Real talk.

As much as we would like to think that our hard work will reliably accelerate our career growth, the harsh truth is that it simply is not, or no longer, enough.

Exceptional work is the baseline, table stakes if you will.

Expectations within organizations of their workforce continue to rise, and a lack of first-rate performance consistently will restrict vertical career movement across all levels of seniority, industries and functions.

• What then allows you to truly set yourself apart as a peak performer?

• How do peak performers break away from the pack?

• How do they consistently excel and quantum leap their growth path?

The key is through the ability to self-advocate with clarity and confidence.

At the same time, this is something we are rarely taught how to do, which leads incredible talent to go unnoticed and overlooked for advancement opportunities time and again. This becomes particularly frustrating when you "do all of the right things" and yet feel that your progress has stagnated. You feel undervalued for the hard work you dedicate yourself to each and every day.

And this is precisely why advocating for yourself is absolutely essential. It provides the rightful recognition, exposure and visibility for your impactful efforts by the key decision makers that ultimately influence your rate of progression. And this is all the more important with performance review season on the horizon.

"I learned a long time ago the wisest thing I can do is be on my own side, be an advocate for myself and others like me" - Maya Angelou

I recently interviewed the President of Culligan International, a global leader in providing cleaner, safer water, who emphasized how integral self-advocacy was in her professional ascent. Doing so helped her make major strides across regions, industries and companies, allowing her to shine in the consideration set of decision makers for proactive opportunities she could then pursue.

Peak performers recognize that through effective self-advocacy, they unlock a whole new level of growth, income and opportunities far more quickly than others.

Here's how.

Don't sit on the sidelines.

Taking control of your career starts with you.

You must not, and cannot, only rely on others to advocate on your behalf. Here's a quick (well known) thought experiment to consider:

"If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?" - Dr. George Berkeley

Now consider the effort, impact and meaningful outcomes resulting from your hard work; has it been heard or gone unnoticed? Has it been showcased effectively through self-advocacy or does it lie in the shadows, remaining ambiguous?

I routinely encounter high-achievers unfamiliar or uncomfortable with advocating for themselves. And this mindset is holding them back dramatically.

Here are 3 key observations on the topic:

→ Advocating for yourself is not egotistical or cocky, it's necessary. Do not assume that others simply know what you are working on and the value you are creating.

• Example: Leverage weekly status meetings with your boss to highlight your project updates, the progress you've made and the results you've generated thus far.

→ Advocating for yourself allows you to make your distinct value known in the company. It separates you from "teamwork" and identifies your exact contributions.

• Example: Ask yourself "what wouldn't have happened if I wasn't there?".

• This question helps distinguish between what you (singularly) and your team (collectively) has contributed. This line of thought grows ever more important as a people leader where much of the impact is often derived from your team's output.

→ Advocating for yourself increases your visibility and exposure, allowing you to reach your goals sooner than later.

• Example: Explicitly share what your goals are (both short-term and long-term) with your boss. Only then can he/she fully support you and ensure that you focus your energy in the right places, instead of going down a path that is not aligned with your development goals.

3 strategies to master self-advocacy

1/ Communicate what you want

This is where self-advocacy begins. The objective is to avert any measure of chance when internal decision makers piece together your advancement goals.

→ For instance, if you want to switch departments / divisions but have never voiced this aspiration, you are delaying that very next move to occur;

→ Rather, voice that aspiration and build the necessary action plan to get you there, cognizant of internal movement criteria and the timing of such.

Choose to proactively self-advocate and reduce the likelihood of impediments that stand in your way. Here are 5 action steps to take that will move you in the right direction:

1. Meet with individuals already in your target role or target level of seniority. Discover insights on your opportunity areas to get there.
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2. Seek feedback beyond conventional "you're doing great" commentary; pursue actionable feedback to measure your progress and hold yourself, and boss, accountable.
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3. Identify skills, trainings or resources you lack to reach your goals. Focus only on the non-negotiable missing pieces that fall within the decision making criteria of achieving your aspirations.
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4. Maintain an ongoing dialogue beyond performance reviews for continued accountability and follow-through in your progression (i.e. quarterly). Advocating for yourself once or twice per year is far from enough.
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5. Track your progress and wins so they are consistently top of mind to share. Seek out opportunities where you can bring them to light, especially towards important internal influencers who have a say in your career growth.

