Most leaders find the idea of “self promotion” distasteful—but it’s actually an essential skill to help define your brand and build your career. Watch Bobbie LaPorte’s February 27 “Calling the Game” video to learn why it’s so important:
From Self-Promotion to Executive Impact–Strategies for Enhancing Your Leadership Brand in Today’s Competitive Environment
Hi, this is Bobbie LaPorte, back with another week of “Calling the Game,” where I share my own experience and insights while giving you valuable tools you can use to call your own game…and plan the best moves for you and your team.
For the last few years, I’ve taught a class on Executive Branding at one of the Bay Area business schools. One of the concepts we cover is how to build a platform to share your brand, and that requires self-promotion – an idea that almost always creates distaste in the minds of most leaders. It shows on the faces of the students when I bring it up.
Why? Well, in an age where the media are rife with people promoting themselves and the agenda they selling and self-congratulatory posts all over social media, it’s no wonder the idea of self-promotion is a turn-off to so many of us.
And there are other reasons why this often seems brash and unnecessary, something that only egoists and braggards do. Many of us grew up in a business world where things were simpler – more prescribed and straightforward. If you worked hard, did well, and produced, that was enough to secure career advancement. Your boss took care of you; as long as he knew what you were contributing, you were in good stead. No self-serving promotion is needed here.
Ah, those were the days.
But no more.
Why Executive Branding Requires Self-Promotion
Let’s say you get passed over for a promotion, and you don’t understand why; you met all your goals and were a good team player and solid contributor. Well, maybe your colleague who did secure the promotion was more adept at sharing their successes with others and at building support and advocacy for their advancement outside of their immediate manager.
That’s the formula for success in today’s environment, which is much more complex, uncertain, and demanding. Requirements change from day to day; there are many more stakeholders demanding more of you as a leader, and your technical/functional skills and your domain knowledge are simply table stakes now.
Your success now depends on your ability to navigate this changing landscape by being very clear about how your unique value contribution should be shared and deployed to support the broader organization you are part of.
In other words, if you don’t give the market your story, they’ll define it for you.
There is no question: building and leveraging your brand through authentic self-promotion is one of the most powerful things you can do to stand out and build your career.
In the next two weekly vlogs, I will be sharing a simple framework for uncovering and defining your brand and an approach to how you can build an effective and successful practice of self-promotion.
You are in charge of your own story, so let’s get to work making it happen.
OK, that’s it for this week’s “Calling the Game.” I hope this helps you gear up for a great week and navigate any curveballs that may come your way!