RVC-NIU Programs
Self-Promotion as a Competency
Anonymous
© 2000 Special Libraries Association. All rights reserved. Republished with permission.
"The fear of self-promotion consists of all behavioral habits, thoughts, actions, or feelings, which conspire to keep competent people of all walks of like from being able to stand up and take credit for who they are and what they do well. " - George W. Dudley, behavioral scientist
Self-promotion is one of those dirty little phrases that many of us have been trained to look down on with disdain, as though practicing it were one of the seven deadly sins. A little careful consideration might lead us to reconsider. After all, in a workplace where loyalty no longer counts for much (typically), you truly have to manage your career as "Jane/John Doe, Incorporated."
Here are a few suggestions that won't necessarily improve your chances at organizational politics. Rather, they present a process you must go through in order to analyze your fear of self-promotion and then take action to overcome it.
Step 1: Analyze your strengths. Build an assessment of your accomplishments during your career. Start by listing the problems or challenges you've encountered, then list the approaches you used to address them. Finish by listing the results of your efforts.
Remember to include such things as efforts to: increase productivity or efficiency, or save money; institute a new system or procedure; identify new problems and offer solutions; establish new goals or objectives for your organization; change the nature of your job; undertake a project that was considered outside the scope of your job. All of these efforts show that you are more than just a "9 to 5'er."
Step 2. Know the Rules. You shouldn't feel that "playing politics" is a requirement for building your self-promotion strategy. However, there are some rules that you need to observe"
A. Survival of the Fittest: No matter where you work, you'll find that all organizational structures take on the shape of a pyramid. Some may be flatter than others, but all possess a hierarchy that makes the air thinner as you move upward. Whether you participate in this climb or not, there is a natural law that keeps human beings moving up the ladder. Recognize this survival tendency for what it is.
B. Your Peers Are Your Natural Allies: As you work with your colleagues, you should also learn from them and share what you know with them. One sure way to get ahead or be recognized is to be a key part of a successful team.
C. There is Always a System: Know How it Works: All organizations have a culture that, when followed, will lead to personal success. You have to know your organization's culture and understand how to use it. In some companies, creativity is the most prized and rewarded attribute of an employee. In others, it might be an actual contribution to the "bottom line" (I'm sure many of you have heard that one before!). No matter what your organization's culture, you must determine what priorities exist in the system and use them to your advantage. By preparing yourself properly for the chance to promote yourself when they come, or for those opportunities that are all around you in your working day, you will find that you can move forward aggressively. Understand your strengths and the system in which you work, and your efforts will be rewarded.
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