And Steve Stone

The majority of lawyers are introverts and many struggle with self-promotion.  No one wants to be the obnoxious braggart that everyone in the office talks about.  In fact, there is a fine line between shameless and shameful self-promotion, and there is an art to walking on the shameless side.  There is also immense value in being able to effectively promote yourself.  This skill is important for job interviews, performance reviews, and client development.

So, how can you promote yourself effectively without being over the top?  First of all, you must tell your story in a way that is authentic and engages your audience.   We recommend thinking of this as the difference between telling and selling.  Selling sounds like you are forcing something to happen whereas telling is about conveying important information through your story.  Effective self promoters are sincere and are truly storytellers.

When promoting yourself, you should also think of yourself as an entrepreneur.  Your product is you!  Would you buy a car without knowing its features?  Why would someone hire a lawyer without knowing that she has the necessary experience?  It is certainly more interesting to learn about a car’s features by looking at a well-produced colorful brochure than by reading a long sheet of statistics in small black and white print.   Similarly, it is more interesting to learn about a person’s experience when she presents it in her own full-color, succinct, easy to watch, well-thought-out and honest “commercial.”

In order to become better at promoting yourself, we suggest that you create such a commercial for yourself.  Think about what’s important to share.  What have you accomplished?  What are you proud of, and why?

Now you are ready to begin to craft a story that is uniquely yours and tells what you have accomplished in a truthful, positive, authentic way.  We suggest that you script your story in several different ways so you can tell it differently to different audiences. 

You will also want to find opportunities to practice your brag.  You may want to begin by doing so with an individual or in a group where you are at ease.  You can branch out from there.  The more practiced you become with telling your story, the more comfortable you will be sharing it with others outside your immediate circle.  Have patience.  While it may feel a little uncomfortable at first, with practice over time, you will become a powerful and shameless self-promoter.

Debby Stone, JD, CPCC, PCC and Steve Stone, JD, CPCC, ACC