Prior research has established a general understanding that authentic self-presentation yields positive outcomes, while less genuine self-presentation leads to adverse effects. This study delves deeper into this topic by exploring the dyadic effects of follower-leader self-presentation styles on employee outcomes. Our findings reveal intriguing patterns based on a multisource, two-wave survey design and a sample of 588 employees and their 150 supervisors. Aligned with self-verification theory, we found that congruence at higher levels of authentic self-presentation led to more relational energy and demand-ability fit, enhancing job performance. However, as follower-leader congruence in exaggerated self-enhancement increased, demand-ability fit significantly declined. In incongruence conditions, we observed that relational energy and demand-ability fit were significantly higher when the follower was high and the leader was low in authentic self-expression or authentic self-enhancement than when the follower was low, and the leader was high.
