It’s performance cycle season for many and while you’ve put in the hard work, it will only get you so far—visibility is the most important factor to advancement.

We all have that coworker though who self-promotes a little too much on Slack. They inflate their results and can even come across as a try-hard. You don’t want to be like them!

But if the thought of sharing your accomplishments publicly makes you want to die a little inside, you’re not alone.

So when is it necessary to self-promote and how do you do it authentically without coming off as cringe?

🤔 Why we don’t advocate for ourselves

If we know self-promotion is important, why don’t we do more of it?

1. Society has told us not to (I’m talking to you, ladies): Women have been caretakers for centuries and there’s this expectation that women should take on more work without complaint.

2. It feels inauthentic to who we are: If we didn’t practice this growing up, doing this in the workplace can feel super uncomfortable.

3. It can backlash: We’re afraid if we ask for more, we’ll get in trouble. This happened to me when I asked for a title change for work I was already doing and instead was told that I should be grateful to even have a job by my manager. Maybe a story for another time…

The bottom line: When we don’t promote our accomplishments, it results in us being well-liked but feeling undervalued.

📕 What’s holding us back

Even though we want to be recognized for our hard work, the stories we tell ourselves keep us from sharing our accomplishments. Does any of this sound familiar?

• 🤔 Is what I’m working on important enough to share?

• 😨 I wonder what my coworkers will think about me…

• ⏰ I don’t have enough time to do this stuff

• 🫅 My boss will share it with the right people

• 🤷‍♀️ Why share my wins if I’m not trying to stay at this company or get promoted?

While these might seem like legitimate reasons to stay quiet, acknowledge these are just thoughts. You can choose to accept them or change them.

🙋‍♀️ How to gain visibility and advocate for yourself (without feeling like a phony)

When I was at Slack trying to get promoted, I had a manager tell me to block off time every week to post in Slack. It felt a bit forced at the time, but I realized how important it was to gain visibility, so she could make the case for my promotion.

While I’m not at a company anymore, I still have to advocate for myself publicly every week in this newsletter and on LinkedIn.

I never want to come across as “I know everything!” and I hope I never do. It’s still scary to hit the “post” button every time, but I know that by sharing my experience, it’s helping someone out there and that’s good enough for me.

📒 Stick with the facts: When you’re starting out, there’s no need to make things sound fluffy or grandiose. Your post can be as simple as, “Just wanted to share a quick win this Friday! This experiment I ran resulted in an increase of X%.”

📣 Tell your story: When we tell our personal stories, we relate to each other on a human level. It’s no longer about a result you achieved, it’s how you got there. If you’re a sales person who closed a deal, talk about how you almost lost the deal, what you were feeling at the time, and what you learned.

🕸️ Share helpful information: What you share doesn’t even have to be about your work. Make it a habit to share information or context you have with the broader team. You’ll be known as the person who is able to connect the dots.

📆 Block time on your calendar: If the excuse you’re telling yourself is that you don’t have enough time, make sharing a priority. Block off 30 minutes every week to create a status update or a post.

🙅 Avoid perfectionism: Remember that your post doesn’t have to be perfect. Get it 70 or 80% of the way there and think back to why you’re posting in the first place.

👀 Your turn

Performance season is your opportunity to make sure your contributions are recognized—whether you’re staying, leaving, or just keeping your options open. Self-promotion isn’t about ego; it’s about ensuring your work gets the credit it deserves.

So, what’s one win you can share this week?

✨ Weekly Feels

• Feeling inspired: I worked a book launch event last week at Soho House. Coincidentally, the woman who hosted it was Korean adoptee who traveled 50 states to share meals with 50 other women. I sent her a personal note after the event to tell her how inspiring it was being an adoptee myself.

  

• Feeling like a dog sitter: One of the positives of a career you create is that you can have many side hustles. One of them is dog sitting! 🐶 

  

  Bella and I cuddling 🐶 

🌟 Upcoming Events

• [Virtual] Making the Leap From Consulting To Creative Entrepreneurship | Wednesday, March 5

  I’m hosting an interactive discussion featuring a few friends who pivoted their career from consulting at Deloitte and Accenture to wedding planning and jewelry planning. Take a look at the panelists and RSVP here.

• [NYC] Wine, Wealth, and Knowing Your Worth | Wednesday, March 25

  I’m planning my next in-person event on Equal Pay Day—casual wine night where we discuss and practice advocating for ourselves and negotiating what we’re worth. Location is TBD but if you’re interested in attending, please RSVP here!

📖 Keep Reading

• Break up with your inner critic this Valentine's Day

• 6 lessons from 6 years in Product Marketing (that you can use too!)

💼 Ways to Work With Me

• Set up some time with me to learn about 1:1 private mentoring & coaching! (1 spot left at discounted rate)