on the task at hand – a strength she attributes to her autism. She uses her public platform to grapple with complex topics, to speak truth to power and to honour her environmental convictions. In so doing, Thunberg mobilises people of all ages, uniting them in shared purpose.

Another to achieve this is Marcus Rashford. He has leveraged the platform he has as a professional footballer to raise awareness about homelessness and child poverty. Early on, as part of the In the Box campaign, Rashford distributed packages of essential items to food banks and homeless shelters in Manchester. Then, drawing on his own childhood experiences, he successfully challenged government policy, securing cross-party and popular support as he campaigned for the provision of free school meals to the most deprived children during the Covid pandemic.

In both examples, factors that had nothing to do with supposed Gen Z attributes contributed to identity formation. Thunberg confronted the grief she felt about climate crisis and opted to transform this into action. Rashford experienced childhood hunger, electing to make a difference for others when his career provided him with the social and financial clout to do so. Both acknowledged the darkness they carried with them, harnessing the wisdom and insight this gave them to speak up despite their youth. They found authenticity in the shadows.

Steven D’Souza’s Shadows At Work: Harness Your Dark Side and Unlock Your Full Potential is out on 18 September (LID Publishing, £12.99).

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