Pro-actively advertising what’s great about yourself is often referenced as a tip to get ahead in business.
Does the idea of self-promotion make you want to throw up?
For many people, the answer is “Yes, it does. It feels that horrible.”
It’s a common feeling. You might be shy to toot your own horn, feel scummy playing politics or consider it unseemly to be self-interested. It would be many people’s worst nightmare to be labelled as a braggart, fake, or all-about-me, and therefore not a practice they would consider.
But what if…say, by magic… your accomplishments, ideas, effort and natural talents were widely known? How would that feel? How would it impact you? Maybe you’d be more appreciated, less frustrated, more invested. Perhaps you’ll get more of the work you love, influence important changes or be asked to lead more significantly.
Although I can’t offer you a magic spell, I’ll suggest the next best thing: self-promotion actions so simple and natural, it’ll feel like a trick. These no excuses self-promotion activities are little more than taking opportunities to mention your work that are handed to you on a silver platter.
So without further ado….
Your [anti-nausea] no-excuses self-promotion opportunities
Opportunity #1 : Waiting for food/drink in the kitchen.
I promise, while you zap your chilli or brew your pod coffee, anyone in your presence will ask, “How are you?”.
The trick: Answer the question with real information about what you’re doing (and why it’s important, if they’re not familiar with what you’re referring to.)
I might suggest something like:
“Great. Working hard on abc project. It’ll determine the funding we get for next year.”
“Busy! Gearing up to lead a big meeting with Jack for approval of the next stage of our project.”
“Lots going on. We’re moving full speed ahead after my team’s win last week”
…etc.
Opportunity #2: The elevator
It’s totally okay in an elevator to just smile and utter a hardly-audible “hi”, even if you know the person. But choose to do just a little more with the captive audience, and it could have big benefits.
The trick: If you step into an elevator with someone you know, enter with a “how’s it going?” and you’ll surely get one back. Then, not different from the aforementioned kitchen scenario, you simply answer the question in a descriptive sentence about the substance your work. (Do feel free to return the favour by asking some specific questions of your fellow rider so that they can share more with you.)
Opportunity #3: An office visitor
Whenever you host someone, there’s that few minutes of small talk that needs to happen as you lead up to the primary subject matter. Make it count every time, whether you’re speaking with a senior leader visiting from another office, a client, a vendor or the IT guy. Here, you have more time than in an elevator, but a comfortable escape route because ultimately you must get down to business.
The trick: Answer the catch-up version of the “how’s it going” question with “Busy!” Followed by some info about something you’re working on that promises to have impact instead of ending there. (To whatever extent you can, depending on your audience and confidentiality.) Now another person knows what’s really going on behind your closed door. You never know who’s going to spread the word.
Opportunity #4: The scheduled update
Whether it’s a team meeting or a one-on-one with your Manager, here you’re being asked to let people in on what you’re doing. I really can’t think of a more obvious place to take full advantage.
The trick: Don’t give in to the temptation to review your to-do list out loud. Instead, highlight:
- what’s going well in the process of your work (Maybe you’re ahead of schedule? You’ve figured out a better way? You got buy-in from a key person?),
- your dedication to long-term strategic projects, even if just at the beginning stages, and
- the (wonderful) results of things already completed.
Opportunity #5: A LinkedIn update
You don’t have to speak to anyone at all to look accomplished online!
The trick: Every year at performance evaluation time, use your written review as a prompt to add the year’s key accomplishments to your LinkedIn profile. There’s a place on LinkedIn for awards and publications, too, if applicable. For this annual exercise, if you switch on your “Sharing Profile Edits” in your privacy settings, your contacts will be notified of certain updates, such as a title change.
What do you wish people “just knew” about what you do?