This is a guest post from Joel A. Garfinkle. Joel is the author of seven books, including Getting Ahead: Three Steps to Take Your Career to the Next Level. As an executive coach, he has worked with executives at companies such as Google, Amazon, Starbucks, Deloitte, Cisco Systems, Oracle, and many more. You can also subscribe to his Executive Leadership Newsletter and receive the FREE e-book, 41 Proven Strategies to Get Promoted Now!
Does the idea of promoting yourself at work make your heart race and your palms sweat? If so, there’s a good chance that you’re also feeling the effects somewhere that hurts a little more—in your wallet.
In a study of salespeople with call reluctance titled “The Importance of Managing Visibility,” George W. Dudley & Shannon L. Goodson discovered that the fear of self-promotion—which causes call reluctance—has negative implications for people in other positions as well. They found that employees in administrative management positions who did not promote themselves did not get promoted as often as those who did. In fact, self-promotion was actually a stronger indicator of who would get promoted than competence.
If you want to keep moving ahead in your career, it is absolutely essential that you overcome your fear of self-promotion. If you don’t, no one will realize how valuable you are, and at some point your career will fizzle out. Here are some strategies you can use to promote yourself at work in spite of your fear:
1. Keep track of your accomplishments. It’s hard to tell others what you’ve done if you can’t remember. Keep an ongoing record of the projects you are working on and update it at least weekly, if not daily. When it comes time for a performance review, you’ll be able to tell your boss exactly what you’ve done to deserve a raise. This list will also come in handy when you are competing for a promotion.
2. E-mail others about your successes. For introverts especially, e-mail can be a less intimidating method of self-promotion. When you e-mail your boss with progress reports that highlight the successes you’ve had on the projects you’re working on, copy others higher up in the organization who are affected by the project as well. This will help you gain visibility.
3. Speak up at meetings. Before you attend a meeting, think about what is going to be discussed and try to find a way to relate it to what you’re working on so you can ensure that your expertise is known and valued. Look for opportunities to contribute ideas and solutions. People who speak up at work stand out and are perceived by others to be more competent, whether they really are or not
4. Recruit someone to help you get the word out. Having someone speak up on your behalf is even better than speaking up for yourself. People have a tendency to believe a third party who speaks on someone else’s behalf more than someone who is doing his or her own self-promotion. Find someone who will tell others about your successes for you so you don’t have to work quite so hard on your own self-promotion.
5. Promote others. It’s often easier to tell someone how great Suzie in accounting is or what a great job Jim did on that report than to tell them what you yourself have accomplished. When you promote others, you make them feel good about themselves and you may even spark a desire for them to reciprocate the favor when they get the chance. At the very least, the people around you will see you as someone who plays well with others when you praise your boss, subordinates, and co-workers every chance you get.
Self-promotion does not come easily for most people, but it’s something you need to work for to achieve continuous career and job advancement. It’s no longer enough to be good at what you do, you also have to tell people how good you are at what you do. If you don’t, they won’t notice, and you won’t get ahead.
Quite frankly, if my employees were doing all of this to get ahead, they’d be out the door. Everyone should take their career seriously, but when you are constantly thinking of the impact of decisions, actions and commentary on your career rather than the good of the business, it is time to reasses values. If you work in companies where the political animals are rewarded with promotions, get the hell out. Manage your career by minding your business.
HI John,
I can see your point. You don’t want people 100% to focus only on the benefits to their own career. It will undermine the overall strategy of the company and the team work necessary for success. However, too many employers don’t take advantage of the talents of their employees. If the employer sees your accomplishments, success and hears from you at meetings, they will know what you offer and how best to use you in the company.
Self-promotion at work is a very tricky area. I think there is an art to it.
The way I see it, there are two extremes:
1. Not promoting yourself at all and being a doormat due to not projecting self-confidence; and
2. Promoting yourself way too much which can be viewed as obnoxious.
I would focus first on doing a really, really good job. If you are an outstanding employee, most people will notice this and do a lot of your promoting for you.
Regarding self-promoting, I feel like projecting self-confidence is an important indirect way of getting others to view you in a positive manner.
And I agree that speaking up at meetings is good assuming you have something important to say. I wouldn’t recommend speaking up if there was nothing of substance to add to the conversation.
I think that promoting what you’ve done is a good idea assuming it is done at the appropriate time. For example, you mentioned keeping track of your accomplishments and promoting them at a performance review and I completely agree.
I also believe there are times when an employee does their job so well and with so much humility that they can begin to be taken for granted.
If this happens, I think it’s a good idea to respectfully stand up for yourself and promote what you have done in an appropriate manner. If this isn’t done, you can end up being a doormat.
Furthermore, I agree that praising the work of others is a good idea. But it has to be genuine and not with the expectation of getting anything in return.
Hi Greg,
You bring up a great point about the two extremes. I agree that this often does occur. What needs to happen is to have a middle way in which your self-promotion doesn’t seem like arrogance or brown-nosing. Instead, your self-promotion comes across as confidence and natural. Others don’t notice it as self-promotion. Instead, they see it as facts of what you do and your value. Nothing more and nothing less.
Your point about do a really, really good job is a good one. You have to have a base-line of solid work and respect in the company. However, you can’t assume people will notice you just because you do good work. This is a major concern I see daily with my clients. They relay too much on the hope they will get promoted because they work hard.
Greg – You’ve nailed it. Like most things in life, balance is the operative word.
Hi John,
While I agree balance is key, it’s also important to lean toward the side of self-promotion. It’s so easy to get lost in a meeting, with your peers and superiors recognizing your true value. You want to feel a bit uncomfortable with the amount of self-promotion you do. Stick to the facts of your value and this will be seen as genuine and not boosting.
Thanks, John!
Greg, you’ve pretty much made the definitive statement on the subject, and I can’t add too much to it. Just to say there seems to be too much self-promotion about. There are so many “world leaders in xy or z..” and “foremost authorities” around one wonders why the world is in such a state with all that talent around.
I appreciate the kind words, Peter.