Everyone’s Pretending a Little

Make it stand out

Most people at work are trying to look and sound like they know what the f$ck they’re doing.

And so many of them do.

They’re capable.
They’ve done the work.
They’ve earned their seat at the table.

But underneath? They’re still just people wanting to be valued.

People who want to be liked.
People who don’t want to be exposed.
People who are constantly calibrating—
Am I doing this right?
Is this what everyone else is doing?
Am I the only one who feels unsure?

So we perform.

We polish our language.
We speak in certainty.
We nod like we fully understand.
We hesitate to ask the question that might reveal we don’t.

Because we’ve either convinced ourselves or have been conditioned to think that not knowing is a problem.

So we overcorrect. We try to sound right, look right, to keep up.

Instead of just saying what’s actually true.

After decades in my career, especially within the throws of HR, I can tell you with certainty that the people who grow the fastest aren’t the ones pretending. They’re the ones who say—
I don’t know.
Can you walk me through that?
I think I’m missing something.

That doesn’t make you look less capable. It creates trust and shows your audience that you care.

—

This is the kind of work I do with clients—helping cut through the noise, see what’s actually going on, and move forward with clarity and confidence.

👉 Book a coaching session: iamfingup.com/you

🎙You can watch real stories from people who have felt this (and made it through), via The F’ing Up Podcast: iamfingup.com/fing-up-podcast-1

We’re all F’ing Up—whether we say it out loud or not.