Self Promotion Ideas “Hard Work Does Not Guarantee Success.” I still believe it but it begs the question – Then what else do you need to do to guarantee success? One answer that many people would agree with is – self promotion – make sure important people (like your boss and their boss) know who you are and what a top performer you are. That’s easier said then done. How to finesse self-promotion without coming off too boastful or self-centered is tricky. I receive one example of what didn’t work. Here is the story from a fellow reader. “Years ago I was cornered in the hallway by my firm’s president who said, “I have to talk to you. Why are you the only engineer who gets letters of recommendation from clients?” He was a little put off that I was so successful at getting so many letters. I said, “When my clients tell me I did a good job I ask them to send you a letter since I know you would be happy to hear from satisfied clients?” He wasn’t happy at all because he feared employees asking for raises more than he enjoyed happy clients. Are you surprised that this didn’t work? From my own experience, I found subtle self promotion tends to work better than direct self promotion. By subtle, I mean I allow my manager to reach the conclusion that I am a top performer without telling her so myself. Here are three subtle self-promotion ideas that have worked for me or my coaching clients. Proactively update my boss at a regular frequency regarding my progress. In it, I would state what I finished, what I am working on, what issues I am dealing with, and what I would need his/her help on. This reduced the need for my manager to figure out how to manage me, tell her what I accomplished, and pre-warn her of upcoming issues that I may need help with. This is also a trait of a top performer. Help others with their boss’ perception of them. I would do this only if I truly believe it. If I work with someone cross-functionally for awhile and she has been a valuable asset, I would take opportunities to tell her boss that, either in passing or actually send a nice email about her great performance. I usually do this without being asked by the person. Good karma usually gets paid back. Initiate problem solving ideas. Let say you and your manager just met with her boss on a project. Her boss pointed out an issue that he is concerned about. My suggestion is before your boss direct you on how to solve this new issue, work ahead of her. Put in some time to come up with structured ideas and send your manager an email to initiate the process of solving this issue. In the email, you can present options, get her feedback, and let her know what you will do next. Any manager would love that from their team member.. Self promotion is a critical soft skill to achieve the right recognition and success at work. Invest time to develop your subtly self promotion skills. It will be worth it in the long run. Do you have more examples of self promotion ideas that either worked or didn’t work for you? Pls share as we can all benefit. Thanks and best wishes in being recognized for how truly awesome you are at your work! I am always in your corner Subscribe to our Newsletter and receive a free Career plan e-book! Click link now for Newsletter careersmart.co.za/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=329 !
Posted on: Mon, 22 Jul 2013 16:33:53 +0000
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