If you’re going to compete in work and business, you’ve got to puff up and speak up. There are a lot of people strutting around like peacocks demanding attention. Don’t let them get all the jobs!
Everyone deserves to feel proud of what she has to offer.When you’re selling you, whether it’s interviewing for a job, meeting with a client, working on a promotion or trying to get support for an idea, you’ve got to self-promote. It’s not a dirty word. It’s an imperative.
As a career coach, I see too many women who hide their talents. They shrink when they talk about themselves, their voices get quiet, and they forget all the good stuff they have to offer. So, I decided to offer a workshop called “Loud and Proud.” And I got a lot of reactions to the workshop title, not all of them positive. My purpose was to help women become shameless, authentic self-promoters.
Loud and Proud?! Some people said that’s bragging. That’s arrogant.
So what? Think about whom you’re competing against. Pretty likely it’s the person who communicated their value. Who owns it. Who wants to be noticed. Not with a whisper, not sinking into the chair. But out loud and with pride.
For goodness sake, what will it take for women to proclaim, Yeah, I’m great!
Men do it all the time, right?
I know the value of being Loud and Proud first-hand. I used to be a lobbyist in Washington, DC. Talk about a place of self-promoters and serious competition for attention. And I was a do-good public interest lobbyist, without a big bankroll or a big title. And I was a great lobbyist, if I do say so myself. I successfully got money directed toward the poor rural communities that I wanted to be sure had safe drinking water and sanitation.
How did I do it? By knowing inside that I had value to offer. In fact, by knowing that no one else was going to fight for those communities so I better make a case for them. And by taking pride in making myself for committing to do good work.
And then I got out there and spoke up. I stood tall. I got noticed.
You’ve got important work to do. And no one is going to do it like you do. That’s what makes you special and it’s why we need you to get out and make sure people know what you have to offer.
As a career coach, I’m committed to seeing you show up Loud and Proud. Here’s a way to get started: make a list of accomplishments that you’re proud of. Not just from your work history, but from your whole life. Maybe you organized a musical when you were a kid. Perhaps you started a club. Or hiked Mount St. Helens (I did, and it was a hard hike and a wonderful one.) Then get “out loud.” Share a few these stories with a friend, with the agreement that your friend take note of what they learn about you. Their notes will help you know where you stand out and will give you new language you can use when you talk about yourself.
Then take those notes and take it all in. You’ve got a lot to be proud of. Then, take the next step and get your networking, interviewing game on. If you need support getting out there, let me help you strut your stuff so you can beat out the competition.