First, the backstory: I had this amazing opportunity to play a talk show host (think: the View but called the Angle) at work with 3 other fabulous women. I had so much fun!
Not only did we get to kick off Women’s History Month, but we got to share our little tips and tricks on time management, mentoring, setting goals, professional and personal development —you know–the usual stuff I like to geek out on.
At the end of our session, one of the questions from the audience was, “I struggle with self-promotion. Any tips or suggestions?”
In candor, I totally don’t remember what we said, but after some thought, here are some tips:
Tip 1: Promote Others
This is my number one go-to.
I love giving people shoutouts on social media or over group email with leadership copied or in person in a meeting.
First, it truly makes me happy to “see” others.
I would say that this is one of my superpowers – it comes naturally to me.
And while I don’t really know the science behind it, I feel like I read somewhere that if you help someone while you are feeling down, you will instantly feel better so this is similar to that concept.
While I do this because it makes me feel purposeful and fulfilled, I have found that most of the time, people reciprocate and find opportunities to support you too. It’s like karma but all in this lifetime.
What this looked like in real life for me:
I remember a specific time when I was in BigLaw. We had weekly Docket Call, where our entire office attended to discuss firm matters and cases and administrative announcements. I knew that one of the senior associates, who coached a mock trial team where I went to law school, recently won first place in the nation. As a moot court coach myself, I personally know how much time commitment it is to coach a team (several non-billable hours a week away from family) and how rare it is to win nationals. While it was a bit risky for this lowly baby associate to speak up, I did. At the end of our weekly meeting, the office managing shareholder asked if anyone had any announcements, and I shared the senior associate’s success, and how much work it took to get there, to his surprise. Right after the meeting, he came into my office and thanked me and asked that if I had positive news about myself to share in the future, he wanted the opportunity to share with the office like I did him. That wasn’t my purpose, but it was definitely a win.
Tip 2: Ask Others to Promote You for You
This is my second go-to.
Don’t get me wrong — it’s hard to ask for help. But it gets easier with practice.
And your BFFs, your tribe, your allies – they want to help you. If you make it super easy, it won’t be too much of an ask or imposition on their time.
This could look like an ask for them to post something about you on LinkedIn – one of your recent wins. This could look like an ask for them to nominate you for an award (that you will give them the content for).
Of course, know the strength of your relationship. I would never ask an acquaintance or someone I didn’t know really, really well. And I wouldn’t overask either. Especially if I hadn’t helped first.
Tip 3: Promote Yourself in a Group
Another option is to promote yourself in a group. It’s less scary that way. And probably feels less like hubris.
What this looked like in real life for me:
When I was in private practice, I won D Magazine’s Best Lawyers designation for a few years in employment law. Instead of just singing my own praises on social media, I chose to congratulate others who also won with me.
So instead of the discomfort of “look at me,” I could focus on the accomplishments of others and mention that I received the honor too.
Tip 4: Do the Humble Brag on Social Media
If you peruse LinkedIn, this is a common approach.
“I am so honored to receive X.”
“Excited to be a panelist at X.”
It’s short, sweet and to the point and is perfectly acceptable.
If not on social media and in a real life meeting, it can be as simple as, “hey team, I am so excited about X that I just wanted to share.”
The key to the successful humble brag is authenticity and staying on your brand. While the short and sweet approach works (again, you will see it all over LinkedIn), the posts that really stand out are the ones that tell your story (which takes more time and practice to master).
Anyone else have some tips to share?
