Saskia wants to be careful and often thinks long before suggesting something during a meeting, with the result that a colleague makes her smart point a little earlier and walks away with the praise. Pretty frustrating. “Then I curse that person, even though it is of course my own fault,” says the account manager.
About the author
Anna van den Breemer writes for the Volkskrant about big and small life questions. In her parenting column she discusses issues that parents encounter every week.
Many employees find it difficult to put themselves in the spotlight, says Mirjam Hubregtse, author of the book Profiling without bragging. They don’t know how to handle this, or they are afraid of coming across as a braggart. ‘During training I often hear: I’m not someone who rants about what I do.’ It is a persistent misunderstanding that visibility is about boasting. It means that you make yourself heard, so that colleagues and your boss know what you are doing.’
1. Be competent
“Research shows that visibility is good for your career,” says Irene de Pater, professor of Organizational Psychology at Edith Cowan University in Perth, Australia. ‘If you make your voice heard in a positive way, you send the signal that you are competent. This puts you in the minds of others and people are more likely to think of you when an interesting job comes along.’
Yet it is about more than just climbing the career ladder. ‘Visibility is also related to one’s own job satisfaction,’ says De Pater. She cites the theory of self-determination of psychologists Edward Deci and Richard Ryan. This theory states that humans have a number of fundamental needs. ‘Employees want to feel autonomous and competent, and connected to others.’
It sounds logical: if it is clear what others can use you for and what they cannot, they will appreciate you more. Moreover, you get work that suits you. And that results in more job satisfaction.
2. Know your goal
Becoming more visible should never be an end in itself, says Hubregtse: ‘It is a means to achieve another end. For example: you want to get promoted. Or you want your idea to be adopted, or for people to choose you for a project. It is therefore important to know in advance what you want to achieve.’
3. Also mention your colleagues
It is not easy to make a good impression in the workplace. Anyone who is too nice runs the risk of not being taken seriously. If you brag about your talents, people won’t like you. Scientists call this the “self-promotion dilemma.”
American research, published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, shows that there is indeed a middle way, namely by simultaneously mentioning the performance of your colleagues and your own. The study assessed employees and members of the US Congress and found the people who took advantage of this ‘duo promotion’ to be more likable and more suitable.
“Giving others credit for their work makes you appear confident, which means you should know what you’re talking about,” said Eric VanEpps, a marketing professor at Vanderbilt University in The Wall Street Journal. “You can profile yourself and mention your team members at the same time by talking about ‘we’ instead of ‘I’,” De Pater agrees.
4. Avoid weakening language
“If you want to appear convincing, avoid vague or weakening language,” says Hubregtse. These are words such as ‘actually’, ‘maybe’ or ‘a bit’. ‘You can start by paying attention to it among colleagues. Only then do you notice how often someone starts a sentence with: ‘I don’t actually know if it’s a good idea, but maybe…’ If you are convinced that you have something to say, just say it. ‘You can then conclude with interest: ‘I’m curious what you think about this.’
5. Find an ally
People like Saskia tend to wait endlessly for their turn during a meeting. “This applies even more to introverts who first observe and think before they speak out,” says De Pater. “Find an ally who will give you a push,” the professor advises. ‘Share your idea in advance with a colleague who asks you about it in the meeting.’
During the time of American President Barack Obama, female employees in the White House came up with a similar tactic (‘amplification’) to claim a place for themselves. When a female staffer made an important point during a meeting, the other women in the group echoed her position. “This forced the men to acknowledge the contribution – and denied them the opportunity to claim the idea as their own,” he said. The Washington Post.
6. Stay positive
Will someone run away with your idea? “Try to stay positive and don’t let yourself get discouraged,” says Hubregtse. You can fix this during the same meeting. ‘Take back the idea by saying: yes exactly, that is my idea too, I will explain what I mean by it.’ Think of meetings as a game.’ And yes, there is an element of competition involved.
7. Think of the other
In this time of influencers where many people portray themselves as a ‘brand’, self-promotion can seem superficial and selfish. How do you prevent that? ‘Always keep the other person in mind,’ says Hubregtse. ‘I can post a message on LinkedIn that I am giving a training at a cool location in Brussels. But what does it benefit others? It is more valuable if I share what I learned during that training, something that people can apply themselves. Profiling yourself becomes easy if you help others at the same time.’
Better life
In the Better/Life section, together with experts, we answer practical questions in the areas of health, money and sustainability.
