How do I stay true to myself when I speak for my company?

You are the company's voice in every crisis, and you have lost track of where its words stop and yours begin. That blur is dangerous and you can feel it. When you speak for something long enough, its language starts to feel like your own thoughts. Noticing the loss is the first step back to yourself. Speaking for the company is not the same as surrendering your conscience, though the two can quietly merge if you let them. Your job is to represent the company, not to become it. There has to be a line inside you that the company does not get to move — a place where, if asked to say something false or cruel, you would refuse. If you cannot feel that line right now, that is the thing to rebuild. So draw it, plainly. Name for yourself the things you will not say no matter who asks. Keep that list private and real. The next time a statement crosses it, you will know, and knowing is what keeps a voice from becoming a mouthpiece.