Self-Promotion for the Sake of Your TEAM
Are you leading your team to greater recognition, or keeping them (and yourself) in obscurity?
My apologies for this somewhat rhetorical question. But the facts on this are pretty simple. Build a name for yourself and suddenly your team gains gobs of new attention. Avoid the spotlight and you and your team remain in IT obscurity.
Whether you like it or not, as their leader you are personally responsible for the level of recognition your team receives.
Why your team benefits when you toot your own horn
-
As “Team Leader” the more you build your name the more you build your team’s name by association.
-
The bigger your name gets, the better your team members look just because they work under you.
-
The more you promote yourself the more opportunities you create to tell others about your team’s good work (via papers, presentations, blog posts, etc.).
Net, net: if you want your team members to receive the recognition they deserve, then you first need to seek out the accolades your successful work earns.
Easier said than done
Self-promotion feels unnatural for many IT folks. Even above-the-board actions will initially seem cheesy, shameless, or uncomfortably self-serving. But if you truly care about your team’s current and future prospects then you have no other choice than to put your own self out there!
Much more on this topic in the year to come.
