Media Room

Self-promotion is the antidote to being overlooked or underestimated at work. But, how do you benefit from self-promotion and maintain your integrity and authenticity?

Try these strategies to help you build your network, create relationships and gain visibility in your organization:

·       Involve senior people. Ask seasoned or senior people for their insights and opinions. Once they’ve given input, you have a good reason to keep them informed.

·       Ask for help. By asking for other people’s assistance, you naturally have to describe your work.

·       Learn to summarize. People are too busy to notice all you do, much less make the connections or understand the implications. Find ways to summarize or package your work.

·       Use Your Routine. Lunches, breaks and informal gatherings are the routine activities that help you make connections on a personal level. You don’t need to tout your work – think of it as relationship building.

·       Pass on the positive. Good news and compliments are worth passing along. Forward those emails to your boss. Or, ask people if they would mind taking a moment to let your boss know.

·       Volunteer for visibility. Volunteer for opportunities and responsibilities that put you in a position of visibility. By signing up you communicate a positive, confident image – and you get good experience.

More techniques to help you ethically self-promote are included in “Selling Yourself Without Selling Out: A Leader’s Guide to Ethical Self-Promotion” written by Dr. Gina Hernez-Broome, core faculty member at University of the Rockies, and Center for Creative Leadership staff members Cindy McLaughlin and Stephanie Trovas.

“Selling Yourself Without Selling Out” is available for purchase through the Center for Creative Leadership.

About University of the Rockies

University of the Rockies is a graduate school specializing in master's and doctorate degree programs in the social and behavioral sciences. Accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (www.ncahlc.org), classes are offered online and at the University's Colorado Springs, Colorado, campus. For more information, please visit www.rockies.edu or call Shari Rodriguez, associate vice president of Public Relations, at 866.621.0124 x2513.

About Dr. Gina Hernez-Broome
Dr. Gina Hernez-Broome is a core faculty member within University of the Rockies’ School of Organizational Leadership. Prior to joining the University, Hernez-Broome was a program manager and lead researcher at the Center for Creative Leadership. Other books include “The Truth About Sucking Up: How Authentic Self-Promotion Benefits You and Your Organization.”