A large part of being successful professionally comes from being able to advocate for yourself. But whether you’ve been working for one year or 10, advocating for yourself or for your direct reports can challenging. Many assume that advocating will lead to conflict or uncomfortable conversations. While those things can happen, they don’t have to. Here are a few ways to advocate for yourself or a direct report.
Figure Out What You Want/Need
Before you can do any advocating, you need to figure out what you are advocating for. Are you seeking more work-life balance? A higher salary? The opportunity to develop professionally? Take the time to determine what is important to you and what it is that you need or want professionally. These things may be crystal clear, but if they’re not, you will have to do a little more work to clarify exactly what you need to move forward. Once you know what you’re looking for, you’ll have a better idea of where you’d like to end up.
Be Confident
It can be difficult to speak up for yourself or for others, especially in environments where you haven’t felt confident. In order to successfully advocate for yourself or your team, you need to believe in who and what you are advocating for. Do your research. Whether that means amassing past performance reviews or asking Human Resources to share the market data for your position, make sure you have the facts you need to answer any questions and help present your case. Having the right information will help you to feel more confident in your advocacy.
Share Praise and Recognition
So often our bosses thank us for our hard work, but we’re left wondering if anyone else at the organization knows what we’ve done. Make it a point to highlight the work of your colleagues and peers in front of others in your department. As a boss, make sure to spotlight your direct reports and their work not only within the team, but also with external teams and executives within the organization. Everyone will appreciate the acknowledgement, and being able to point to this type of recognition is another tool you can use when advocating for yourself or your staff.
Listen, Then Act
As an employee, it’s important to listen and then take action. Make sure that you’re not advocating for things that don’t make sense, or are not currently feasible. For example, if the company is having financial trouble it may not be the right time to ask for a significant raise. As a manager, listen to concerns from your direct reports, and share those concerns with individuals higher up in the organization. The best way to advocate for your employees is to make sure they are heard.
Ask for Help
Whether advocating for yourself or for your team, you don’t need to do it all on your own. Use your colleagues, friends, and family to help you determine how to best advocate for yourself. As a manager, ask your colleagues how they have successfully advocated for their teams, or ask HR to provide you with information you can use. Advocating for yourself and others is not easy — don’t make it harder by trying to do it all on your own.
Advocating for yourself or others can be stressful and scary, especially if it’s not something you’re used to doing. Take it one step at a time, understand what you want and need, and clearly communicate.
On Topic
Kilma Lattin, Native American Futurist, is the founder and executive producer of OurWorlds.io/beta, a platform that uses extended reality to transform communication methods and foster equitable advancement of STEM in all communities.
When is it time to speak up for yourself (or a direct report) with regard to scope of responsibilities?
Work hard at your assigned job for at least six months to a year, help others be their best, build alliances, and contribute (daily) to the success of the organization. If you are doing these things and you find yourself in the position of needing to speak up, or otherwise advocate for yourself, then there is most likely a breakdown in the culture of the organization or the management — which is a whole separate can of worms.
