The Power of Self-Advocacy: Story from LULA Member

Do you find yourself ruminating on these questions or problems?

?? How can I be more assertive and get my point across without being told I’m too “aggressive”?

?? I know I want to self-advocate and speak up but I’m not sure how to do this effectively

Building confidence and assertiveness is one of the areas that the Lit Up Leadership Academy helps women in Tech with

Recently one of our members in LULA was told by their boss that they would not be promoted to director even after they had intentionally worked towards this promotion.

This is how we supported them…

We took time to understand the facts vs. fiction of their impact on the organization.

We worked on a strategy to get Partner and peer feedback on the impact of their work and helped them gather the courage to have an open, honest conversation with their boss about their performance.

This meant that this conversation could’ve either ended with no promotion (exactly where they were) BUT with constructive feedback to improve on for the next round of promotions

OR with a promotion

Which is exactly what happened.

After their boss decided to speak to other partners and get 360 feedback, he changed his mind

This member received the promotion.

You see, our bosses don’t see everything that we do. They don’t always realise how our work impacts our team or other areas of the organization and by being willing to self-advocate and have difficult conversations, you will create change for yourself and others

Because either you learn what to do differently that’ll help you get the promotion the next round OR you will get that promotion.

The value of coaching lies within getting answers to your questions that work for YOU, like:

?? How can I have a healthy disagreement?

?? Where can I find the courage to stand up for myself (or others) without ruining any of my professional relationships?

?? What are authentic ways I could communicate this problem to others that feel true?

?? What is my perception of my performance and am I holding back on self-advocating because I lack confidence and trust in myself?

?? What can I do better and not “how did I fail”?

Are there any of these questions or similar struggles you are actively looking for support with?

Happy Leading!

Toni xx