How to Position Yourself for Promotion if You are an Introverted Leader

As someone who coaches introverted women leaders, and as an introvert who climbed the leadership ladder myself, I am aware of the challenges introverted women face when climbing the corporate ladder.

With a reported 98% of senior executive positions held by extroverts, this can be discouraging for the introverted leader who wants to get ahead in their career.

As an introvert, you may feel that you should act in an extroverted way in order to get ahead, but trying to be something you are not will only put a strain on you. Imposter Syndrome, perfectionism and self doubt are not uncommon with those trying to be something that they’re not. If you identify as being introverted, introversion is something to be celebrated, not hidden away. Why hide who you are?

If you are an introverted leader and want to go for promotion, be yourself and position yourself for it in a way that works for you.

As an introvert, many of the activities typically associated with positioning yourself for promotion may not appeal to you and if this is so, here are 5 things you can do so that you stand out and get noticed in your own introverted way.

1. Let others blow your horn

When one of my clients was positioning herself for her senior promotion, I helped her to create a plan to develop multi stakeholder sponsors who could be her advocates and shout her cause. 

A sponsor in this context means having someone senior enough in an influential position, who knows you well enough to vouch for you to those who need to know. Develop and nurture these types of relationships both in your organisation and with stakeholders and let them be the ones to blow your horn.

Doing this meant that the CEO frequently attended meetings with stakeholders, or bumped in to them, and they would sing my client’s praises.

2. Network the introverted way

The benefits of networking for career advancement have been well documented for many years. Whether you are looking for an internal promotion, or looking to go elsewhere, include networking as part of your positioning strategy.

The challenge with networking for many introverts is that they don’t like it. Large, noisy environments, working the room making small talk. This is not necessarily an enjoyable way for them to spend their time.

If you are an introvert who doesn’t like networking, it CAN be an enjoyable experience, and you CAN do it in a way that works for you.

Business development and bringing in new clients was a requirement of one of my client’s roles, but she hated networking with a passion.  Going to networking events with the sole purpose of drumming up new clients felt clinical and cold to her. 

By helping her to reframe her thoughts and beliefs about networking, she changed her perspective about it. Rather than it being a market place where everyone was trying to sell their wares, she came to view it as an opportunity to meet new people and start to build relationships.  She could then develop and nurture those relationships away from the networking environment and introduce those who needed it, to the benefits of what her organisation could do for them.  

She also made sure she allowed herself sufficient time to recharge her energy levels after attending networking events.

This change in perspective made networking more tenable for her and she started to like it. This along with having fewer but more deep and meaningful conversations (as opposed to putting pressure on herself by trying to work the room like a social butterfly), made networking an enjoyable experience for her.

3. Utilise LinkedIn

Whilst not just for introverts, reconnecting with your contacts on LinkedIn and meeting for a coffee (this can be face to face or virtual), is a great way to identify opportunities if you are looking to go elsewhere. You can find out about the culture of organisations you are interested in too.

Don’t just take though, give something as well, and offer to help your connections in some way.

One of my clients who hadn’t previously used LinkedIn much, was going for an executive role. I encouraged her to start using it as part of her positioning strategy and reconnecting with her connections. One connection was on the board of an organisation she had applied to and because of their knowledge of her and her experience, was able to talk about her credibility to colleagues.

At the interview she demonstrated that she was by far the best person for the role.

4. Make your achievements known to those who need to know

Often not ones for self promotion (because that’s just not how we roll), means that introverts can often get overlooked or side stepped. Preferring to let your work speak for itself means you run the risk of not being heard by those who need to know.

I would often get told by my boss that I needed to speak up more about my achievements. Not being one to brag or boast, I preferred to let my work speak for itself. That is until I found ways of promoting myself and my achievements in ways that worked for me.

Talk about your achievements with those who need to know. Rather than making it all about me, me, me, focus on the benefits to the organisation, the difference made and the role that you played in it.

Acknowledge your team, yes, but don’t let your achievements become buried in the ‘we’.

Don’t wait for your annual performance review to inform your manager of your accomplishments. Keep them updated on a regular basis, that way, when it comes to you applying for promotion, your accomplishments have been well documented in your manager’s mind.

5. Do the work on you

Identify what is required for the role you aspire to and do any developmental work on yourself that you need to do. Get feedback to see whether others perceive you as a leader at that level and identify what you can do differently if they don’t.

Use your skills of listening and reflection to identify organisational problems, and come up with creative and innovative solutions that demonstrate your ability to think beyond your current role.

Let it be known to the powers that be that you are keen to go for more senior roles. Talk to people who are at the level that you aspire to and find out what it is like for them. Do some job shadowing to see what it is like practically. Volunteer to cover for your manager in their absence. Seek out developmental opportunities and responsibilities that demonstrate what you are capable of.  And when that promotional opportunity arises, go for it.

If you want to get your next promotion, develop your plan, position yourself and place yourself in the best possible position to get the role.

Are you an introverted leader looking to get your next promotion? If so, in what way are you positioning yourself for it? Please share in the comments below.

ABOUT ME:

I am The Coach for High Achieving Introverted Women, an Executive, Career, Business Coach, Writer, Speaker, LinkedIn Top Voice UK 2017 and the founder of Abounding Solutions . With over 25 years coaching and leadership experience, I help women (with a particular emphasis on introverted women) to be authentic, bold, confident leaders and excel in their careers and businesses.

I also help organisations develop the talent pipeline of female employees so that more women make it to senior management roles.

Are you a high achieving introverted senior woman? If so, join my new LinkedIn community for high achieving introverted senior women, who are members of senior management teams or executive teams. It is a place to discuss issues relating to your career and how to thrive in environments that don't view introversion as a strength. Come and join the conversation here.

All high achieving women who want to be authentic, bold, confident leaders and excel in their careers and businesses are welcome to join my other, more general community of High Achieving Women here