Originally posted on LinkedIn on February 24, 2026. Read and engage with the original post here
What would you do differently at work tomorrow if you didn’t need the paycheck? Would you finally tell your manager what you think? Push back on a strategy that doesn’t make sense? Share the idea you have been sitting on for months because you weren’t sure how it would land? Leave your job completely and pursue that passion project you always wanted to work on?
We’ve probably all had those thoughts while we are whiling our time away in a cubicle somewhere working on slides for the next big project review. But what can we do? We all need the paycheck, right? What if we rock the boat and our manager starts to view us as difficult or not a “team player?” We can’t afford to lose our jobs! How else will we pay our mortgages, car notes, credit card bills and put food on the table?
Best bet is to keep our heads down, work hard, follow orders and avoid making waves.
Right?
The Money Trap
Financial dependency changes behavior. Maybe not drastically, but in subtle ways. We have probably all done the following at work:
- Self-censored in meetings
- Agreed with bad ideas to avoid conflict
- Not pushed back on unrealistic timelines
- Giving feedback people want to hear, not need to hear
- Staying in bad situations too long
- Performing a version of ourselves that isn’t quite real
I have been guilty of all of these things during my career. I was concerned that I would be viewed negatively by managers, peers or customers. I thought that being “nice” at all costs was the path to a successful career path. I observed others around me, who were smart and capable people doing these things every day. Under the circumstances, it seems rational, but there is a cost:
- Career grows slower (you’re not differentiated)
- Leaders don’t get honest feedback (they need and WANT it)
- You become invisible
- You feel inauthentic (drains you slowly behind the scenes)
- You miss opportunities (you didn’t speak up)
- You gradually compromise your own values (worst of all)
Compromising your values is one of the worst things you can do at work. This is like giving up a part of your essence and eats away at you on the inside. And once you go down this path once, it can be very hard to reverse course. That anxiety or feeling in the pit of your stomach that you get on a Sunday night? It could be fueled in part from not showing up as your real self at work.
How I Changed Course
About 10 years ago, I was in a 1:1 with Dave, my manager at Philips. We were talking about how hard it was sometimes to be transparent about bad news on projects, especially leadership. The real state of things. And he posed the question to me:
“What if you didn’t need the money?”
We talked about how we would report on project metrics without fear, we would ask teams to deliver things without worrying about their reactions, and we’d advocate to roll back processes that didn’t make sense. We wouldn’t feel weird about leaving for 90 minutes in the middle of the day to work out. We’d be relaxed and just focused on what really mattered, getting stuff done.
Dave told me that you really don’t need to have a huge pile of money to start acting that way. You just need to do it. You won’t get fired. And even if you did get fired, you wouldn’t end up on the street. You would get severance. You have a good network. You have some emergency savings. You’d find a job eventually. You’d be alright.
And then he gave me permission to work as if I didn’t need the money and he would support me. That really was a game changer for me.
It wasn’t immediate, but I slowly changed my behaviors. I began by saying what I actually thought in meetings and e-mails. I pushed back more. I gave honest feedback, even to managers and directors, instead of canned, “safe” feedback. I stopped performing for approval. I didn’t try to hide problems. Best of all, I felt more like myself.
The surprise: Leaders trusted me MORE when I disagreed. Colleagues valued my opinion MORE when it was honest. My ideas landed BETTER when I wasn’t hedging.
This shouldn’t have been a surprise. Authenticity is magnetic. People can feel when you mean it and sense when you aren’t being honest. Leaders are starving for accurate data and strong input. The person who tells the truth becomes invaluable.
Also, this doesn’t mean that you should just become a jerk who says whatever they want, is overly blunt, is contrarian or uncooperative. It’s finding that sweet spot that involves candor, respect and a desire for everybody to do their best work and succeed.
Why Your Career Goes Better
It’s counterintuitive, but you will be more successful at work if you show up honestly each and every day. Here are the things I’ve noticed:
Differentiation
When everybody nods at leadership and then goes off to their desks, the person who speaks up and respectfully pushes back, or questions direction sticks out. Leaders remember the person who shared a thoughtful insight, even if it didn’t change their minds. The folks who agree to everything are not differentiated.
Trust
Have you ever been around someone who agreed with EVERYTHING you said? Every movie you mention, they love it. Every restaurant you’ve been to, they think its great. Every book or article you mention and they can’t wait to read it too! After a while, you aren’t really sure where you stand with this person. Do they actually like all that stuff? Maybe the friendship isn’t as strong as it could be because it lacks authenticity.
When you are known as someone who speaks their mind respectfully and aren’t afraid to share a differing opinion, people start to trust you more when you DO agree. Your endorsement starts to mean something, instead of just a rubber stamp.
Opportunity
When leaders think about the person they want on an exciting new project, your name is more likely to come up. You get invited to solving harder and more interesting problems. Your reputation as a person who “tells the truth” opens doors that you didn’t even know existed.
Better Work
When you stop worrying about needing the paycheck and focus on doing the right thing, your work itself gets better because you are focused on doing the right thing that actually gets results. When you say what you believe, you think more clearly. You no longer have the cognitive overhead of managing your image. You just do great work. This, in turn, leads to you being recognized as a top contributor and earns more trust.
Feel Better
The biggest benefit is to you and your mental state. Being authentic is energizing. Performing, or doing work that you know doesn’t add value but earns political points is exhausting. When you feel energized and are excited about the work you are doing, you become happier AND more productive.
The Practical Version
This all sounds well and good, Pete, but the honest truth is we all DO need the money. We don’t want to get reckless with the career we’ve built or put our family’s livelihood at risk. We also don’t want to alienate others or build a negative reputation. So what’s the balance? Where do we practically start?
Like many things, starting small helps. Maybe make a goal to share one honest comment in tomorrow’s staff meeting. Share one real piece of feedback with a colleague. Bonus points if this colleague doesn’t always handle getting feedback well. A single “I’m not sure thats the right call” per week. And that idea you have been sitting on? Share it!
From that foundation of small steps towards authenticity and speaking your truth, take the time to observe what happens. Usually nothing bad will come out of these changes. Notice how it feels? Energizing? Empowering? Additionally, notice how others respond. Usually, it’s positive. As you notice the benefits, do more of it!
The truth is, most of the consequences we fear for being honest never materialize. We’ve catastrophized the risk. “If I say this, I’ll get fired” is almost never true. And if it IS true? That may be an indication of they type of culture that is valued in your company.
Again, it’s a balance. And a nice heuristic I’ve used is asking myself:
“Am I not saying this because it’s not helpful, or being I’m afraid of how it might land?”
If its fear driving the silence, say it anyway (with thoughtfulness and respect). If it’s genuinely not helpful, stay quiet.
The version of you that doesn’t need the money? That’s actually just the real you. The one who has opinions and shares them. The one who pushes back when something doesn’t make sense. The one who gives honest feedback because they respect people enough to be real. The one who shows up as themselves.
You don’t need financial independence to access that version of yourself. You just need to decide to show up that way.
Starting today.
What’s one honest thing you’ve been holding back?