The Art of Self-Promotion for Managers

There's an element of competition within every company. Some of it comes from external sources, such as competing businesses and the ups and downs of the local economy. Other sources, however, come from within the company itself: different departmental managers competing for raises, acknowledgment from the corporate executives, or promotions to better positions. This article deals with how to gain the edge in this second form of competition.

You do your job, and you do it well. The key comes in when it's time to let others know you do your job above and beyond their expectations. Do you know how to promote yourself wisely, in a way that ingratiates yourself with your superiors-and doesn't just grate on their nerves? If you don't, you won't be able to get anywhere in your chosen business other than where you are right now.

If that doesn't sound like an appealing option, you need to learn how to publicize yourself without being obnoxious about it. If you simply go around reminding your superiors of past achievements without any current impressive behavior to back it up, you'll only wind up irritating them enough to put your name at the bottom of the pile when talk of recognition or promotions comes up.

So how do you promote yourself without making it look like you are? Thoroughly examine your department and try to find an area that could use improvement. Discover who is in charge of that particular area and ask their permission to focus on improving it. If you get their go-ahead, assemble a team of competent members with knowledge or other expertise in the project you've chosen.

Why assemble a team when you're trying to promote yourself? You need to show your superiors that you're just as much a team player as you are a leader. By showing them that you can successfully manage a group to complete a given task, you're proving how capable you are at handling extra responsibilities. This is also why it's important to ensure your team runs smoothly, or else you may find any hard feelings that arose during the project surfacing at the worst possible time...possibly even during your petition for that promotion.

Once you've assembled the team, do your best to accomplish the task you set out to do in a timely manner. Completing the task successfully and on time are crucial points to making this method work. After you've finished it, make the results known to your superiors; it won't mean a thing if they don't know anything about it. If you don't present it to them yourself, you run the risk of your team taking the credit for your hard work.

By identifying a problem within the company, taking steps to rectify it, and presenting the satisfactory results to the company executives, you put yourself in a good position when promotion time rolls around. It's a great way to promote yourself without being a nuisance, for which everyone will be grateful.