Develop the habit of Dual-promotion

This fascinating article recently appeared in my inbox.

How to Self-Promote — Without Sounding Self-Centered by Eric M. VanEpps, Einav Hart, and Maurice Schweitzer November 20, 2023

https://hbr.org/2023/11/how-to-self-promote-without-sounding-self-centered

As my better half is always criticising me for always talking about myself, I found this article contained a very useful tip create a great overall impression ??The simple tip is to practice “Dual-promotion”. ?When you boast about your own accomplishments, compliment a colleague or peer at the same time.

Suppose you are engaged in an individual endeavour, for example, writing a novel, you can compliment a colleague in the field you admire. ?For example, you might post on social media: “My book just landed on the New York Times Bestseller list! What an honour to be alongside the brilliant work of [Author XYZ], who wrote what I think is the best book of the year.”

The authors conducted eleven studies, involving a total of 2,558 participants, using statements from a variety of contexts, including social media, work evaluations, and statements by U.S. Congressmembers., and found that dual-promotion, compared to self-promotion alone, boosts perceptions of warmth without harming evaluations of a person's competence.

By describing others' accomplishments and abilities in addition to describing your own, you can showcase the range of your own expertise—you have the ability and confidence to evaluate, promote, and associate with other accomplished people.

In one study they discovered the more members of Congress complimented others as they boasted about their own achievements, the more positively they were evaluated.? They conducted an experiment in which participants considered a hypothetical politician who either dual-promoted or self-promoted, and the participants reported that they would be more likely to vote for the dual-promoting politician more than 80% of the time.

What is particularly amusing to me (and also for anyone who knows the 7MTF) it is those people with a high Politician drive (like me) who are the most self-centred and egotistical.? In my training seminars I usually make a joke by saying all Politicians suffer from eye-strain.? Their conversation is peppered with comments such as “I did this” or “I achieved that.”

Winning athletes, who naturally have high Politician drive but also want to be liked, have learnt this trick of dual-promotion.? The authors quote the example of Roger Federer.? In a 2017 comeback victory, Roger Federer beat Kei Nishikori in five sets at the Australian Open. After the match, Federer remarked about Nishikori: “He played his heart out and it was a great match… he’s one of the best baseline players on the tour.” But Federer combined this other-promotion with self-promotion, by adding, “I was playing great… A huge win for me.”

People can derive the benefits of dual-promotion regardless of whether they share a compliment about a teammate or a rival, regardless of what the counterpart says (e.g., if they self-promote or dual-promote too), and regardless of whether they dual-promote in the workplace, on social media, or in the midst of a political campaign.