Alvin Quah - How to be truly valuable

Authenticity gets thrown around constantly in workplaces, but what does it actually mean to bring your real self to work without oversharing, burning bridges, or pretending the bottom line doesn't exist? Tam Callaghan sits down with celebrity chef, LinkedIn writer and longtime friend Alvin Quah to dig into one of the most overused and underexplored ideas in modern work culture.  Alvin brings a perspective that's hard to find: someone who has lived and led in corporate environments, left them, and can now speak with honesty about what psychological safety, authenticity and values alignment actually feel like from the inside. Together, he and Tam cover what it costs when people can't be themselves at work, why a great boss can make a broken company survivable, and why soft skills are foundational, not optional extras.  The conversation also gets into culture, generational difference, introverts in the workplace, hiring for team fit, and what it looks like when trust and friendship exist in a professional setting.  Warm, thoughtful, and the kind of conversation that makes you reconsider a few things.  In this episode:  - What authenticity actually means, and what it doesn't <!--THE END--> - Filters, code-switching and the layers people wear at work <!--THE END--> - Why psychological safety often lives or dies with one person: your boss <!--THE END--> - Edited authenticity: being real without being raw <!--THE END--> - Generations, culture and making space for introverts <!--THE END--> - How Alvin thinks about hiring and constructive conflict <!--THE END--> - Why soft skills are the most foundational skills of all <!--THE END--> - Values, leadership and being genuinely valuable at work Do Yourself a Favour is available on YouTube: https://linktr.ee/doyourselfafavour\_podcast  Join the conversation! Do Yourself a Favour is on Facebook  LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/tamaracallaghan  Do Yourself a Favour is recorded at Tailwind Studio: https://www.linkedin.com/company/tailwind-studio  Formerly known as the 50/50 Podcast.  ———————  Chapters  0:00 Intro — Do Yourself a Favour (Bed Edition)  0:06 Setting the Scene — First On-the-Bed Episode  0:33 Guest Introduction — Alvin Quah  0:57 What We Mean by Authenticity  1:31 Authenticity vs. Corporate Masks  2:03 Filters, Code-Switching & Workplace Layers  6:00 Psychological Safety & Leadership Umbrellas  8:16 Authenticity Isn't Rawness — Edited Authenticity  10:02 Love, Boundaries & Managing Difficult Conversations  12:01 Generations, Culture & The Power of Introverts  17:03 Hiring, Team Fit & Constructive Conflict  22:21 Trust, Friendship at Work & Psychological Safety  24:04 Soft Skills Aren't Soft — Foundational Skills  46:43 Being Valuable — Values at Work and Leadership  1:12:20 Closing Thoughts — Vulnerability, Hope & Wrap-up  ———————  #AlvinQuah #TamCallaghan #DoYourselfAFavour #Authenticity #PsychologicalSafety #WorkplaceCulture #Leadership #SoftSkills #CodeSwitching #TrustAtWork #ValuesAtWork #WorkplaceWellbeing #PodcastAustralia #LinkedInCreator #BringYourselfToWork