It can be a crucial tool for ensuring that women and those who work with underrepresented groups have a voice and that their accomplishments are acknowledged.
However, engaging in such behavior can make people who aren't very good at promoting themselves feel uneasy or intimidated.
According to Julia Silva, diversity program specialist at Google, which is a project to empower and motivate others, talking about our accomplishments is shameful for women, which is one of the reasons why so many of us feel so embarrassed about self-promotion.
"There is a misconception that women shouldn't be proud of who they are. Being humble is part of our responsibility as women, and our efforts will be rewarded,” says Silva.
Does this stereotype sound familiar? In fact, some studies have shown that "cultural expectations for women to be modest are expectations that women are more likely to defend than men," Silva says, and women's attitudes can cause real harm.
According to Silva, gender and racial stereotypes can affect how we perceive someone's competence and ability. Accepting these biases makes people less likely to value their own opinions, more likely to be interrupted during meetings, and less effective on their own teams. It's crucial that we demonstrate this power of self-promotion and practice these skills, because if we don't do that, we won't be able to emulate our self-promoting colleagues.
Silva and Kanika Raney, global heads of equity programs at Google, are working to dispel misconceptions about self-promotion and provide people with the resources they need to feel most at ease discussing their achievements. Silva explains why they provide these resources for self-promotion: “We try to emphasize the benefits of self-promotion because, ultimately, your accomplishments won't speak for themselves.” Self-promotion is a skill that must be practiced, just like any other.
Effective tips for making self-promotion a regular habit
Here are six recommendations from Silva and Rani that will help you develop the habit of self-promotion:
1. Change the way you view self-promotion
Many of us feel shy about promoting ourselves because doing so might come across as bragging, but as Rani says, "It's not bragging if it's based on facts." Silva and Rani both struggle to explain self-promotion in their workshops by giving examples of what it actually entails, which is to share your accomplishments. Silva claims that when we reframe self-promotion in this way, it is simpler for us.
2. Recognize your biases
When a woman joined the then-predominantly male sales force a few years ago, Silva recalls that "the new employee was talking about her role in the previous job and how her share of profits had increased and all these big deals she'd done." Silva recalls thinking, "Oh my God, why is this employee so proud of herself?" as she listened to the new employee.
Be mindful when making a judgment about someone who is self-promoting. Rani advises, "Just realizing it can help you validate yourself." Therefore, consider this question: "Why am I in a position to judge others? Will they ever assess me as a person?”
According to Rani, a study shows that self-promoting women are perceived as less socially attractive, less competent, and less employable than their self-promoting male counterparts. "That was probably the most shocking thing to me when I first started doing this training because I found that women had these self-promotional ideas, and they were the ones who were the most judgmental," she explained.
The majority of women have been socialized from an early age to react negatively when other women talk about their accomplishments, but becoming aware of your own critical thoughts can help you change your perspective.
3. Practice saying out loud what you're proud of
Rani believes that by practicing with colleagues, friends, or family, we can make self-improvement a daily habit. "Practice bragging about yourself so that you can always talk about two to three life accomplishments," she advises. "At this point, you will begin to understand things, and they will sound more natural to you," Silva says as you practice saying your accomplishments aloud.
Silva attends reunions with a group of her friends; they meet once a week to discuss their most recent achievements. This can also be done in a group setting. Set aside a regular five-minute period during a team meeting for everyone to share their accomplishments aloud. "It's a great way to showcase everyone's work, as it allows people to feel more psychologically secure and opens up space for more collaboration," Rani says of team meetings.
It may be challenging for you to start thinking of things to be proud of at first if self-promotion is unfamiliar to you, but that's normal. Asking yourself questions like, "What's so cool you've done?" will help you kickstart the process of self-promotion. Alternatively, you might be asked, "What recent project(s) have you finished?” or "What is something you are particularly good at doing?" Alternatively, "When was the last time you felt accomplished, and what was it?"
4. Keep an accomplishment track
It can be challenging to recall everything you've done. It is simpler to go to your leader and say, "This is all I've done lately," Silva says, if you keep track of your accomplishments. This list will be helpful not only during job interviews but also during performance reviews and when requesting a raise. It doesn't matter how useful it is as long as you have a long list of accomplishments you're proud of.
Read also: Understanding the Growth Mindset
5. Learn how to accept compliments
Feeling more at ease with others complimenting you will make you more confident in complimenting yourself. "There are times when people compliment me, and I tell them it wasn't a big deal or that anyone could have done it," Rani admits.
If you're the type to dismiss compliments, Rani suggests developing one answer you feel comfortable saying when responding to others' compliments. "Yeah, that was quite a challenge," "I'm excited to get it done," or simply "thank you" could be one of those responses.
6. Establish an organizational culture that values self-promotion
While it is important to promote yourself, it can be difficult if you do not work in an environment where you feel comfortable doing so. When confronted with criticism, Rani advises finding a self-promotional role model.
"Even if the culture does not support it, there are always people around who can do it," she says. So you have to look around and find out who these people are, and you go to them and say, "I've noticed that you're a really good person at recognizing your accomplishments, and I'd like to do better at that. Have you always been this way? How did you get there?"
You can also influence organizational culture by assisting others in discussing their achievements. If you're a manager, at your next meeting, ask your team members, "How do you want your work to be recognized?"
Creating a culture of self-promotion can have repercussions throughout your organization. Silva asserts: "By increasing your confidence and ability to promote yourself, you will encourage others to do the same because we are giving them the opportunity to say that it is good for us to be proud of ourselves."
Effective tips for making self-promotion a regular habit:
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