Peak performers are action-focused and leverage proactive communication to stay ahead of the curve. They seize their moments by creating them firsthand, seeking out knowledge gaps to surmount areas of self-improvement faster.

2/ Bring forward the right data

The most important factor here is to not discount yourself or your accomplishments.

Statements like "I'm just doing my job", "it was no big deal" or "I was simply doing what I was told" will not serve you well. You are essentially diminishing your worth and value by making statements in such a manner.

Instead, you must lean into who you are and pair that with relevant data to fuel your self-advocacy most effectively.

Here are 5 things you can do right now to put data on your side:

• When providing project updates or progress on your work:

  • Do use this as as opportunity to share how you overcame challenges, managed complexity or collaborated with others effectively to reach the final outcome.
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  • Don't limit yourself to simply sharing what you did (i.e. your job duty).

  
  

• Highlight your strengths as often, and emphatically as possible. For example:

  • "Through my strong analytical skills, I was able to easily decipher which data points were most relevant to implicate the decision making criteria on the project."​
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  • "From here, I collaborated with X, Y, Z teams to fill in any missing gaps and come to a consensus on the ideal path forward. This led to the final outcome of a 10% improvement in time to market which was 3% better than the initial target."

  
  

• Always have at least 3 recent wins, ready and top of mind, to share when speaking with executives, during idle moments as meetings begin or end, or even in impromptu conversations with people who are not as exposed to your day-to-day work.
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• Craft your 30-second elevator pitch encapsulating who you are, your areas of expertise and the impactful results you have led. Your objective is to control the narrative when opportunities present themselves (rather than allowing others to do so in your place).
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• Lead your career path conversations:

  • Highlight your proudest achievements as quantifiably as possible.

  • Share takeaways along with key areas you wish to continue developing.

  • Voice your aspirations and goals to gain alignment from your boss.

  • Welcome feedback and ensure you build the appropriate action plan together to reach your goals by your desired timeline.

Peak performers see the immense power in data as a career catalyst and integrate it into every advocacy touchpoint possible.

Own the data. Own the narrative.

3/ Build 1:1 connections with decision makers

Building meaningful relationships with internal decision makers is easily the most important thing you can do while advocating for yourself. Nurturing relationships in which people speak highly of you, and in alignment with the perception you want others to have of you, is a winning recipe.

You ultimately want to create advocates who will go to bat for you when you're not even there.

Peak performers recognize that if they want to go far, relationships are their #1 currency to accelerate their growth path.

Here's how to do so.

→ First, identify who these decision makers are in your organization:

• Who tends to be listened to the most in meetings?

• Who is most involved with initiatives driven by leadership?

• Who is well networked and connected across departments?

→ Second, make yourself visible towards them:

• Attend networking events and get involved with company wide initiatives

• Book coffee chats, lunches, or initiate follow-ups from previous meetings with them directly

• Create opportunities to showcase your impact outside of your day-to-day work routine

→ Third, decide on your follow-up cadence:

• Recognize that their time is valuable; be clear on the purpose of your encounters

• Establish together the cadence and nature of your meetings (i.e. impromptu, monthly, etc.)

• Show gratitude. This goes a long way in the pay-it-forward cycle and will fuel continued reciprocity in your future exchanges.

How will you choose to advocate for yourself?

If you want to make yourself truly seen, heard and respected, self-advocacy is an absolute must. It allows you to remain in control of your career trajectory and rally the needed supporters to get you there. Leaning into this with confidence and clarity is the ultimate game-changer as a peak performer.

You've got this!