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Dear Quota Team,

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I'm just finishing up my first year in sales after college. There was definitely a bit of a learning curve, but I'm feeling like I'm in a good groove now. I finished the year strong and hit my quota again in January. The way that I've found success is by putting on this fake character of myself when I'm on calls with prospects and even with my colleagues in the office. It's kind of been bothering me that I can't act like my true self, the way I act around friends and family, at work. It just feels really weird having to act like a completely different person (5 days a week) just to succeed in my job. It also feels a bit like I'm lying to people. Is this normal? Should I talk to my manager about how I feel?

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Disingenuous in New Jersey 

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Dear Disingenuous,

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This "bringing your whole self to work" idea is a relatively new concept and doesn't work in all professions, especially customer-facing roles like sales. A few decades ago, it was commonly expected that most working professionals would put on a more professional/formal personality at work. You shouldn't be acting the same way with prospects as you do with family and friends.  It's not lying, it's putting on your big boy pants to get the job done most effectively. If it works, keep doing it. If you can’t, then find another profession. Good luck!