6 Ways You Can Self-Promote Right Now | Tips from Best-Selling Author Liz Wiseman

The most effective leaders approach challenges as an opportunity to lead—and that approach makes them Impact Players, driving success at the highest levels for their teams and their organizations.

According to Liz Wiseman, when women leaders tap into the power of being an Impact Player, they elevate their contributions and influence at the highest levels.

Our research on the advancement of women leaders proves that a woman leader’s ability to influence is critical to her ascension in the workplace. The “Influential” competency in the Advancing Women Leaders model is about the ability to deliver a message—an ask—in a way that leads others to listen and act.

This research also proves that women leaders tend to take on more in the workplace, volunteer for high-profile projects, and continually add to their role to prove their value as they ascend in the leadership ranks. This means that women often “over-row the boat” to continually demonstrate their value.

“If you want to contribute at your fullest, don’t just work harder; rather, strive to do work that is more valuable, be more influential, and maximize your impact,” said Liz. “Be willing to let go of projects that aren’t delivering value so you can channel your energy where it will have its greatest impact.”

At a time when expectations have never been higher and workplace volatility continues to increase, it is important for women leaders to focus on the work that will drive the largest possible impact and leave behind work that doesn’t serve them anymore.

Linkage’s 2022 research on women leaders finds that they are confident about their own leadership skills, with most women saying they believe they are qualified to ascend to more senior positions. Women also report that they take on work practices that hold them back, with 66% of respondents saying they are “perfectionists” and 81% stating they say “yes” to all work requests, even unreasonable ones.

6 Tips from Liz Wiseman to Help Others See the Impact of Your Contributions:

1.  Provide an FYI. Let other people know what you’ve done to make their work easier. Don’t overdo the details; just let them know what they don’t need to worry about because you’re on the job.
2.  Add a surprise. Do more than is expected of you; people will take notice.
3.  Innovate and share. Improve a process, then share the innovation with your colleagues or group. Your work will be recognized, and your colleagues will benefit too.
4.  Share evidence of success. Periodically share the compliments and kudos you receive (or have your customers and collaborators share it directly), or simply let people know what you’ve done—not with self-promotion but just the plain facts.
5.  Build champions. Build mutually supportive relationships with your peers and stakeholders. Champion one another’s successes and talk each other up to your shared stakeholders.
6.  Promote the work, not yourself. Separating your sense of self from your work makes it more comfortable to share (and hear) news of success.
   

Above all, women leaders report that they are not telling their own story of success: According to the Linkage study, just 13% of women say that they promote their own accomplishments at work.

“There are numerous ways you can tactfully draw attention to your efforts,” said Liz. “Observing the subtle signals of a skilled waiter in a fine restaurant can illustrate how to do this well. A good waiter works efficiently in the background but comes into the foreground at critical moments (and often just before delivering the bill!) to let you know the work they’ve done on your behalf.”

Read more from Liz on practices you can do to be an Impact Player.

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