Rethinking Self-promotion
In the professional world, we must self-promote or be advocated for to move ahead. In business, we must sell our brand, product, and/or service to be lucrative. Sometimes our worth speaks for itself; other times, we must self-promote (i.e., advocate for ourselves).
Unfortunately, the history of self-promoting has earned itself a not-so-positive reputation, and self-promoting can easily be mistaken for gloating or bragging, which are negative behaviors.
Think of your colleagues — the ones who do their job well, volunteer to help others, are self-motivated, are positive — but their management does not acknowledge their accomplishments and achievements. What then? Truthfully, they have choices to make, one of which could be to do something about it. They don’t want to gloat or brag, but they deserve recognition, and they know that self-promoting can be selfless behavior, but where’s the balance?
First, let’s establish one very important fact. In this scenario, your management have failed your colleagues because they did not advocate for your colleagues by recognizing them, i.e., advocating for them. Your management’s choice not to advocate for their employees is about them lacking character, focusing on their ego, dwelling on their insecurity, or not recognizing the importance of advocating for staff, and that is not about a shortcoming in your colleagues.
Second, and independent of the gap created by management not advocating for their employees, let’s consider Marie Forleo’s quote, “Where did we learn that self-promotion is bad, and more importantly, why do we accept that as the truth?” What if we change the narrative on self-promotion, and instead, think of it as being selfless rather than selfish?
Why should we self-promote? What are we saying about ourselves when we do? You are making a positive statement about yourself — acknowledging your value and your worth, but you are doing so in a way that educates others about you. The second part of this idea is key to the selfless element of self-promoting. When we self-promote, we are educating others about our talents, interests, gifts, and skills. How are others supposed to know what value we can share if they don’t know about our proficiencies?
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How can we self-promote? Consider the opportunities you may already have, e.g., team meetings, newsletters, or evaluations.
Here’s a safe exercise to start. Let’s say you have been asked to speak at an upcoming conference, and you are asked for a bio. What do you say about yourself? Try it. Write the bio. Especially if you are not comfortable self-promoting, you may find yourself pleasantly surprised about how good you feel about yourself afterward.
I, too, am working toward getting better and more comfortable about self-promoting. I have been asked to write bios about myself for speaking engagements at conferences, workshops, and meetings. On the days I need to remind myself of my value (in my professional world), I often go to those bios, reading them out loud so I can feel my value resonating within me.
What can self-promotion sound like? [at a team meeting] “Hey, everyone. I have some exciting news to share with you all. I just found out that I passed my Project Management Professional (PMP) certification exam! [verbal congrats from your colleagues] I really enjoy project management and am excited to be able to put these skills to use so if you would like some assistance or guidance managing your projects, let me know. I would be happy to share what I have learned with you.”
A couple other notes about self-promotion: 1) it requires mental, emotional, and psychological strength because self-promoting requires transparency — inviting others to see what we see within ourselves — and that makes us vulnerable to judgement, 2) it is a sign of emotional intelligence in that it demonstrates to others that you are self-aware, and 3) others may offer to mentor you or suggest resources, professional development, and professional groups related to your proficiency so self-promotion can also increase your professional network.
My purpose is to add value to the lives of others. How are they supposed to know how I can add value to their lives unless they know my talents, interests, gifts, and skills? Let’s rewrite the negative narrative on self-promotion and rethink about how it can be an opportunity for us to share our value with the world. Let’s tell them just how we can help them.
And finally, don’t forget to pay it forward … organic, specific recognition of others will help them feel valued, seen, and appreciated. Wouldn’t it be a better world if our insecurities did not keep us from celebrating the value in others? I certainly think so.
