Be your own Ambassador!

Be your own Ambassador! / 010: 26 Sep 2020

An Ambassador is defined as a representative or promoter of a specified activity (for e.g. she is a good ambassador for the industry). This article is about being an ambassador for yourself, to promote your ideas, views and achievements.

“Your work will speak for itself” is the refrain we have been hearing for a long time. This phrase is antiquated and not fully relevant for today’s times. Many aspirations and ambitions lie buried under this philosophy, as it has lulled professionals into believing in some version of “Karma” instead of expressing and promoting themselves better. Apart from putting in the hard work, today’s professionals also need to speak-up, be heard, and be ‘visible’ to matter in their organisation’s scheme of things, and to succeed in their respective careers. My advice to young professionals is to “Be your own Ambassador”. Do work hard, but don’t forget to express your thoughts freely and promote your achievements too. After all, while an aircraft does fly itself, a strong tailwind helps it get to the destination faster.

When I started my career in the early nineties, organisations used to have a “Group discussion or GD” as part of their selection process. A group of candidates would be seated around a table and assigned a topic, on which they were to have an open discussion. The interviewers would be seated behind the candidates and would simply observe what was happening. Since they used to look for candidates who “stood out” and demonstrated “leadership qualities”, the GD would quickly descend into a verbal melee where candidates would out-shout one another to be “heard” and to visibly demonstrate “leadership” skills. This is certainly NOT what I write about in this article. It is not about creating an artificial impact to impress others. It is about being yourself, but stretching your comfort zone to express yourself and promote your ideas and achievements meaningfully. It is about going beyond merely creating an impression to actually making an impact, while adding a bit of lustre to yourself along the way.

I look at a few reasons to understand why we are generally reluctant to express freely or promote ourselves, and how doing so may really help you: 

1.      It’s “bad” to be seen promoting one’s own self!

Many of us believe that it is “uncool” or “unprofessional” to speak about our own achievements. Nothing can be further from the truth. Be proud of your achievements and be bold in speaking about them. If we do not talk about our achievements, we must keep in mind that nobody else is likely to do so. But it is important to be sensitive to the context when we talk about ourselves – and do so without boasting or exaggerating 

2.      Fear of being judged!

What will “they” think is another reason why professionals are generally reluctant to promote themselves. I am reminded of a quote I read, which said – for the first twenty years of your career you worry about what others may think. For the next twenty years, you really don’t care about what they may be thinking. It is only when you cross sixty years of age that you realise, they weren’t thinking of you at all! Everyone has their own issues to worry about – and judging you is probably not on that list. So, get that worry out of the way and express yourself fully 

3.      Fear of showing our ignorance or being proven wrong!

Yes, it is true that once we draw attention to our viewpoints, we may be seen as ignorant in the present or we may be proven wrong in the future. But that’s part of the learning. You are stating your view based on your knowledge and experience as of today. An honest admission of ignorance is always better than pretending we know it already. After all, tomorrow is another day, and with new learning and experience, we can always be better and more knowledgeable 

4.      It’s the age of 24X7!

Whether we like it or not, whether we acknowledge it or not, this is the age of 24X7. We are all switched on and connected all the time. We are continuously bombarded with information through news media and social media, apart from our regular work-related updates. In this swamp of shifting perceptions, only memorable achievements and strong viewpoints are remembered, while everything else is forgotten quickly. It is therefore all the more important to put your hands up, express your views freely and promote your achievements confidently 

5.      Active contribution is the key!

In professional context, it is important to be more restrained, and wait for the right moment to put your hands up and express yourself as best as possible. Quality of contribution is the key, not quantity – if you have nothing to say on a specific topic, please don’t – just because your peers are saying something. It is not necessary to be talkative or to dominate the conversation, but overall, it is very important to add your own unique value to it. Blend in your track record of experience and achievements along with your expressions so that the impact is felt 

6.      If you don’t ask, the answer is always No!

This statement is profound. If we ask, we may be denied, but if we do not even ask, then we are denied by default. Similarly, if you talk about your achievements, you may still be ignored – but if you do not talk about them, then they will be ignored by default anyway. So do ask – and do talk about your achievements confidently

For all of you reading this article, you are already on LinkedIn, and therefore you have already started to become your own ambassador. Use this platform judiciously to articulate your ideas, views, and accomplishments. Similarly, within your organisation, be your own ambassador by speaking up for yourself and talking about your achievements confidently. This is a 24X7 world, where it is perfectly fine to do so, and you will not be judged for it. It is okay to admit to ignorance and to be wrong; so long as we are always learning and getting better every day. You do not need to change yourself and become someone that you are not – but you do need to stretch your comfort zone to become a better version of yourself! And remember, if you do not ask, the answer is always a “no”, so start asking and start talking about your achievements. Be your own ambassador!

I trust you enjoyed reading this article and would love to hear from you. Warm regards, Krishnakumar

Image credit : https://www.colourbox.com/image/stand-out-from-the-crowd-and-different-concept-one-light-man-standing-with-arms-wide-open-with-other-people-image-13497794