Self-Promotion Does Not Come Easily To Women
Self-promotion means gaining the interest and attention of others and, over time, earning their respect and trust. Promoting yourself is absolutely essential if you want to get noticed and move ahead. Even if you are a great employee and are consistently achieving or exceeding your goals, you won’t move ahead unless others notice your accomplishments.
But for many women, self-promotion doesn’t come easily. Research shows that men are much better at promoting themselves than women are. While men focus on advancing themselves, women focus on what’s best for the company. Women in middle management levels are so focused on adding value to the company, that they forget to focus on themselves and on their own career advancement.
The problem begins in adolescence, when, according to Connie Glaser, “young girls begin to submerge their personalities under the cultural mask of femininity”. According to Carol Gilligan, “when adolescent girls–once assured and resilient–silence or censor themselves to maintain relationships, they often become depressed, and develop eating disorders or other psychological problems. But when adolescent girls remain outspoken it is often difficult for others to stay in relationship with them, leading girls to be excluded or labeled as troublemakers.”
Debra Pestrak says that “women are taught as girls to be social, inclusive, and not to brag about what they accomplish. However, being able to promote yourself is a key factor to a successful attitude.”
The goal is to promote yourself in a clear and positive way. You don’t want to come across as arrogant, but you do want to make people know what you have accomplished and what you are capable of doing. Be assertive, but not pushy. And if that sounds too complicated, I would advise any woman who’s in doubt about what’s appropriate, to err on the side of self-promotion rather than on the side of bashfulness.
Photo credit: gcoldironjr2003
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