It’s from Angela Ahrendts the high-powered Apple executive who earlier in her career was told by a random human resources manager that she needed to make changes if she ever wanted to be CEO material.

So Ahrendts went off to meet with a career coach for several days but lasted only a few hours.

Here’s how Ahrendts tells it:

“By lunchtime the first day, I just looked at them and I said, ‘I gotta go. I don’t want to be somebody that I’m not. I like me, and I’ve been pretty successful so far being me and I was raised in a really big family. And, you know, my mom liked me, my friends liked me … I don’t care about a title or a position. You know I have to wake up with me every morning, and I want to be the best version of myself. I don’t want to be this person you’re trying to make me, so I’m really sorry but I have to go.’ So, I left, and literally a month later got the call to become the CEO of Burberry.”

Authentic people are addictive.

People like to work with them and follow their lead.

But to earn your cred, you must genuinely like and accept yourself the way you are to maximize your potential.

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