I was challenged in class last night by a student who believes that self-promotion is morally unacceptable in the workplace. He seemed to believe that the organization should have systems and processes in place to help it recognize talent. His line of questioning made me feel compelled to explain the subtle difference between being a competent brown-noser and being a shameless self-promoter.
First, I emphatically disagree with this student's assertion that it is the organziation's responsiblity to recognize talent. Certainly it is in its best interest to do so but assigning this responsibility to an organization instead of being personally responsible for it simply means that you have handed over the reins of your career, your future, your life, to someone or something else. No thanks --- I'll take responsibility for ME, thank you very much. I strongly advise you to do the same.
Second, I have no problem with self-promotion. I believe that the best way to maximize your potential for success in your career is to infuse your daily rountine with a good amount of this righteous activity. I do, however, think that there is a better way to do this than simply finding opportunities to talk about yourself.
If you watch successful brown-nosers at work you will notice that they talk far less about themselves than we tend to think and yet they seem to be relatively successful in getting a significant amount of attention which translates into promotions, raises and other perks. This is because they move the focus from themselves to others.
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