Do you, as a woman, tout your own horn?

Ever wonder why it is that men seem more often than not to have the upper hand at work?  One reason could be that women tend not to self-promote. 

This is for several reasons.  First, we may have been socialized to downplay our strengths and not to talk about our accomplishments.   We may even want to avoid appearing too “braggy” or aggressive.   Second, sadly, some of us do not believe that our accomplishments merit being touted.  We can hold extremely high standards for ourselves and, when we fall short, we can be harsh judges of our achievements.  Third, some of us just plain don’t know how to self-promote. We fall into the trap of thinking that getting recognized at work is like doing well in school, where working hard and getting good grades will guarantee recognition.  But when you take this approach to the workplace, you’ll only get buried from view from under a pile of work.  Worse, your reputation as a “hard worker” will only attract more work!

In today’s competitive environment, self-promoting is no longer a choice, it is a necessity.  How can people know what a great job you are doing if all you are doing is working hard and not letting your successes be known?  Working hard and being an expert in your field, while indeed helpful, are no longer enough.  Especially in the male-dominated environments  most of us work in, women need to get better at touting their own horns.

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